Original Research by School Decision on Scranton 33
Scranton Public School District sits in Bowman County, in southwestern North Dakota, and serves the town of Scranton from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade across two buildings: Scranton Elementary School and Scranton High School. This is a very small district by enrollment, with roughly a dozen or fewer students per grade. The student body is almost entirely white, with a small number of American Indian or Alaska Native students and one student identified as two or more races. No Hispanic, Black, Asian, or Pacific Islander students were reported. The district did not report free-or-reduced-price lunch counts, IEP rates, or English-learner figures, so those pieces of the picture are missing here.
The housing market surrounding the district is affordable by both state and national standards. Typical home values in the area sit well below the North Dakota statewide benchmark and roughly half the national figure, making homeownership comparatively accessible for families. Home prices have been rising at a brisk pace recently, with year-over-year appreciation outpacing both the state and national rates. A family putting down a standard down payment would face a monthly mortgage that looks manageable against typical area incomes. Rent data was not available, so renters will need to look elsewhere for that information.
Academic results come from North Dakota's A-PLUS assessment for the current school year. Because the district is so small, proficiency rates are reported as ranges rather than precise figures, which reflects the challenge of publishing exact percentages when only a handful of students sit in each tested grade. Participation was reported at a level that may leave some students untested, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school.
In mathematics, the upper elementary grades stand out as a strength. Fourth and fifth grade proficiency ranges land in the higher bands, suggesting most students in those grades are meeting or exceeding state expectations. Third grade math sits lower, and middle school math results are mixed, with seventh grade in a middling range and eighth grade dipping further. Eighth grade science is the softest spot in the data, with proficiency in a range that sits below most other subjects and grades. A parent with a student entering those later middle school years may want to ask the district how science and math instruction are structured as students transition toward high school.
English language arts results follow a similar pattern. Fourth and fifth grade ELA proficiency ranges are solidly in the upper bands, while third and seventh grade ranges sit lower. The district did not report sixth grade ELA results, and no high school assessment data was included, so the academic picture is limited to elementary and middle grades.
Graduation rate data was not provided. The district does serve high school grades through twelfth grade, so a graduation rate would normally be expected. Its absence here may reflect reporting limitations, small senior class sizes, or how the state reports district-level outcomes, but the data does not specify a reason. Course access, staffing, discipline, and attendance information was also not available, so we cannot describe the breadth of class offerings, teacher experience, or school climate from the provided data. Program offerings such as AP, career pathways, or dual credit were not reported either.
We looked for recent parent-relevant changes in the district and found only demographic and statistical overviews with no specific lasting shifts a family should know about. No strategic priorities or district initiatives were available to include.
The district's locale and community context beyond housing was not provided, so we cannot describe the town's character, nearby employers, or local amenities from the data. What the evidence does show is a very small, rural, pre-K-through-12 district where class sizes are intimate by necessity, upper elementary academic performance looks solid, and middle school and science outcomes are areas a family might want to understand better before enrolling. Housing is affordable and appreciating, which may appeal to families looking to put down roots in the area.
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