Original Research by School Decision on Leeds 6
Leeds Public School District 6 sits in Benson County, North Dakota, and serves students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade across two schools, Leeds Elementary and Leeds High School. It is a very small rural district, with total enrollment across all grades sitting in the low hundreds. Each grade level holds roughly a handful to a dozen students, which means children here move through school in tight cohorts where everyone is likely known by name.
The student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic, and Black students. The district did not report free-or-reduced-price lunch counts, nor did it provide IEP or English-learner figures, so a parent looking to understand the socioeconomic and special-needs composition of the enrollment would need to ask the district directly.
On state assessments, Leeds reported results under North Dakota's new A-PLUS system for the 2024-25 school year in math and ELA for grades three and five, and under the prior NDSA science assessment for grade four in 2023-24. Because the state changed both the test name and the proficiency cut scores, the district's results cannot be cleanly compared to earlier years. Proficiency is reported as a range rather than a single point, which is common for districts with very small tested groups. In math, the reported proficiency ranges sit in a solid band, with grade three landing higher than grade five. ELA ranges for both grades three and five span a wide band, with the upper end suggesting a healthy share of students reaching proficiency. Science results for grade four, under the prior assessment, came in lower, with fewer than half of the dozen tested students clearing the proficiency bar. Participation rates held steady across subjects and grades. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly in science, to understand how the district is addressing that gap given the very small number of tested students.
No graduation rate was provided for the district. No civil-rights data, course-access information, staffing figures, or attendance data were available either. The district did not report any program offerings such as AP, dual-credit, or career pathways. Given the district's size, the range of specialized academic options is likely limited, but the data does not confirm what is or is not available, so a parent should inquire directly.
Housing in the area is affordable by any standard. The district's weighted home value sits well below both the North Dakota state benchmark and the national figure, and the price-to-income ratio is modest. Home values have been climbing at a healthy clip over the past year, with the Leeds-area zip code seeing appreciation close to ten percent. Rental data was not available. The nearby Devils Lake zip code carries higher home values but contributes only a small share of the district's housing weight.
We searched for recent district-level changes, such as referendums, curriculum updates, or property-tax shifts, and found no clear reports of parent-relevant developments. Leeds is a quiet, small-town district where the academic picture is shaped by very small class sizes and limited data transparency. What the assessments do show is a generally competent performance in early-grade math and ELA, a softer spot in science, and the reality that results here can swing noticeably year to year simply because each tested cohort is so small. Families considering Leeds should weigh the closeness and continuity of a tiny rural school community against the narrower range of programs and data points that a larger district would offer.
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