District profile / North Dakota

Bismarck 1

Bismarck, North Dakota · Public school district · #1 of 14 North Dakota districts by enrollment

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14,098

Students

2024-25 school year

Schools

2024-25 school year

$13,261

Spending per student

FY2020-21 · 7% below the North Dakota median

14.5

Students per teacher

2024-25 · North Dakota median 13.9

Bismarck 1 is a public school district based in Bismarck, North Dakota, serving 14,098 students in 29 schools. By enrollment it ranks #1 of the 14 North Dakota districts with 1,000 or more students, making it the largest in the state. Its schools average 486 students each, more than the North Dakota median of 371. It spends about $13,261 per student on day-to-day operations, 7% less than the North Dakota median. It has roughly 14.5 students per teacher.

How Bismarck 1 compares

Bismarck 1North Dakota median, districts with 1,000+ students

Spending per student$13,261

North Dakota median $14,333 · 7% below · FY2020-21

Instruction spending per student$8,820

North Dakota median $8,853 · about the same · FY2020-21

Students per school486

North Dakota median 371 · 31% above · 2024-25

Students per teacher14.5

North Dakota median 13.9 · about the same · 2024-25

Students per counselor361

North Dakota median 322 · 12% above · 2024-25

Spending and staffing

Where the money comes from$218.0 million in revenue · FY2020-21

Federal 13%State 58%Local 29%

Measure	Bismarck 1	North Dakota median	Year
Current spending per student	$13,261	$14,333	FY2020-21
Instruction spending per student	$8,820	$8,853	FY2020-21
Total spending	$215.4 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Total revenue	$218.0 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Teachers (full-time equivalent)	969	n/a	2024-25
Total staff (full-time equivalent)	2,024	n/a	2024-25
Students per teacher	14.5	13.9	2024-25
Students per counselor	361	322	2024-25

Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The North Dakota median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.

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Peer districts in North Dakota

Compare side by side →

District	Students	Schools	Spending per student	Students per teacher	Rank
Bismarck 1Bismarck · this district	14,098	29	$13,261	14.5	#1
West Fargo 6West Fargo	13,191	26	$13,257	11.8	#2
Fargo 1Fargo	11,444	26	$16,005	11.6	#3
Grand Forks 1Grand Forks	7,822	18	$14,333	10.7	#4
Minot 1Minot	7,683	21	$14,478	13.9	#5

Similar-size districts nationally

District	Students	Spending per student	Students per teacher
Albemarle County Public SchoolsCharlottesville, VA	14,149	$14,306	13.3
Iron DistrictCedar City, UT	14,125	$7,942	26.6
Pueblo School District No. 60Pueblo, CO	14,104	$10,969	16.7
Fort Smith School DistrictFort Smith, AR	14,045	$11,493	14.1

Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.

Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-nd-bismarck-1