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Watford City High School

Q: Is Watford City High School a good school?

Watford City High School ranks 79 th of 125 North Dakota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

79^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 125 North Dakota High Schools

Better than 37% of North Dakota high schools

Summary

Watford City High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Watford City, North Dakota, with a total enrollment of 511 students. The school is part of the McKenzie County 1 school district, which is ranked 118 out of 134 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Watford City High School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of North Dakota high schools, ranging from 79th to 114th out of 118-125 schools over the past 10 years. The school's SchoolDigger rating has been 1 or 0 stars out of 5 for most of the past decade, indicating below-average performance compared to other schools in the state. However, the school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with female students generally performing better than male students, and English Language Learners and Low Socioeconomic Status students performing relatively well compared to their peers in the state.

While Watford City High School's proficiency rates in math, reading, and science are generally below the state and district averages, the school's four-year graduation rate has been in the 82-91% range, which is slightly below the state average. The school also has a higher-than-average chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 15-27% in recent years. Compared to the nearby Alexander High School, which is in a different district, Watford City High School has a slightly lower ranking and rating, but the two schools serve different student populations and face unique challenges.

566

Students ?

12.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,627

Per pupil spending ?

26.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2313 Wolves Den Pkwy
Watford City, ND 58854

(701) 444-3626

District: McKenzie County 1

Feeder schools for Watford City High School:

Elementary:

Badlands Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.9%

Hispanic:

24.0%

American Indian:

4.9%

See top rated North Dakota high schools

Compare Watford City High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 23rd percentile in 2016 → 37th in 2025

Strengths

✓91% graduate in 4 years — above the North Dakota average (84%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Dakota average (30% vs 40% meeting standards)

!Math scores 20 pts below the North Dakota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg31%

North Dakota avg40%

79^th of 125

North Dakota public high schools ?

Bottom 37%▲ up 31 pts since 2015

From bottom 6% (2015) to bottom 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Dakota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

118^th of 134McKenzie County 1 among North Dakota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2014	26.2	113 of 136	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	28.5	119 of 135	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	44.9	88 of 124	29.0%	★★☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	36.3	79 of 125	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.8	102 of 122	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.6	112 of 125	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.1	92 of 121	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.5	114 of 118	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2020	28.1	96 of 117	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.1	96 of 117	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	105 of 120	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.1	98 of 114	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	30.8	91 of 118	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	9.3	99 of 105	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	22.7	108 of 122	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	40.9	88 of 122	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	37.6	95 of 126	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	80.1	1 of 12	91.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	39.6	39 of 65	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.2	51 of 63	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	50 of 57	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	54.4	22 of 54	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.9	44 of 54	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2020	46.7	36 of 58	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.7	36 of 58	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	13.5	53 of 57	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	39.6	35 of 51	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	13.8	52 of 55	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	9.9	45 of 47	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	10 of 13	23.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.4	6 of 7	14.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.4	6 of 8	25.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	84.1	1 of 3	66.7%	★★★★★

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	62.8	1 of 2	50.0%	★★★★★
2022	29.7	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	66.7	7 of 30	76.7%	★★★★☆
2024	62.0	8 of 25	68.0%	★★★★☆
2023	53.3	12 of 27	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	11.1	22 of 22	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	29.6	23 of 28	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2020	22.9	21 of 24	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.9	21 of 24	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.9	26 of 26	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	16.2	21 of 22	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	50.5	12 of 25	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	32.6	13 of 18	27.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	35.9	42 of 65	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	14.7	62 of 63	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.6	54 of 57	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	30.1	40 of 54	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.0	51 of 54	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2020	14.1	57 of 58	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	57 of 58	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	28.1	47 of 57	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.2	46 of 51	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	38.5	38 of 55	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	7.2	46 of 47	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	34.9	16 of 24	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	11.3	23 of 24	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.0	19 of 22	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.7	16 of 20	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.1	17 of 17	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2020	20.4	14 of 17	17.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.4	14 of 17	17.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	14.4	15 of 16	6.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	1.7	14 of 14	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

High school

English Language Learner (2025)92nd percentile+55 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)77th percentile+40 vs school

Homeless (2025)50th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)40th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)35th percentile~ school

White (2025)33rd percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)23rd percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs North Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Reading46%+6 vs state

Science24%-14 vs state

Math20%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Watford City High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				A-Plus Math (2025)		A-Plus Reading (2025)		A-Plus Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	A-Plus Math 10th Grade	A-Plus Math All Grades	A-Plus Reading 10th Grade	A-Plus Reading All Grades	A-Plus Science 10th Grade	A-Plus Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Watford City High School	Public	9-12	2313 Wolves Den Pkwy	Watford City	58854	McKenzie County	McKenzie County 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 444-3626	566	44	12.8	26.5%	356 (62.9%)	17 (3.0%)	136 (24.0%)	11 (1.9%)	28 (4.9%)	2 (0.4%)	16 (2.8%)	36.3	79^th of 125 public high schools	36.8%		19.8	102^nd of 122 public high schools	16.4%	23	20.5	20.5	45.5	45.5	24.0	24.0	$14,627	$2,287	$12,339
Watford City Virtual Academy High School	Public, Virtual	7-12	2112 Wolves Den Parkway	Watford City	58854	McKenzie County	McKenzie County 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(701) 444-3626	34	1	35.7		24 (70.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (26.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)							$5,464	$1,075	$4,390
Wolves Center Academy	Public	9-12	908 4th Avenue NE	Watford City	58854	McKenzie County	McKenzie County 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 444-3626	30	1	30.0		17 (56.7%)	1 (3.3%)	7 (23.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.7%)	1 (3.3%)	2 (6.7%)								(n/a)							$6,675	$1,075	$5,600
Alexander High School	Public	7-12	601 Delaney St	Alexander	58831	McKenzie County	Alexander 2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 828-3334	114	15	7.6	32.5%	95 (83.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (8.8%)	1 (0.9%)	3 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.4%)	39.9	71^st of 125 public high schools	43.2%		34.4	88^th of 122 public high schools	27.9%	17	20.0	20.0	20.0	20.0	44.5	44.5	$16,320	$538	$15,782

IMPORTANT NOTE: North Dakota does not publish exact assessment percentages; instead, results are reported as ranges (e.g., 20-29%) to protect student privacy in smaller groups. The proficiency rates displayed on SchoolDigger are calculated using midpoint imputation—the center value of each reported range. Actual values may differ by up to 5 percentage points from the figures shown.

Frequently Asked Questions about Watford City High School

What schools feed into Watford City High School?

Watford City High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Badlands Elementary School

How many students attend Watford City High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 566 students attended Watford City High School.

What district is Watford City High School in?

McKenzie County 1

What is the racial makeup of Watford City High School?

Students at Watford City High School are 63% White, 24% Hispanic, 5% American Indian, 3% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Watford City High School a good school?

Watford City High School ranks 79^th of 125 North Dakota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Watford City High School!

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Schools in Watford City, ND

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

About North Dakota Assessment Data: To protect student privacy, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction reports assessment results as percentage ranges rather than exact values. SchoolDigger calculates proficiency rates using midpoint imputation, which uses the center value of each reported range. For example, a reported range of 20-29% is represented as 24.5%. As a result, the proficiency rates shown may vary by approximately ±5 percentage points from actual values. This variance is most significant for individual grade/subject combinations and diminishes when data is aggregated across multiple grades or subjects.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.