Enrollment
282
Elementary
DISTRICT 296 · STATE 344
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BEMIDJI PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 270444000194
Northern Elementary
8711 IRVINE AVE NW, BEMIDJI, MN 56601 · (218) 333-3260 · Beltrami County
GRADES PK–03ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL282 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.2:1
20 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.3:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
34%
97 students
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 48%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Northern Elementary→Gene Dillon Elementary School
Based on grade levels within Bemidji Public School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
57.0%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
69.8%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 57 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 70 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.
Source: MCA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of MN schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
61.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
46.6%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+14.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 61% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 47% typical for Minnesota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 15 points, placing it in Minnesota's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
282
-225 (-44%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
14.2:1
was 17.8:1
% White
77%
was 77%
% Hispanic
4%
was 2%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About Northern Elementary
Northern Elementary operates as a modestly sized primary school in BEMIDJI, Minnesota, operated by Bemidji Public School District. Current enrollment sits at 282 students spanning grades pre-K through 3.
Bemidji Public School District comprises 14 schools with combined enrollment of 4,722 students; Northern Elementary is among them.
On demographics, Northern Elementary lists that White students make up the majority at 77%. Beyond that, the school lists 16% Native American, 4% Hispanic, 3% multiracial.
Looking at the economic backdrop, Northern Elementary records 20 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.2:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 34% of students at Northern Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Beltrami County (around 54%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.
On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Northern Elementary sits in the top 10% of Minnesota schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 46.6%; actual is 61.2%, +14.7 points clear of the demographic baseline.
In the broader community, ACS estimates for Beltrami County put median household earnings sit near $68,975, roughly 32% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Northern Elementary is one of 38 public schools in Beltrami County (combined enrollment of about 8,088 students).
Voyageurs Expeditionary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 3.4 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Northern Elementary comes 1st of 7 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 21.9%.
The school occupies a rural site.
Looking at the recent track record. Northern Elementary's enrollment has fell 44% since 2018, when it stood at 507 (now 282). The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 17.8:1 in 2018 to 14.2:1 today.
Inside the community feed, members of the Northern Elementary community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Beltrami County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
46,512
Census ACS
Median income
$68,975
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
32%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
38
8,088 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Bemidji Public School District
- Bemidji Senior HighHigh · 1,537 students
- Bemidji MiddleMiddle · 967 students
- Gene Dillon Elementary SchoolElementary · 667 students
- Lincoln ElementaryElementary · 320 students
- Horace May ElementaryElementary · 300 students
- J.W. Smith ElementaryElementary · 238 students
Other schools in BEMIDJI
- Bemidji Senior HighHigh · 1,537 students
- Bemidji MiddleMiddle · 967 students
- Gene Dillon Elementary SchoolElementary · 667 students
- Lincoln ElementaryElementary · 320 students
- Horace May ElementaryElementary · 300 students
- J.W. Smith ElementaryElementary · 238 students
Nearby schools
- Voyageurs Expeditionary School3.4 mi · 83
- Voyageurs Expeditionary MS3.4 mi · 44
- Aurora Waasakone Community of Learn3.5 mi · 133
- Paul Bunyan Center4.1 mi · 118
- Trek North Middle School4.3 mi · 109
- TREKNORTH HIGH SCHOOL4.3 mi · 144
Frequently asked questions
About Northern ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Northern Elementary?
Northern Elementary enrolls approximately 282 students in grades PK-03.
What grades does Northern Elementary serve?
Northern Elementary serves grades PK-03.
How many teachers does Northern Elementary have?
Northern Elementary employs 20 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.2:1.
What is the student diversity at Northern Elementary?
Student demographics at Northern Elementary are roughly 77% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more.
What district is Northern Elementary in?
Northern Elementary is part of Bemidji Public School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.