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Turtle Lake-Mercer Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6
55th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 216 North Dakota Elementary Schools
Better than 75% of North Dakota elementary schools
Summary

Turtle Lake-Mercer Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-6 in Turtle Lake, North Dakota, with 106 students. The school is part of the Turtle Lake-Mercer 72 school district, which is ranked 27th out of 134 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Turtle Lake-Mercer Elementary School has shown strong academic performance, ranking in the top 25% of North Dakota elementary schools in recent years. The school's proficiency rates in Math, Reading, and Science are generally higher than the state averages, particularly in 4th and 5th grades. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 5th-grade Math proficiency rate was 69%, compared to the state average of 44%. However, the school's performance in 6th and 8th grades is relatively weaker, with proficiency rates below the state averages in several subjects. The school has a low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 10 to 10.8 students per teacher, which is lower than the nearby Washburn Elementary School (11.8 students per teacher) and Underwood Elementary School (8.9 students per teacher).

Turtle Lake-Mercer Elementary School has maintained a consistent high performance, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for several years, in contrast to the nearby Washburn Elementary School and Underwood Elementary School, which have seen more fluctuations in their ratings and rankings. However, the school has seen an increase in its free and reduced lunch rates, from 12.61% in 2021-2022 to 24.53% in 2023-2024, which is higher than the nearby Washburn Elementary School (16.1% in 2023-2024) and Underwood Elementary School (22.32% in 2023-2024). This may indicate a growing need for additional support and resources for students from low-income families. The school may need to focus on improving its curriculum and instructional strategies for the upper elementary grades to ensure consistent academic success across all grade levels.

97
Students ?
9.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$14,375
Per pupil spending ?
19.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 250 3rd Ave W
       Turtle Lake, ND  58575

(701) 448-2365

District: Turtle Lake-Mercer 72


Students who attend Turtle Lake-Mercer Elementary School usually attend:

High:    Turtle Lake-Mercer High School
Racial breakdown:

White:
92.8%
Two or more races:
4.1%
American Indian:
2.1%
more
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At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 20th percentile in 2016 → 75th in 2025
Strengths
✓Test scores above the North Dakota average (46% vs 40% meeting standards)
✓Ranking is trending up — up 55 percentile points since 2016
✓Above the North Dakota median (75th percentile)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school46%
District avg51%
North Dakota avg40%
55th of 216
North Dakota public elementary schools ?
Top 25%▲ up 58 pts since 2015
From bottom 17% (2015) to top 25% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of North Dakota Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
27th of 134Turtle Lake-Mercer 72 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)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Dakota percentileRating
202565.955 of 21674.5%★★★★☆
202458.377 of 21764.5%★★★☆☆
202353.193 of 21556.7%★★★☆☆
202249.2114 of 21747.5%★★☆☆☆
202160.174 of 20764.3%★★★☆☆
202070.244 of 20378.3%★★★★☆
201970.244 of 20378.3%★★★★☆
201861.368 of 20266.3%★★★☆☆
201739.3144 of 19927.6%★☆☆☆☆
201633.2156 of 19419.6%★☆☆☆☆
201531.0151 of 18116.6%★☆☆☆☆
201444.7152 of 21730.0%★★☆☆☆
201355.9113 of 21747.9%★★☆☆☆
201250.3122 of 19537.4%★★☆☆☆
By subject vs North Dakota (2024-2025) ?
Math49%+8 vs state
Science49%+11 vs state
Reading39%~ state avg

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Turtle Lake-Mercer Elementary School

In the 2024-25 school year, 97 students attended Turtle Lake-Mercer Elementary School.

Students who attend Turtle Lake-Mercer Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Turtle Lake-Mercer High School

Students at Turtle Lake-Mercer Elementary School are 93% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 1% African American.

Turtle Lake-Mercer Elementary School ranks 55th of 216 North Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.


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NDNorth Dakota Elementary School Rankings

NDNorth Dakota District Rankings

Schools in Turtle Lake, 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.




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