We present DNS email security profiling for 233 K-12 LEAs in North Dakota, of which 186 have active domains (79.8% coverage). Domains were scored on the Lokentra 100-point Email Security Index (ESI) rubric (SPF 30 pts + DKIM 30 pts + DMARC 40 pts). North Dakota K-12 districts achieve an average ESI score of 11.7/100, with 4.8% earning Grade A or B (strong posture) and 87.1% receiving Grade F (minimal authentication). Only 7.0% have any DMARC record, and just 1.6% have DMARC at an enforcement level (quarantine or reject) — leaving 93.0% of districts fully vulnerable to email domain spoofing. This report provides entity-level data for all 186 scored domains including provider classification, authentication status, and ESI score, sourced from NCES CCD 2024-2025 and live DNS resolution conducted April 22, 2026.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total K-12 LEAs in state | 233 |
| Regular school districts | 184 |
| Charter LEAs | 0 |
| Other LEA types (state-operated, regional, etc.) | 49 |
| LEAs with active internet domain | 186 (79.8%) |
| Domains DNS-profiled | 186 |
| Data freshness (NCES CCD) | 2024-2025 school year |
| DNS scan date | April 22, 2026 |
To estimate human exposure, NCES national averages are applied to CCD 2024-2025 operational school counts: 381 students per school, 51 staff per school, and 2 parents or guardians per student. North Dakota K-12 districts collectively operate approximately 512 schools.
| Population | Total in Dataset | At Risk (No DMARC, 93.0%) | Critically Exposed (Grade F, 87.1%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 195,072 | 181,416 | 169,907 |
| Parents and guardians | 390,144 | 362,833 | 339,815 |
| Staff and educators | 26,112 | 24,284 | 22,743 |
| Total people | 611,328 | 568,535 | 532,466 |
Estimates based on NCES national averages. Individual district enrollment data can be linked via NCES LEAID for precise counts.
| Protocol | North Dakota | National K-12 (ESI) | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPF (any configuration) | 27.4% | 79.7% | -52.3pp |
| DKIM (key published) | 8.6% | 59.6% | -51.0pp |
| DMARC (any policy) | 7.0% | 55.5% | -48.5pp |
| DMARC at enforcement (quarantine/reject) | 1.6% | ~21.0% | -19.4pp |
| DMARC at reject (full enforcement) | 0.0% | ~12.2% | -12.2pp |
| No MX records (not receiving email) | 62.9% | ~10.0% | +52.9pp |
| Grade | Score | Districts | Share | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 90–100 | 1 | 0.5% | Full enforcement |
| B | 70–89 | 8 | 4.3% | Strong posture |
| C | 50–69 | 7 | 3.8% | Partial protection |
| D | 30–49 | 8 | 4.3% | Weak configuration |
| F | 0–29 | 162 | 87.1% | Minimal/no authentication |
| Average score | 11.7 / 100 | |||
| Provider | Districts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace | 51 | 27.4% |
| Microsoft 365 | 11 | 5.9% |
| Securence | 1 | 0.5% |
| GoDaddy | 1 | 0.5% |
| District | Domain | County | Provider | SPF | DKIM | DMARC Policy | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
willistonschools.org |
Williams County | Microsoft 365 | ✓ | ✓ | quarantine | 90 | A | |
fessenden-bowdon.org |
Wells County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | quarantine | 85 | B | |
dlschools.org |
Ramsey County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | quarantine | 85 | B | |
nd.gov |
Morton County | Microsoft 365 | ✓ | ✓ | none | 70 | B | |
bismarckschools.org |
Burleigh County | Microsoft 365 | ✓ | ✓ | none | 70 | B | |
minot.k12.nd.us |
Ward County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | none | 70 | B | |
fargo.k12.nd.us |
Cass County | — | ✓ | ✓ | none | 70 | B | |
west-fargo.k12.nd.us |
Cass County | Microsoft 365 | ✓ | ✓ | — | 70 | B | |
wilmac.org |
Williams County | Microsoft 365 | ✓ | ✓ | none | 70 | B | |
naughtonschoolnd.com |
Burleigh County | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | 55 | C | |
ractc.org |
Adams County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | — | 55 | C | |
cractc.org |
Burleigh County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | — | 55 | C | |
gospoilers.org |
Walsh County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | — | 55 | C | |
hillsborok12.com |
Traill County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | — | 55 | C | |
lidgerwoodk12.com |
Richland County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | — | 55 | C |
| District | Domain | County | Provider | SPF | DKIM | DMARC Policy | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ndsd.nd.gov |
Ramsey County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
ndvisionservices.com |
Grand Forks County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
strasburg.k12.nd.us |
Emmons County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
linton.k12.nd.us |
Emmons County | Google Workspace | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
jamestown.k12.nd.us |
Stutsman County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
scranton.k12.nd.us |
Bowman County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
drake-anamoose.k12.nd.us |
McHenry County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
beulah.k12.nd.us |
Mercer County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
fortransomsd.us |
Ransom County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
dickinson.k12.nd.us |
Stark County | Microsoft 365 | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
tioga.k12.nd.us |
Williams County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
midkotaschools.k12.nd.us |
Griggs County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
hazen.k12.nd.us |
Mercer County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
gacklestreeter.k12.nd.us |
Logan County | Google Workspace | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
mayportcg.com |
Traill County | Google Workspace | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F |
| County | Districts | Website Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Burleigh County | 15 | 80.0% |
| Grand Forks County | 11 | 90.9% |
| Richland County | 11 | 72.7% |
| Ward County | 11 | 100.0% |
| Rolette County | 11 | 54.5% |
| Cass County | 10 | 100.0% |
| Morton County | 9 | 88.9% |
| Stutsman County | 8 | 100.0% |
| Benson County | 8 | 75.0% |
| McLean County | 8 | 87.5% |
These findings identify specific, actionable gaps in North Dakota's K-12 email security posture. The 93.0% DMARC gap represents districts that can be impersonated by any sender, enabling phishing campaigns targeting parents, students, and educators with no authentication failure. Key observations:
p=none). Upgrading to p=quarantine would move them to B without infrastructure changes.The full North Dakota K-12 dataset — 233 entities with NCES CCD enrichment (phone, address, grade span, school count, LEAID) and DNS authentication profiles — is available as part of the Lokentra ESI State Pack.
| Tier | Scope | Suggested Use |
|---|---|---|
| State Pack: North Dakota | All 233 K-12 LEAs, full DNS profile + CCD enrichment | Regional studies, state policy, outreach |
| K-12 National | All 50 states, 20,021+ K-12 LEAs | National K-12 cybersecurity research |
| Full Registry | 801,359+ entities across all sectors | Comprehensive multi-sector research |
| API + Updates | Quarterly re-scan, REST API | Longitudinal studies, live dashboards |
Contact: research@monitorworkspace.com — Free demo at monitorworkspace.com/scorecard
Citation: Lokentra Research Team (2026). North Dakota K-12 Email Security Intelligence: DNS Authentication Profiling of 233 School District LEAs. Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series. https://lokentra-site.web.app/research/states/nd-k12-paper.html
Data sources: NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-2025; DNS records resolved via Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). All entity data derived from publicly accessible government registries.
National baseline figures from Lokentra U.S. Education Sector Email Security Intelligence Dataset (March 2026). See education-dataset-paper.html for full methodology.