Public education in North Dakota

in North Dakota

Fiscal Budgets North Dakota state budget and finances Tax policy in North Dakota Finance Financial regulation in North Dakota Pensions Public pensions in North Dakota Pension health in North Dakota Civil liberties Affirmative action in North Dakota Campaign finance requirements in North Dakota Campaign finance requirements for North Dakota ballot measures Nonprofit regulation in North Dakota Education Charter schools in North Dakota Higher education in North Dakota Public education in North Dakota School choice in North Dakota Elections Ballot access Ballot access requirements for political candidates in North Dakota Ballot access requirements for political parties in North Dakota Political parties in North Dakota Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in North Dakota Redistricting in North Dakota Voting in North Dakota Energy and Environment Energy policy in North Dakota Fracking in North Dakota Oil and gas extraction on federal land in North Dakota Endangered species in North Dakota Environmental policy in North Dakota Healthcare Healthcare policy in North Dakota Medicaid spending in North Dakota Effect of the Affordable Care Act in North Dakota Immigration Immigration in North Dakota

This article does not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.

K-12 education in North Dakota

Education facts

State superintendent: Kirsten Baesler

Number of students: 101,111

Number of teachers: 8,677

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:12

Number of school districts: 244

Number of schools: 517

Graduation rate: 87.5%

Per-pupil spending: $11,980

See also

North Dakota Department of Education • List of school districts in North Dakota • North Dakota • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in North Dakota Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given are the most recent as of June 2015, with school years noted in the text or footnotes.

The North Dakota public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2013, North Dakota had 101,111 students enrolled in a total of 517 schools in 227 school districts. There were 8,677 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 12 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 225 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average North Dakota spent $11,980 per pupil in 2013, which ranked it 16th highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 87.5 percent in 2013.^[1][2][3]

Common Core[edit]

Common Core, or the Common Core State Standards Initiative, is an American education initiative that outlines quantifiable benchmarks in English and mathematics at each grade level from kindergarten through high school. The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction adopted the standards on June 20, 2011. Full implementation took place during the 2013-2014 academic year.^[4][5]

Despite its implementation, in February 2015 over 200 parents, educators and business leaders attended a debate on a bill to repeal Common Core standards in North Dakota. There was strong debate on both sides of the bill, which would have required North Dakota to withdraw from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, an organization that administers Common Core-affiliated tests for several states, by July 1, 2015. The bill would have also arranged for the development of new education standards by 2017.^[6]

In June 2015 the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm, filed a lawsuit against North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple (R) and other state officials, claiming the state's implementation of Common Core standards was unconstitutional. The lawsuit stated that the standards, as well as the tests that align with them, violated federal laws banning federal control of public education. It also said that the Smarter Balanced Consortium, a group that provided Common Core-aligned testing for states, was in violation of the Constitution as it "is an interstate compact which Congress did not authorize."^[7]

General information[edit]

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how North Dakota compared to three neighboring states with respect to the number of students, schools, teachers per pupil and administrators per pupil for the 2012-2013 school year. The chart also displays that information at the national level. North Dakota had the highest number of teachers relative to students, a ratio of 1:11.7, among its neighboring states.

Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.

Schools by type[edit]

Education policy on Ballotpedia
Education policy in the U.S.
Public education in the U.S.
Higher education by state
School choice in the U.S.
Education statistics
State information
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

See also: Number of schools by school type in the United States

Of the 98,454 schools in the United States, 89,031 were classified as regular schools. After regular schools, magnet schools and charter schools were the most prevalent non-traditional schools in the country, at 6,079 and 5,986, respectively.

The table below breaks down each of the different types of schools in North Dakota and nearby states. Also listed are the numbers of schools in each state that are classified as "Title I" schools. These are public schools that have been specially targeted to correct achievement gaps in public schools.^[8]

In North Dakota, there were 472 regular schools as of 2013. Special education schools were the second most prevalent type of school in the state, with 33 schools classified as such.

Demographics[edit]

See also: Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in North Dakota as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2012-2013.^[9]

During the 2012-2013 school year, just over half of all students in K-12 public schools nationwide were white. About a quarter of the students in the country were Hispanic, with black students making up about 16 percent of the student population.^[9]

In North Dakota, the majority of students were white. White students totaled 83,037, which was about 82.1 percent of the student population in the state. There were 9,086 students who identified as American Indian/Alaska Native in the state, amounting to about 9 percent of the student population.^[9]

Enrollments by region type[edit]

See also: Student distribution by region type in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 30 percent of all public school students in the country attended city schools during the 2012-2013 school year. About 40 percent attended suburban schools. Approximately 11.5 percent of all students attended schools in towns while about 18.7 percent attended rural schools.^[10]

A plurality of students in North Dakota attended rural schools during the 2012-2013 school year. Approximately 40 percent of the state's students attended city or suburban schools, compared to the approximately 60 percent who attended rural or town schools.^[10]

Academic performance[edit]

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores[edit]

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth-grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming), North Dakota had the highest share of eighth-grade students who scored at or above proficient in math.^[11]

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores[edit]

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for North Dakota and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.^[11][12][13]

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.^[14]

North Dakota schools reported a graduation rate of 87.5 percent, highest among its neighboring states.

In North Dakota, more students took the ACT than the SAT, earning an average ACT score of 20.5.

Dropout rate[edit]

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for North Dakota was on par with the national average at 3.3 percent in the 2010-2011 school year. The dropout rate was lower than the national average at 3 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.^[15]

Educational choice options[edit]

See also: School choice in North Dakota

School choice options in North Dakota included inter-district open enrollment and online learning programs. In addition, about 7.05 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Developments[edit]

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)[edit]

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.^[16]

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.^[17]

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

North Dakota is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures[edit]

See also: North Dakota state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.^[18][19]

North Dakota spent approximately 15 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from state funds. North Dakota spent the second highest percentage of its total budget on public education when compared to its neighboring states.

Revenue breakdowns[edit]

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.^[19]

In North Dakota, the primary source of school system revenue was state funding during fiscal year 2013, at $685 million. North Dakota reported the second lowest total public education revenue when compared to its neighboring states.

Expenditure breakdowns[edit]

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.^[20]

Public education expenditures in North Dakota totaled approximately $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2012. North Dakota reported the second lowest total public education expenditures when compared to its neighboring states.

Personnel salaries[edit]

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in North Dakota, the average salary increased by 16 percent.^[22]

Organizations[edit]

State agencies[edit]

See also: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction

The mission statement of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (DPI) reads:^[23]

The Superintendent of Public Instruction is the chief administrator of the Department of Public Instruction. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is elected to four-year terms. Kirsten Baesler began serving in the role in 2013.^[25][26]

The State Board of Public School Education is responsible for "final approval of all school district reorganizations, annexations and dissolution plans." Board members serve six-year terms. The board is composed of seven members, six of whom are appointed by the governor. The composition of the board is as follows:^[27][28]

• The Superintendent of Public Instruction
• A representative for Barnes, Cass, Grand Forks, Griggs, Nelson, Steele and Trail Counties
• A representative for Benson, Bottineau, Cavalier, McHenry, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Renville, Rolette, Towner and Walsh Counties
• A representative for Dickey, Emmons, LaMoure, Logan, McIntosh, Ransom, Richland and Sargent Counties
• A representative for Burleigh, Eddy, Foster, Kidder, McLean, Sheridan, Stutsman and Wells Counties
• A representative for Burke, Divide, McKenzie, Mountrail, Ward and Williams Counties
• A representative for Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sioux, Slope and Stark Counties

Unions[edit]

In 2012, the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas, including resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. North Dakota ranked 24th overall for union power and influence, or "average," which was in the third of five tiers.^[29]

The main union related to the North Dakota school system is the North Dakota Education Association (NDEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA). For the 2003 tax period, NDEA had $2.22 million in total revenue, $2.22 million in total expenses and $2.42 million in total assets.^[30]

List of local North Dakota school unions:^[31]

• North Dakota Education Association
• AFT Bismark
• West Fargo Education Association
• Bismarck Education Association

Taxpayer-funded lobbying[edit]

See also: North Dakota government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the North Dakota School Boards Association. Another statewide association is the North Dakota Retired Teachers Association.

Transparency[edit]

In May 2009, legislation (Senate Bill 2018) passed that mandated the creation of a statewide spending transparency website by June 30, 2011.^[32]

Studies and reports[edit]

Quality Counts 2014[edit]

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

North Dakota received a score of 86.9, or a B+ average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. Except for the "chance for success" category, the state's highest score was in "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.4, or a B average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 66.6, or a D+ average. North Dakota had the highest score in the "chance for success" category when compared to neighboring states. The chart below displays the scores of North Dakota and its surrounding states.^[33]

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

State Budget Solutions education study[edit]

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts[edit]

See also: School board elections portal

District types[edit]

All school districts in North Dakota are the same type. They are considered "public school districts" by law, are governed by an elected school board and have the power to levy taxes or take on debt for school purposes.^[34]

School board composition[edit]

School board members are elected by residents of the school district. If a vacancy occurs, a new member may be appointed or elected by special election to fill the vacancy. School board members may be elected at-large, by geographic area or at-large by geographic area. School boards may have five, seven or nine members elected to three-year or four-year terms.^[35]

Term limits[edit]

North Dakota does not impose statewide term limits on school boards.^[36]

Elections[edit]

See also: North Dakota school board elections, 2021

No North Dakota school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2021.

Path to the ballot[edit]

To be a school board candidate in North Dakota, an individual must be a registered voter in the school district in which they wish to represent.^[36] In order to get on the ballot, school board candidates must file a document declaring the candidate's name and the position sought as well as a statement of interests. These must be filed with the school district business manager by the 64th day before the election.^[35]

Campaign finance[edit]

School district candidates are not required to file campaign financial disclosure reports.^[37]

Recent legislation[edit]

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the North Dakota state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures[edit]

See also: Education on the ballot and List of North Dakota ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. North Dakota Acquiring School Lands Referendum (1912)
2. North Dakota Agricultural College Name Change Initiative, Amendment 3 (1960)
3. North Dakota Agricultural and Educational Funding Separation, Referendum 1 (1964)
4. North Dakota Agricultural and Educational Funding Separation, Referendum 2 (1962)
5. North Dakota Basis of Need Payments State Equalization Fund Initiative (1940)
6. North Dakota Board of Administration Referendum (1919)
7. North Dakota Board of Higher Education, Measure 2 (1988)
8. North Dakota Board of Higher Education, Measure 2 (1994)
9. North Dakota Board of Higher Education Initiative (1938)
10. North Dakota Board of Higher Education Members, Measure 3 (1990)
11. North Dakota Board of Higher Education Membership, Measure 1 (1996)
12. North Dakota Board of Higher Education Nominating Committee Referendum, Measure 5 (1982)
13. North Dakota Board of Higher Education Qualifications and Compensation Referendum, Amendment 1 (1976)
14. North Dakota Boards of Education Referendum, Amendment 5 (1976)
15. North Dakota Change Name of Agricultural College, Initiative 4 (1958)
16. North Dakota Commission of Higher Education Amendment, Measure 3 (2014)
17. North Dakota Common Schools Trust Fund, Constitutional Measure 1 (2006)
18. North Dakota Constitutional Measure 1, Board of Higher Education Membership Amendment (2020)
19. North Dakota County Superintendents Referendum, Number 2 (1966)
20. North Dakota Dickinson Normal School Referendum (1916)
21. North Dakota Earmarking Sales Tax for Schools and Relief Initiative (1940)
22. North Dakota Ellendale Branch Repeal Referendum, Amendment 2 (1972)
23. North Dakota Final Offer Resolution, Measure 3 (1992)
24. North Dakota Healthcare Education Program, Measure 8 (1989)
25. North Dakota Higher Education Costs Referendum, Number 1 (1968)
26. North Dakota Higher Education Institution References, Measure 1 (1998)
27. North Dakota Investment of Institutional Trust Funds Referendum, Amendment 3 (1970)
28. North Dakota Investment of Permanent School Fund Referendum, Amendment 2 (1950)
29. North Dakota Investment of School Fund Referendum (1908)
30. North Dakota Junior College Control Initiative, Measure 4 (1984)
31. North Dakota Location of School for the Blind Referendum, Amendment 3 (1952)
32. North Dakota Maximum School Taxes Initiative (1934)
33. North Dakota Minot Normal School Referendum (1910)
34. North Dakota Minot State College Name Change Referendum, Measure 3 (1984)
35. North Dakota Prohibiting School Teachers Religious Dress, Initiative 1 (1948)
36. North Dakota Reallocating Basis of Need Payments Initiative (1940)
37. North Dakota Reform School Referendum (1920)
38. North Dakota Removal School for the Blind Referendum, Amendment 1 (1950)
39. North Dakota Repeal of Teachers Minimum Training and Salary Initiative (1922)
40. North Dakota Sales Tax Increase for Education, Measure 4 (1990)
41. North Dakota Sales Tax for Schools and Relief Initiative (1940)
42. North Dakota Scholarship Board and Fund, Initiative 2 (1956)
43. North Dakota School Board Proceedings Publication Initiative, Number 5 (1966)
44. North Dakota School District Reorganization, Initiative 5 (1958)
45. North Dakota School District Taxes, Referendum 5 (1963)
46. North Dakota School Funds Referendum (1920)
47. North Dakota School Trust Fund Deposit and Use Referendum, Measure 3 (1982)
48. North Dakota School Year Begins After Labor Day Initiative, Measure 8 (2014)
49. North Dakota School for the Blind Construction Appropriation, Initiative 3 (1958)
50. North Dakota State Board of Higher Education Membership, Measure 1 (2000)
51. North Dakota State Loan Fund Issue (1955)
52. North Dakota Tax Allocation, Initiative 4 (1954)
53. North Dakota Teacher Certification Initiative (1920)
54. North Dakota University "Fighting Sioux" Referendum, Measure 4 (June 2012)
55. North Dakota Williston Educational Institution, Referendum 6 (1956)
56. North Dakota Youth Initiative, Initiated Statutory Measure 3 (2002)

In the news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms North Dakota education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also[edit]

• Historical public education information in North Dakota
• North Dakota state budget and finances
• North Dakota Department of Education
• List of school districts in North Dakota
• North Dakota
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links[edit]

• North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
  • School finance and school organization
  • School district profiles
  • Testing and assessment
  • Education legislation
• North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction
• North Dakota State Board of Public School Education

Footnotes[edit]

	v • e State of North Dakota Bismarck (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2021 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy