Original Research by School Decision on Del Easton Alternative High School
Del Easton Alternative High School sits in Williston, North Dakota, serving students in grades ten through twelve as part of Williston Basin School District 7. It is a small alternative school, and that size and purpose shape everything about what it offers. The enrollment is modest, with the bulk of students in twelfth grade and a smaller group in eleventh. No tenth graders were reported enrolled. The school is designed for a specific kind of student, likely those who need a nontraditional path to graduation, and families considering it should understand that context before reading anything else into the numbers.
State assessment results were not available in the data provided. For an alternative high school, this is common. These schools often serve students who arrived behind on credits or who need flexible scheduling, and their populations are small enough that testing results can be unstable or suppressed. The absence here should not be read as a weakness. It reflects the nature of the school. Similarly, no graduation rate was provided. A parent interested in how many students finish here would want to ask the school directly, since that outcome is central to what an alternative program exists to do.
The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic presence and a small number of students identified as two or more races. No students were reported in the American Indian, Black, Asian, or Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander categories. Free and reduced-price lunch data was missing, as were rates for individualized education programs and English learners. These are gaps a parent might want to fill in conversation with the school, since they help clarify what supports are available and who the school is serving.
No information was provided on staffing, course access, discipline, attendance, or Title I status. The school is classified as a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Its program offerings, extracurriculars, and any career or dual-credit pathways were not included in the data. Given the alternative designation, families should expect a credit-recovery or flexible-credit model rather than a full comprehensive high school program, but the data does not confirm specifics. This is a school where a direct conversation with administrators would be essential before enrolling.
Williston itself is a city transformed by the Bakken oil boom. Publicly reported sources describe an economy built on oil, agriculture, and tourism, with many oil service companies operating locally, including several of the world's largest. The population surged over the past decade and a half before growth began to normalize. The city is car-oriented, with no fixed-route bus service, though demand-response transit is available. Amtrak's Empire Builder stops in Williston, and US 2 runs through town. Williston State College, a two-year public institution, is located in the city, which could matter for students looking toward postsecondary options.
The housing market in the school's zip code sits above the state benchmark and roughly in line with the national figure. Home values have been climbing, with a meaningful year-over-year increase. Rents are modest by national comparison, and the rent-to-income ratio is lower than the mortgage-to-income ratio, meaning renting is currently more affordable than buying for a typical household in this area. For families relocating to Williston for oil industry work, this is worth knowing. The cost of ownership has risen with the regional boom, and rental availability can be tight in a city that grew so quickly.
The district itself recently underwent a major structural change. Voters approved merging Williston Public School District 1 with Williams County School District 8 in 2020, and the consolidated Williston Basin School District 7 took effect in July 2021. A new elementary school, Sloulin Elementary, is scheduled to open in August 2026, and the district is redrawing attendance boundaries in phases. These changes affect elementary placement, not the high school level, but they speak to a district still adjusting to rapid growth and reorganization.
What Del Easton offers is a narrow, targeted pathway within that larger system. It is a place for students who need something other than the comprehensive high school experience, likely with smaller classes and a focus on getting to graduation. The data does not tell us how well it succeeds at that. What it does tell us is that the school is small, the community is growing and economically driven by energy, and the district around it is actively reshaping itself. A parent considering this school should treat a visit and a direct conversation as the next step, because the data alone leaves real and understandable gaps.
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