Goodridge School District #561 is located twenty miles east of Thief River Falls, MN on Highway 1, and covers 284 square miles. Positioned on the edge of the Red River Valley, the district is rural and agricultural. Major crops include wheat, sunflowers, barley, corn and soybeans. Farms also specialize in dairy, beef, and hog production. Agriculture and several small businesses within the district strongly support the school and its students. The area also provides excellent opportunities for hunting, fishing and riding recreational vehicles.
The Goodridge School is housed in one building with a teaching staff of twenty, a support staff of eighteen, and 1.5 administrators. The district provides a preschool through grade twelve education with small class sizes and individual attention available to all students on a daily basis. The district’s preschool program has been established for three and four year old students. Three year old students attend school all day on Wednesdays and four year old students attend school all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The district has made the commitment to offer all day every day Kindergarten which has boosted student achievement. In addition to tremendous educational programs the district offers flexible bus schedules including flexible bus stops, to meet the needs of students and parents.
The district provides the opportunity for a number of co-curricular and extracurricular student activities. Football, volleyball and girls basketball are paired with the Grygla/Gatzke school district. Track and baseball are combined with the Thief River Falls school district. Hockey is paired with Thief River Falls and Warren/Alvarado/Oslo school districts. The district maintains its own boys’ basketball program.