Original Research by School Decision on Earl 18
EARL 18 is a very small rural elementary district in McKenzie County, North Dakota, serving kindergarten through eighth grade from a single school, Squaw Gap School. The district sits in the western part of the state, near the Montana border, and the housing data available for the area is drawn from the nearby Sidney, Montana market, the closest community with reported figures. This is a place defined by its remoteness and small scale.
The district's enrollment is extremely small, with publicly reported information indicating fewer than five students across all grade levels. Because the numbers are so low, the state does not report demographic breakdowns, free-or-reduced-price lunch rates, English learner counts, or special education rates. This is not unusual for a district of this size in rural North Dakota; the student population is simply too small to produce statistically meaningful subgroup data, and reporting such figures could identify individual students. The racial and ethnic composition data returned all zeros, which reflects the same limitation rather than an absence of diversity.
No state assessment results were available for EARL 18. For a district with this few students, state testing data is often suppressed to protect student privacy, and it is possible the district's results fall below reporting thresholds. Without proficiency figures, it is not possible to characterize academic performance from the data provided. A parent evaluating this district would need to contact Squaw Gap School or the district directly to ask about student learning outcomes, instructional approach, and how progress is tracked in such a small setting.
The district brief notes that a search for parent-relevant changes, such as referendums, property-tax shifts, curriculum updates, or staffing changes, turned up nothing beyond basic directory information. This is consistent with a district that has not undergone recent structural changes or faced public governance decisions that would surface in news or district communications. The absence of reported changes may simply reflect stability, or it may reflect the reality that a district of this size operates with minimal public documentation outside state filings.
The housing market context comes from Sidney, Montana, the nearest community with available data. Typical home values in that area sit below the North Dakota state benchmark and well below the national benchmark, and values have been rising modestly year over year. Rents are affordable relative to income, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment exceeds the typical rent by a meaningful margin, which is common in areas where ownership costs outpace rental costs. McKenzie County more broadly is part of the Bakken oil region, which has seen economic cycles tied to energy production, though the district brief did not provide specific economic data for the immediate area around Squaw Gap School.
No information was available on programs, course access, extracurriculars, staffing ratios, discipline, attendance, or Title I status. The locale brief, which would normally provide community context for the town or place, was not provided. Civil rights data and a neighbor comparison fact-set were also absent. These gaps mean the picture here is thin. What the data does tell a parent is that EARL 18 is among the smallest districts in North Dakota, operating a single K-through-8 school in a remote western location, with housing costs that are relatively modest by state and national standards. For a family considering this district, the most productive next step would be a direct conversation with the school about what daily instruction looks like with a very small student body and how the district approaches assessment, socialization, and transition to high school, since EARL 18 does not serve grades nine through twelve.
See more original research from School Decision →