In 2000, 83.9% of North Dakota residents age 25 and older were high school graduates; 22% had obtained a bachelor's degree or higher.
The total enrollment for fall 1999 in North Dakota's public schools stood at 112,751. Of these, 74,968 attended schools from kindergarten through grade eight, and 37,782 attended high school. Minority students made up approximately 11% of the total enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools in 1997. Total enrollment was estimated at 106,635 in fall 2000. Enrollment in nonpublic schools in fall 2001 was 7,148. Expenditures for public education in 2000/01 were estimated at $809,204
As of fall 2000, there were 38,937 students enrolled in college or graduate school. In the same year North Dakota had 21 degree-granting institutions. The chief universities are the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks and North Dakota State University in Fargo. The North Dakota Student Financial Assistance Program offers scholarships for North Dakota college students, and the state Indian Scholarship Board provides aid to Native Americans attending college in the state. In 1997, minority students comprised 8% of total postsecondary enrollment.