Summary:
The Wishek 19 district is home to a single elementary school, Wishek Elementary School, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through 6th grade in the community of Wishek, North Dakota, with a total enrollment of 150 students.
Wishek Elementary School stands out for its remarkable upward trajectory in state rankings, climbing from a 2-star rating in 2022-2023 to a 4-star rating in 2024-2025, now placing it in the 75th percentile statewide. The school’s strongest academic area is math, where 59% of students are proficient—significantly outpacing the state average of 41%. However, reading proficiency tells a different story, with overall scores at 39%, just below the state average of 40%. A particularly concerning trend emerges in reading by grade level: while 3rd graders outperform the state (54.5% vs. 38%), proficiency drops sharply to 39.5% in 5th grade and plummets to just 19.5% in 6th grade, a full 19.5 points below the state average. Science performance is mixed, with 4th graders excelling (49% vs. state 42%) but 8th graders falling behind (34.5% vs. state 44%).
The school spends a high $15,499 per student, yet maintains a relatively high student-teacher ratio of 20.2:1, suggesting investment in resources rather than smaller class sizes. With only 26.67% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the school serves a population with lower-than-average economic disadvantage, an advantage it capitalizes on in math but not yet in reading or science. For parents, the key takeaway is that Wishek Elementary School is a rapidly improving school with exceptional math instruction, but it faces clear challenges in sustaining reading proficiency as students move into upper grades, particularly 6th grade, where targeted intervention appears urgently needed.
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