FESSENDEN-BOWDON HIGH SCHOOL

FESSENDEN-BOWDON HIGH SCHOOL is one of the one-room-style four-year high schools in Fessenden, North Dakota, run under FESSENDEN-BOWDON 25, with 56 students on its rolls from grades 9 through 12. That puts it 75% below the typical public school in North Dakota, which averages around 220 students.

FESSENDEN-BOWDON HIGH SCHOOL is one of 2 schools operated by FESSENDEN-BOWDON 25, a district that serves 196 students overall.

On demographics, FESSENDEN-BOWDON HIGH SCHOOL reports that 96% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. The remainder looks like 4% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with Wells County as a whole.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 5 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.1:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 16.1:1, putting FESSENDEN-BOWDON HIGH SCHOOL tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 16% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Wells County runs at roughly 27%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Wells County) logs that the typical household earns roughly $66,114 per year, roughly 22% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. FESSENDEN-BOWDON HIGH SCHOOL is one of 4 public schools in Wells County (combined enrollment of about 577 students).

Nearest neighbor: FESSENDEN-BOWDON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, around 0.0 miles off.

The campus sits in an outlying setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count grew 70%: 33 students in 2018 compared to 56 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment fell from 6% to 0% over that span. Class-load math has loosened: from 7.5:1 in 2018 to 11.1:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.