Summary:
ZIP code 58201 includes 10 Grand Forks schools: seven elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school, serving students from elementary through high school. In 2025–2026, the equal-weight school averages were above state results in math, reading and science, but individual schools varied widely: math ranged from 40–48% at Ben Franklin Elementary School to 77% at J Nelson Kelly Elementary School, while reading ranged from 46% at Red River High School to 70–78% at Phoenix Elementary School. The most important finding is that ZIP-wide averages hide substantial differences among nearby schools.
J Nelson Kelly Elementary School and Discovery Elementary School stand out most consistently: Kelly scored 77% in math and 74% in reading, 23 and 17 points above state figures; Discovery scored 72% and 70%, 18 and 13 points above. Both had science results of 50–58%, compared with 39% statewide. Century Elementary School is the clearest low performer, with 47% in math and 50% in reading—7 points below state in each—and science at 25–33%, 6–14 points below. Phoenix could lead in reading, but its reported range does not establish that it exceeds Kelly’s 74%.
Math and reading results rose on average from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, but state gains were larger; for example, Red River High School gained 26 points in math but 13 in reading, while the state gained 17 in reading. SchoolDigger ranks Kelly at the 90th percentile and Discovery at the 85th among state elementary schools, compared with Century at the 18th; Phoenix’s rank rose from the 40th to the 59th percentile over three years. As context, 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 12% at Discovery, 14% at Kelly and 54% at Century—observations that do not explain test results. Some 2025–2026 results are reported as ranges, so they do not support exact rankings or changes.
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