Lists of approved and non-approved schools can be found here under the STARS Reports drop-down menu: https://www.nd.gov/dpi/data/stars. A school must satisfy a number of legal requirements to obtain state approval and be eligible for state education aid. These include:

• All teachers are licensed or approved to teach;
• All teachers are teaching in only the areas in which they are licensed to teach or have received an exception through the Education Standards and Practices Board;
• The school meets curricular requirements identified in law;
• The school meets safety requirements as determined by the state fire marshal;
• All individuals hired after June 30, 2011, who have unsupervised contact with students have undergone a criminal history background check;
• The school participates in and meets the requirements of a review process (this requirement applies only to public schools; and
• The school uses North Dakota eTranscripts, or an alternative information system to generate official transcripts that are designated by the state Information Technology Department in collaboration with the superintendent of public instruction. (This requirement applies only to public schools).

For more information, contact Joe Kolosky, Director in the Office of School Approval & Opportunity, at (701) 328-2755 or via email to dpischoolapproval@nd.gov.