Paul Bunyan Center

Paul Bunyan Center is a rural-scale primary school in BEMIDJI, Minnesota, operated by Bemidji Public School District. The school enrolls 118 students in grade pre-K. Compared to the state average of about 344 students per school, that is 66% leaner than typical.

Across the 14 schools in Bemidji Public School District (4,722 students total), Paul Bunyan Center accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Paul Bunyan Center shows that the largest single group is White, at 55% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school lists 31% Native American, 12% multiracial. By comparison, Beltrami County as a whole is about 71% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, The school currently runs with 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 7.3:1. The state averages around 13.7:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 66% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is above Beltrami County's rate of about 54%.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Beltrami County put the typical household earns roughly $68,975 per year, about 32% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Beltrami County runs 38 public schools (combined enrollment of about 8,088 students), of which Paul Bunyan Center is one.

Bemidji Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.4 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Paul Bunyan Center.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Looking at the recent track record. Paul Bunyan Center's enrollment has shrank 48% since 2018, when it stood at 226 (now 118). White enrollment moved from 86% to 55% across the same window. Class-load math has narrowed: from 17.5:1 in 2018 to 7.3:1 in 2025.

On allk12, the feed for Paul Bunyan Center typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.