GRAND FORKS — North Dakota students rank among the top in the country in math assessment testing, despite a national downward trend.

In 2024, North Dakota fourth- and eighth-grade students scored higher than the national average in math, according to the National Center for Education Statistics within the U.S. Department of Education. Eighth-graders were eight points higher and fourth-graders were four points higher than the average score.

For longtime educator and state Rep. Mark Sanford, it's something that should elicit pride among North Dakota residents.

“We should be pleased with that kind of a result, not necessarily get complacent because of it,” said Sanford, R-Grand Forks. “There's always the initiative that we can do better.”

Since 1992, North Dakota students have been among

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