Is Discovery Middle School a good school?

Discovery Middle School ranks 3 rd of 24 North Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 5 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Discovery Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 975 students attended Discovery Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Discovery Middle School?

Students at Discovery Middle School are 69% White, 18% African American, 4% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

What high school do graduates of Discovery Middle School attend?

Students who attend Discovery Middle School usually go on to attend Fargo Davies High School

Discovery Middle School

Summary:

Discovery Middle School is a public middle school located in Fargo, North Dakota, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 975 students. The school is part of the Fargo 1 School District, which is ranked 10th out of 20 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Discovery Middle School consistently ranks among the top middle schools in North Dakota, with rankings ranging from 1st to 5th in the state over the past several years. The school's students consistently outperform the state and district averages in proficiency rates for NDSA (North Dakota State Assessments) in Mathematics, Reading, and Science across all grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Discovery Middle School had 48% of students proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 42% for the Fargo 1 district and 41% for the state. Additionally, Discovery Middle School has a more diverse student population compared to the nearby schools, with a higher percentage of African American (18.15%) and Asian (3.59%) students, and a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (26.36%) compared to the nearby schools.

When comparing Discovery Middle School to the nearby schools, such as Ben Franklin Middle School and Carl Ben Eielson Middle School, Discovery Middle School consistently outperforms them in terms of proficiency rates on NDSA assessments. This academic excellence, combined with the school's diverse student population and smaller class sizes, with a student-teacher ratio of 12:1, make Discovery Middle School an exceptional middle school in the Fargo area.

Detail:

Public 6-8

1717 40th Ave S
Fargo, ND 58104

(701) 446-3300

District: Fargo 1

SchoolDigger Rank:
3^rd of 24 North Dakota Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,686

Students who attend Discovery Middle School usually attend:

High:

Fargo Davies High School

Feeder schools for Discovery Middle School:

Elementary:	Bennett Elementary School
	Centennial Elementary School
	Eagles Elementary School
	Kennedy Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.0

Number of students: 975

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.9%

African American:

18.2%

Hispanic:

3.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 26.4%

See top rated North Dakota middle schools

Compare Discovery Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Discovery Middle School ranks better than 87.5% of middle schools in North Dakota. It also ranks first among 3 ranked middle schools in the Fargo 1 School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 78.76. (See more...)

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Discovery Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Fargo 1 School District. Racial makeup is: White (68.9%), African American (18.2%), Hispanic (3.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 26.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Fargo 1 School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Discovery Middle School is 12. 1 middle schools in the Fargo 1 School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Discovery Middle School employs 81.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Discovery Middle School is $13,686, which is the lowest among 3 middle schools in the Fargo 1 School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Discovery Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Discovery Middle School 3^rd of 24 North Dakota public middle schools. (See Discovery Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Fargo 1:

SchoolDigger ranks Fargo 1 10^th of 20 North Dakota school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Discovery Middle School.

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Your rating for Discovery Middle School?

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Rank History for Discovery Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Discovery Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile
2012	56.97	59^th	124	52.4%
2013	58.10	61^st	135	54.8%
2014	57.75	70^th	136	48.5%
2015	75.10	11^th	109	89.9%
2016	80.25	11^th	116	90.5%
2017	86.77	1^st	32	96.9%
2018	85.50	1^st	21	95.2%
2019	79.87	2^nd	23	91.3%
2021	88.66	1^st	24	95.8%
2022	78.83	3^rd	28	89.3%
2023	76.51	5^th	27	81.5%
2024	78.76	3^rd	24	87.5%

See the entire list of North Dakota Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Discovery Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile
2018	60.35	5^th	13	61.5%
2019	57.87	6^th	12	50.0%
2023	85.02	3^rd	12	75.0%
2024	82.55	2^nd	11	81.8%

See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Discovery Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile
2018	90.49	2^nd	17	88.2%
2019	89.14	3^rd	17	82.4%
2021	88.11	1^st	17	94.1%
2022	84.60	5^th	19	73.7%
2023	83.67	4^th	20	80.0%
2024	83.03	3^rd	19	84.2%

See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Discovery Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile
2018	94.06	1^st	17	94.1%
2019	90.94	1^st	18	94.4%
2021	94.65	1^st	18	94.4%
2022	91.25	1^st	20	95.0%
2023	89.90	1^st	20	95.0%
2024	86.75	2^nd	19	89.5%

See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Discovery Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile
2018	83.65	1^st	18	94.4%
2019	80.63	1^st	21	95.2%
2021	91.63	1^st	22	95.5%
2022	81.62	2^nd	25	92.0%
2023	82.98	2^nd	25	92.0%
2024	85.40	2^nd	23	91.3%

See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Sunday, February 4, 2024

Good

Enrollment information for Discovery Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1995	1014	6	12	8	48	n/a	n/a	1088
1996	1014	6	12	8	48	n/a	n/a	1088
1997	1040	13	15	17	58	n/a	n/a	1143
1998	1045	16	17	8	47	n/a	n/a	1133
1999	1088	14	13	8	30	n/a	n/a	1153
2000	1107	17	13	8	26	n/a	n/a	1171
2001	1039	30	19	18	29	n/a	n/a	1135
2002	1006	17	28	11	26	n/a	n/a	1088
2003	1006	17	28	11	26	n/a	n/a	1088
2004	1048	28	14	10	32	n/a	n/a	1132
2005	1002	32	24	11	33	n/a	n/a	1102
2006	952	33	29	16	31	n/a	n/a	1061
2007	738	35	21	9	10	n/a	n/a	813
2008	750	47	24	10	5	n/a	n/a	836
2009	720	47	29	10	9	n/a	n/a	815
2010	745	56	30	11	5	n/a	n/a	847
2011	730	54	29	0	11	0	12	836
2012	780	62	30	16	13	0	2	903
2013	771	74	29	19	10	1	11	915
2014	778	90	32	13	6	3	9	931
2015	773	99	40	19	8	3	9	951
2016	773	127	44	21	9	6	11	991
2017	748	145	27	24	10	6	9	969
2018	742	165	32	19	9	4	16	987
2019	782	177	33	16	16	3	17	1044
2020	813	185	45	17	14	0	23	1097
2021	788	203	42	26	14	0	26	1099
2022	723	177	47	31	21	0	25	1024
2023	672	177	35	38	18	0	35	975

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Discovery Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1995	1088	65.2	16.7	11.5
1996	1088	65.2	16.7	11.5
1997	1143	66.2	17.3	9.3
1998	1133	67.2	16.9	13.5
1999	1153	68.0	17.0	10.5
2000	1171	70.0	16.7	15.8
2001	1135	68.1	16.7	15.7
2002	1088	64.4	16.9	14.2
2003	1088	64.4	16.9	14.2
2004	1132	66.3	17.1	15.7
2005	1102	65.5	16.8	15.3
2006	1061	66.3	16.0	18.6
2007	813	55.0	14.8	13.5
2008	836	62.7	13.3	13.4
2009	815	64.0	12.7	18.3
2010	847	63.5	13.3	22.9
2011	836	63.6	13.1	22
2012	903	63.3	14.2	20.4
2013	915	66.1	13.8	18.9
2014	931	69.3	13.4	18.6
2015	951	67.0	14.1	17.7
2016	991	70.0	14.1	19.3
2017	969	70.5	13.7	22.1
2018	987	69.8	14.1	22.7
2019	1044	69.8	14.9	23.8
2020	1097	75.7	14.4	25.1
2021	1099	77.7	14.1	19.5
2022	1024	81.7	12.5	17.1
2023	975	81.2	12.0	26.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Discovery Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1995	1088	65.2	16.7	11.5
1996	1088	65.2	16.7	11.5
1997	1143	66.2	17.3	9.3
1998	1133	67.2	16.9	13.5
1999	1153	68.0	17.0	10.5
2000	1171	70.0	16.7	15.8
2001	1135	68.1	16.7	15.7
2002	1088	64.4	16.9	14.2
2003	1088	64.4	16.9	14.2
2004	1132	66.3	17.1	15.7
2005	1102	65.5	16.8	15.3
2006	1061	66.3	16.0	18.6
2007	813	55.0	14.8	13.5
2008	836	62.7	13.3	13.4
2009	815	64.0	12.7	18.3
2010	847	63.5	13.3	22.9
2011	836	63.6	13.1	22
2012	903	63.3	14.2	20.4
2013	915	66.1	13.8	18.9
2014	931	69.3	13.4	18.6
2015	951	67.0	14.1	17.7
2016	991	70.0	14.1	19.3
2017	969	70.5	13.7	22.1
2018	987	69.8	14.1	22.7
2019	1044	69.8	14.9	23.8
2020	1097	75.7	14.4	25.1
2021	1099	77.7	14.1	19.5
2022	1024	81.7	12.5	17.1
2023	975	81.2	12.0	26.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Discovery Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$394 (3.5%)	$10,760 (96.5%)	$11,154
2020	$439 (3.8%)	$11,121 (96.2%)	$11,560
2021	$1,267 (9.7%)	$11,729 (90.3%)	$12,996
2022	$1,539 (11.2%)	$12,147 (88.8%)	$13,686

Data source: North Dakota Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Discovery Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 2^nd of 23 Middle schools	Ranks 5^th of 27 Middle schools	9.8%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Mathematics (Discovery Middle School)	48	38	10%
6th Grade Mathematics (Fargo 1)	44	40	4%
6th Grade Mathematics (North Dakota)	47	41	6%
6th Grade Reading (Discovery Middle School)	58	54	4%
6th Grade Reading (Fargo 1)	54	51	3%
6th Grade Reading (North Dakota)	49	50	1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Discovery Middle School)	56	49	7%
7th Grade Mathematics (Fargo 1)	45	42	3%
7th Grade Mathematics (North Dakota)	40	38	2%
7th Grade Reading (Discovery Middle School)	63	44	19%
7th Grade Reading (Fargo 1)	56	43	13%
7th Grade Reading (North Dakota)	46	42	4%
8th Grade Mathematics (Discovery Middle School)	63	48	15%
8th Grade Mathematics (Fargo 1)	60	41	19%
8th Grade Mathematics (North Dakota)	47	35	12%
8th Grade Reading (Discovery Middle School)	66	63	3%
8th Grade Reading (Fargo 1)	61	54	7%
8th Grade Reading (North Dakota)	51	48	3%
8th Grade Science (Discovery Middle School)	65	55	10%
8th Grade Science (Fargo 1)	64	49	15%
8th Grade Science (North Dakota)	63	48	15%
All Grades Mathematics (Discovery Middle School)	55	45	10%
All Grades Mathematics (Fargo 1)	50	41	9%
All Grades Mathematics (North Dakota)	45	39	6%
All Grades Reading (Discovery Middle School)	62	54	8%
All Grades Reading (Fargo 1)	52	45	7%
All Grades Reading (North Dakota)	47	44	3%
All Grades Science (Discovery Middle School)	65	55	10%
All Grades Science (Fargo 1)	63	49	14%
All Grades Science (North Dakota)	62	45	17%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	1044	975	6.6%
African American	177	177
American Indian	16	18	12.5%
Asian	33	35	6.1%
Hispanic	16	38	137.5%
Pacific Islander	3	0	100%
White	782	672	14.1%
Two or More Races	17	35	105.9%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	23.8%	26.4%	2.6%

Schools Near Discovery Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				NDSA Mathematics (2024)				NDSA Reading (2024)				NDSA Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NDSA Mathematics 6th Grade	NDSA Mathematics 7th Grade	NDSA Mathematics 8th Grade	NDSA Mathematics All Grades	NDSA Reading 6th Grade	NDSA Reading 7th Grade	NDSA Reading 8th Grade	NDSA Reading All Grades	NDSA Science 8th Grade	NDSA Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Discovery Middle School	Public	6-8	1717 40th Ave S	Fargo	58104	Cass County	Fargo 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 446-3300	975	81	12.0	26.4%	672 (68.9%)	177 (18.2%)	38 (3.9%)	35 (3.6%)	18 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (3.6%)	78.8	3^rd of 24 public middle schools	87.5%		76.5	5^th of 27 public middle schools	81.5%	2	43.0	51.0	53.0	48.0	49.0	55.0	64.0	56.0	55.0	55.0	$13,686	$1,539	$12,147
Carl Ben Eielson Middle School	Public	6-8	1601 13th Ave S	Fargo	58103	Cass County	Fargo 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 446-1700	615	57	10.7	41.0%	388 (63.1%)	98 (15.9%)	51 (8.3%)	24 (3.9%)	20 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (5.4%)	24.8	20^th of 24 public middle schools	16.7%		36.6	17^th of 27 public middle schools	37.0%	3		37.0		30.0				42.0			$15,255	$1,833	$13,422
Liberty Middle School	Public	6-8	801 36th Ave E	West Fargo	58078	Cass County	West Fargo 6	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 356-2671	1,102	93	11.8	23.0%	769 (69.8%)	188 (17.1%)	49 (4.4%)	30 (2.7%)	19 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (4.3%)	55.1	12^th of 24 public middle schools	50.0%		18.2	22^nd of 27 public middle schools	18.5%	10	45.0	46.0	34.0	42.0	47.0	49.0	48.0	48.0	50.0	50.0	$11,885	$849	$11,037
Cheney Middle School	Public	6-8	825 17th Ave E	West Fargo	58078	Cass County	West Fargo 6	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 356-2090	1,012	88	11.5	42.6%	643 (63.5%)	187 (18.5%)	63 (6.2%)	35 (3.5%)	41 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (4.2%)	40.5	16^th of 24 public middle schools	33.3%		39	16^th of 27 public middle schools	40.7%		45.0	41.0	36.0	41.0	46.0	47.0	42.0	44.0	40.0	40.0	$13,364	$1,243	$12,121
Heritage Middle School	Public	6-8	6350 76th Ave S	Horace	58047	Cass County	West Fargo 6	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 356-5910	665	53	12.6	12.8%	571 (85.9%)	29 (4.4%)	17 (2.6%)	7 (1.1%)	10 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (4.5%)	46.6	13^th of 24 public middle schools	45.8%		24.3	19^th of 27 public middle schools	29.6%	6	49.0	43.0	38.0	43.0	46.0	33.0	41.0	40.0	51.0	51.0	$10,488	$855	$9,634
Ben Franklin Middle School	Public	6-8	1420 8th St N	Fargo	58102	Cass County	Fargo 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 446-3600	883	65	13.6	32.3%	661 (74.9%)	59 (6.7%)	70 (7.9%)	17 (1.9%)	22 (2.5%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (6.0%)	62.8	7^th of 24 public middle schools	70.8%		56.5	11^th of 27 public middle schools	59.3%	4	44.0	45.0	43.0	45.0	53.0	43.0	52.0	49.0	51.0	51.0	$14,221	$1,816	$12,406
West Fargo Middle Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	6-8	207 Main Ave W	West Fargo	58078	Cass County	West Fargo 6	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	No	(701) 356-2001	2				0 (0.0%)	2 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$6,522	$2,362	$4,160
Central Cass Middle School	Public	5-8	802 5th St N	Casselton	58012	Cass County	Central Cass 17	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(701) 347-5352	327	19	16.9	14.1%	314 (96.0%)	3 (0.9%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	78.1	5^th of 24 public middle schools	79.2%		88	2^nd of 27 public middle schools	92.6%	3				48.0				64.0			$10,594	$606	$9,989

Discovery Middle School

Discovery Middle School:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Fargo 1:

Average Parent Rating:

What do you think?

Rank History for Discovery Middle School

Rank History for all students at Discovery Middle School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Discovery Middle School

Rank History for Female students at Discovery Middle School

Rank History for Male students at Discovery Middle School

Rank History for White students at Discovery Middle School

Review counts

Enrollment information for Discovery Middle School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Discovery Middle School

Student/Teacher Ratio Discovery Middle School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Discovery Middle School

Impact of COVID-19 on Discovery Middle School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Discovery Middle School