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5.8 avg / 10

Moorhead Area Public Schools School District

School District · Moorhead, Minnesota

Students: 7,460
Teachers (FTE): 487
Estimated Scores: 20%

Avg Rating

5.8

out of 10

Schools

11

5 elem, 1 mid, 2 high

Per-Pupil Spending

$14,570

Student-Teacher Ratio

15.3:1

District shortlistschools + peers

Evaluating Moorhead Area Public Schools?

A district shares budget, policy, and attendance zones across its schools — use this page to judge Moorhead Area Public Schools as a whole, then compare how its individual schools differ.

Shortlist starter

Start with these real page-level signals, then use the full table and map below.

Dorothy Dodds Elementary School

7.1/10

Moorhead · Elementary. Compare this profile against district averages, level fit, and attendance-zone reality below.

Moorhead Alc

7.0/10

Moorhead · High. Compare this profile against district averages, level fit, and attendance-zone reality below.

Ellen Hopkins Elementary

6.9/10

Moorhead · Elementary. Compare this profile against district averages, level fit, and attendance-zone reality below.

How this district compares

Minnesota rank

#279 of 386

districts by avg. composite

Vs. state average

-0.4

below Minnesota avg

Per-pupil spending

$14,570

$38 vs Minnesota median

District size

7,460 students

Much larger than Minnesota median

The short answer

Moorhead Area Public Schools ranks #279 of 386 Minnesota districts by overall school rating. Moorhead Area Public Schools's schools with real test data average 6.0/10 across 8 schools. Its top-rated schools are Dorothy Dodds Elementary School (7.1/10), Moorhead Alc (7.0/10), and Ellen Hopkins Elementary (6.9/10). Schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.

Best value · beats the odds
Dorothy Dodds Elementary School

Rates 7.1/10 despite 48% of students being economically disadvantaged. That's about 1.2 points higher than its student-poverty level predicts. Roughly as clean a case of strong results without an affluent-ZIP price tag as you'll find among Moorhead Area Public Schools schools.

Top-Rated Schools in Moorhead Area Public Schools

Ranked by MySchoolScout composite rating using only schools with real test data (8 of 11). "Value" = points above what student poverty predicts. Estimated (proxy) scores are excluded.

# School Rating
1 Dorothy Dodds Elementary School 7.1 / 10
2 Moorhead Alc 7.0 / 10
3 Ellen Hopkins Elementary 6.9 / 10
4 Moorhead High School 6.7 / 10
5 S.g. Reinertsen Elementary 5.6 / 10
6 West Central Academy-s 5.6 / 10
7 Horizon Middle School 4.8 / 10
8 Robert Asp Elementary 4.3 / 10

See all 11 schools — including those with estimated data — in the full directory below. How we rate schools.

About Moorhead Area Public Schools

Moorhead Area Public Schools is a Moorhead, Minnesota school district serving 11 schools. The district educates 7,460 students with a student-teacher ratio of 15.3:1. The district invests $14,570 per student annually.

With an average rating of 5.8/10, Moorhead Area Public Schools demonstrates solid academic performance.

The highest-rated school in the district is Dorothy Dodds Elementary School, which has a composite score of 7.1/10.

In standardized testing, Moorhead Area Public Schools students show an average math proficiency of 45.0% and ELA proficiency of 46.8%.

The district includes 5 elementary schools , 1 middle school , and 2 high schools.

District Map

Schools in Moorhead Area Public Schools, colored by MySchoolScout rank. Click a pin for details.

District Average Test Scores

Math Proficiency 45.0%
School
State
N/A
ELA Proficiency 46.8%
School
State
N/A

Average proficiency across all schools in Moorhead Area Public Schools with test data.

District Details

City
Moorhead
Total Enrollment
7,460
Teachers (FTE)
487
Child Poverty Rate
0.1%
Data Year
2023

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Moorhead Area Public Schools?

Moorhead Area Public Schools has 11 schools in total — 5 elementary, 1 middle, and 2 high schools. You can explore each school's ratings and details on this page.

What is the average rating for Moorhead Area Public Schools?

The average composite rating for Moorhead Area Public Schools is 5.8/10. This score is calculated from the individual ratings of all schools with academic data in the district.

What is the per-pupil spending in Moorhead Area Public Schools?

Moorhead Area Public Schools spends $14,570 per student per year.

What is the student-teacher ratio in Moorhead Area Public Schools?

The average student-teacher ratio in Moorhead Area Public Schools is 15.3:1.

What is the top-rated school in Moorhead Area Public Schools?

Dorothy Dodds Elementary School is the highest-rated school in Moorhead Area Public Schools with a composite score of 7.1/10.

What are the test scores in Moorhead Area Public Schools?

Across schools in Moorhead Area Public Schools with test data, the average math proficiency is 45.0% and the average ELA (reading/writing) proficiency is 46.8%. These figures represent the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards.

How does Moorhead Area Public Schools compare to other districts in Minnesota?

Moorhead Area Public Schools has an average school rating of 5.8/10 across 11 schools. Families can compare this to other districts in Minnesota by visiting individual district pages. Factors like school size, available programs, and community demographics also play a role in choosing the right fit.

How does MySchoolScout rate schools?

MySchoolScout ratings blend student growth, poverty-adjusted academic performance, and learning environment — plus college readiness for high schools. Weights vary by school level, and equity data is shown for context without being factored into the score. Learn more about our rating system on our methodology page.

District Averages

Overall Rating
5.8/10
Math Proficiency
45.0%
ELA Proficiency
46.8%

How we rate schools

A clear 1–10 score built from public data — growth, academics, and learning environment. No hidden criteria, no pay-to-play.

See how we rate

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, Minnesota Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.

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