Killdeer 16, ND - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Killdeer 16

Killdeer Public School District serves a rural stretch of western North Dakota in Dunn County, centered on the town of Killdeer and drawing from surrounding communities. The district operates two schools, Killdeer Elementary and Killdeer High School, covering pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Enrollment is modest, with class sizes fairly even across grade levels, which gives the district a small-school feel where students are likely known by name. The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful American Indian and Alaska Native presence and a smaller Hispanic cohort. The district does not report free or reduced-price lunch figures, IEP rates, or English learner counts in the data available here, so families looking for information on poverty indicators or special education and language support would need to ask the district directly.

State testing results come from North Dakota's A-PLUS assessment for the current school year. Because the state changed both the assessment name and proficiency cut scores this year, prior-year comparisons are not reliable and trend data was not computed. What the current results show is a mixed academic picture. In English language arts, early grades are a relative bright spot, with third graders landing in a higher proficiency band. Performance dips in the middle elementary years, particularly in fifth grade, where proficiency drops to the lowest reported band. It recovers somewhat in sixth and seventh grade before settling in a lower-middle range by eighth grade. In math, the pattern is steadier across most grades in the middle bands, with seventh grade standing out as the strongest. Science was assessed in fourth and eighth grade, landing in the middle and lower-middle bands respectively. Participation rates are solid across all tested grades. A parent concerned about the middle-elementary ELA dip or the modest eighth-grade results may want to look into this further with the school.

The district recently undertook a major bond-funded construction project, with publicly reported capital outlay and debt interest for the most recent fiscal year. For a rural district of this size, that represents a lasting infrastructure investment, and it also carries ongoing financial obligations for local taxpayers. Families moving into the area should be aware that this investment may shape both school facilities and local tax structures for years to come.

No graduation rate data, AP or dual-credit course listings, career pathway programs, or staffing figures were available in the data provided. Without these, the academic program beyond state testing cannot be fully characterized here. A family wanting to understand college readiness or career and technical education options would need to contact the district.

Housing in the area is relatively affordable compared with national levels, with the district-weighted typical home value sitting close to the North Dakota state benchmark and well below the national figure. Home values have been climbing at a healthy year-over-year pace, reflecting the broader western North Dakota growth context tied to energy development. Rents are modest, and renting remains cheaper than carrying a mortgage at current interest rates, which may appeal to families testing the area before committing to a purchase. The housing data draws from several zip codes, with the largest weight coming from Killdeer itself, though some contribution comes from nearby communities including Dickinson and Watford City.

What this district offers is a small, rural, single-campus pathway from pre-kindergarten through graduation, with a fairly diverse student body for the region and recent investment in facilities. Academic results are uneven but show genuine strength in the early grades and in seventh-grade math. The gaps in program data, graduation rates, and special-population reporting mean a full picture requires direct outreach to the district.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

615

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 7%

Black 1%

White 73%

Asian 1%

Two+ 2%

Am. Indian / AK Native 15%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 1%

Schools in this District

2 schools are officially reported under this district.

KILLDEER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

KILLDEER HIGH SCHOOL

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$287,475

Year-over-year change+7.2%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$258K to $384K

vs. state typical1.00x

vs. national typical0.78x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
58640	Killdeer	$272K	+7.5%	38.5%
58854	Watford City	$384K	+7.1%	4.7%
58601	Dickinson	$324K	+5.9%	2.2%
58630	Gladstone	$350K	+3.7%	1.7%
58656	Taylor	$258K	+4.1%	1.4%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,267/mo

Year-over-year change-2.2%

Range across 2 ZIP codes$1,258 to $1,286/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (2 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
58854	Watford City	$1,258	—	4.7%
58601	Dickinson	$1,286	-2.2%	2.2%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,451/mo

Home price / national median income3.4x

Annual rent / national median income18.1%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$184/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$286,406 (+5.5% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Academic Performance
Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.