Original Research by School Decision on Fargo Davies High School
Fargo Davies High School sits in the southern reaches of Fargo, one of two comprehensive high schools serving the Fargo 1 school district. It is a regular public school serving grades nine through twelve, with an enrollment that ranks among the larger high schools in the state. The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Black population and smaller Asian, Hispanic, and Native American groups. A relatively small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals compared with many public high schools, which reflects the broadly middle-class character of the surrounding south Fargo neighborhoods.
On state assessments from the most recent year, Davies posted moderate proficiency in English language arts, a somewhat lower share in science, and its weakest results in math. Only one year of testing data was available, so there is no trend to read. The school's math results are the clearest soft spot in the academic picture, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly what supports or interventions are in place for students who arrive below grade level. English language arts and science sit in a more middling range, neither strong enough to highlight as a clear strength nor weak enough to flag as alarming. State testing data did not include subgroup breakdowns, so it is not possible to say from the available material how different student groups are performing relative to the whole.
Several categories of information that parents often weigh were missing entirely. No graduation rate was reported. No data on course access, advanced placement, career pathways, or dual-credit offerings was provided. Staffing, attendance, and discipline information were absent. Special education and English learner counts were not reported. Program offerings were not listed. Without these pieces, the academic portrait is incomplete, and a family considering Davies would benefit from asking the school directly about its upper-level course catalog, college-credit partnerships, and support services.
The housing market around Davies is more expensive than much of North Dakota. Typical home values in the school's zip code run well above the state benchmark and modestly above the national benchmark, while rents remain relatively affordable against local incomes. Renting costs substantially less per month than carrying a mortgage at current rates, which may matter for families deciding whether to buy into the attendance zone. Home values have been climbing modestly, and rents have risen at a similar pace. The broader Fargo economy supports this market. The city functions as the regional hub for healthcare, higher education, technology, and retail across southeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Sanford Health and Microsoft both maintain major campuses, and North Dakota State University shapes the city's culture and housing patterns. Fargo Public Schools itself is among the area's largest employers. The metro area has carried one of the lowest unemployment rates among U.S. metropolitan areas since the late 1990s, which adds stability for families relocating into the zone.
Fargo's built environment blends a historic downtown core with sprawling postwar development that pushed south and west, the direction Davies lies from the city center. The construction of I-29 and I-94 and the West Acres Shopping Center near that interchange catalyzed the southward growth that shapes the neighborhoods feeding into Davies. Outside downtown, the city is car-dependent. A major flood diversion project is under construction along the Red River, with the city purchasing homes in flood-prone areas, which may alter some neighborhoods over time but does not directly affect the Davies attendance zone in the near term.
The district brief turned up no specific parent-relevant changes, such as referendums, curriculum shifts, or property-tax adjustments, from recent years. That absence means a family looking at Davies is evaluating the school largely on its current academic results and community context rather than on any announced transition. Given that the available data is thin on programs, graduation outcomes, and course offerings, the most useful next step for an interested parent would be a direct conversation with the school about what happens in classrooms beyond what state testing captures.
See more original research from School Decision →