By: Michael Achterling
BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota K-12 students continue to make gains in becoming ready for college or career paths after high school, according to new data released by the Department of Public Instruction.
On Friday, the department released its statewide performance and assessment data for the 2024-25 school year that provides information on graduation rates, English and math proficiency and other statistics.
Federal law requires state education agencies to provide an accountability report for every public school in the state.
“Honest competition and transparency help make everyone better,” said State School Superintendent Levi Bachmeier in a statement. “This information helps districts understand who to look to for best practices and helps citizens ask thoughtful questions about educational outcomes.”
The data showed a 2% increase in students considered “Choice Ready” over the previous year, increasing to 73% of all North Dakota students. A student can become Choice Ready for post-secondary education, military service, workforce or essential skills, through courses and other opportunities offered at their schools.
During the 2020-21 school year, 45% of North Dakota students were considered Choice Ready, according to the data.
The department began implementing the Choice Ready framework during the 2018-19 school year with the goal of making students ready to choose any career path after leaving high school, said Amanda Peterson, director of educational improvement and support for the Department of Public Instruction.
“It’s not necessarily a student making a conscious choice on which bucket they fall in. It’s a school offering opportunities in all three buckets, including the essential skills, so that a student can be prepared for any field they want to go into,” Peterson said.
She said students’ aspirations can change over time, but skills in math and English are needed for college and employment opportunities.
“Employers really want students to be able to critically think, be strong in all of the subject areas needed and they really need to be strong readers as well in order to be successful in life,” Peterson said.
Student graduation rates remained relatively flat with 84% of students receiving their high school diplomas within four years of entering high school. That rate was 82% last year and 83% in 2022-23.
The data showed a 7% increase in the four-year graduation rate for North Dakota Native American students, from 63% to 70% in the 2024-25 school year.
Peterson said the “completer rate” is a better metric because it takes into account students who receive their diploma or pass the General Education Development test before age 22. It also includes some special education students who may attend school until age 21.
North Dakota’s “completer rate” was 92% for the 2024-25 school year, up from 91% last year and 90% during the 2022-23 school year.
To find performance rates of individual schools and districts, visit insights.nd.gov/Education and click on Data for Specific District or School.
Data may not be available for some categories that have fewer than 10 students due to privacy concerns, the department said.
The department changed its test provider, platform and questions used to measure English, math and science proficiency for the 2024-25 assessment. The scores are:
- English: 40% advanced or proficient, 42% approaching proficiency and 18% novice level
- Math: 41% advanced or proficient, 29% approaching proficiency and 29% novice level
- Science: 38% advanced or proficient, 29% approaching proficiency and 32% novice level
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