Summary:
There is one middle school, New Town Middle School, serving grades 7 and 8 in the New Town 1 district, located in New Town, North Dakota, with a total enrollment of 126 students.
New Town Middle School faces significant academic challenges despite having substantial resources. The school spends $21,270 per student and maintains a very low student-teacher ratio of 6.3 to 1, yet test scores are roughly half the state average. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 20.5% of students were proficient in math (compared to 41% statewide), 29% in reading (state: 40%), and 19% in science (state: 38%). The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 2nd percentile of all North Dakota middle schools for the past three years. About 47% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating moderate-to-high economic disadvantage.
A particularly troubling trend is the decline in performance from 7th to 8th grade. Math proficiency drops from 24% in 7th grade to 14% in 8th grade, while reading proficiency falls from 34% to 24%. Science, tested only in 8th grade, is the weakest subject at 19% proficiency. Chronic absenteeism is a potential hidden crisis: the school's last reported rate from 2019-2020 was 23%, though the district rate for 2024-2025 has improved to 8%. The disconnect between high spending and low results suggests that simply increasing the budget is not the solution; a fundamental re-evaluation of instructional strategies and student support systems is urgently needed.
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