Enrollment
126
Elementary
DISTRICT 272 · STATE 212
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MANDAN 1·NCES 381182000384
CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
205 8th Ave NE, Mandan, ND 58554 · (701) 751-6503 · Morton County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY23-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL126 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 74% of North Dakota public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Dakota public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
9.7:1
13 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.9:1 · STATE 11.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
75%
95 students
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 37%
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, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 13 | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 15 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 17 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 17 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 20 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 23 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 21 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (15) is 29% smaller than its 5th grade class (21).
Student demographics
60%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 43% · STATE 49% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). 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
CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL→MANDAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Based on grade levels within MANDAN 1. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ND A+ 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
44.0%
ND avg 38.7%
Math
45.0%
ND avg 40.0%
What this means: On the ND A+, North Dakota's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 45 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Dakota schools, those numbers are about 39 and 40.
Source: ND A+. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Schools most like CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL this school | 126 | 75.4% | N/A |
| MARY STARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Mandan | 193 | 75.1% | N/A |
| WILDER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Grand Forks | 184 | 63.6% | N/A |
| JEANNETTE MYHRE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Bismarck | 258 | 65.9% | N/A |
| SUNNYSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Minot | 307 | 74.6% | N/A |
| WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Minot | 336 | 62.8% | N/A |
Matched among North Dakota elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Dakota | In Morton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 45.0% | #65 of 199 | #3 of 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 44.0% | #36 of 199 | #2 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 126 | #184 of 283 | #9 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 75.4% | #13 of 201 | #1 of 9 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
126
+22 (+21%) vs 2020
-43% since 1990-91, when it was 220
Student : Teacher
9.7:1
was 8.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 126 | 13 | 9.7:1 | 75% (95) |
| 2023-24 | 129 | 13 | 9.9:1 | 74% (95) |
| 2022-23 | 133 | 13 | 10.2:1 | 67% (89) |
| 2020-21 | 104 | 13 | 8.0:1 | 40% (42) |
| 2017-18 | 147 | 13 | 11.3:1 | 58% (85) |
| 2015-16 | 124 | 13 | 9.5:1 | 48% (60) |
| 2010-11 | 143 | 13 | 11.0:1 | 40% (57) |
| 2000-01 | 153 | 9 | 17.0:1 | 31% (48) |
| 1990-91 | 220 | 8 | 27.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
Since 2017-18: students down 14% (147 to 126); teachers unchanged (13 to 13).
About CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
A small elementary school in Mandan, North Dakota, CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is part of MANDAN 1. It enrolled 126 students in pre-K through 5 for the 2024-25 school year. Enrollment is 41% lower than the average for elementary schools in North Dakota, which is about 212.
The district, MANDAN 1, operates 12 schools serving 4,451 students.
White students account for 60% of enrollment at CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. The remaining students are 15% Hispanic, 13% Native American, 6% multiracial, and 4% Black. Census figures show Morton County is about 87% White. By the diversity index, CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL comes in at 60%.
Federal staffing data show 13 full-time-equivalent teachers at CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL and a ratio of 9.7:1. That ratio is under the 11.4:1 average for elementary schools in North Dakota. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 75% of students. For comparison, public schools in Morton County average 31%.
Measured against North Dakota public elementary schools, CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL receives a B+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Census estimates describe Morton County this way: median household income is about $79,382, 29% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 4% of people live in poverty. The public schools of Morton County number 23 and enroll about 5,454.
The next-closest public school is MANDAN VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL, about 1.1 miles away. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles.
Federal data place CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in the Suburb: Small locale, which means it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population under 100,000.
CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL saw enrollment rise 21% between 2020-21 and 2024-25. The school's ratio rose from 8.0:1 to 9.7:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Discussions about CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL may include school safety, transportation, and start times. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Morton County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
33,777
Census ACS
Median income
$79,382
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
29%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
23
5,454 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in MANDAN 1
- MANDAN HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,175 students
- MANDAN MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 1,003 students
- FT LINCOLN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 455 students
- RED TRAIL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 438 students
- LEWIS AND CLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 379 students
- LAKEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 285 students
Other schools in Mandan
- MANDAN HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,175 students
- MANDAN MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 1,003 students
- FT LINCOLN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 455 students
- RED TRAIL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 438 students
- LEWIS AND CLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 379 students
- LAKEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 285 students
Other Custer Elementary schools
5 other US public schools in 5 states are named Custer Elementary. CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is the 6th largest of the 6.
- Custer Elementary SchoolMONROE, MI · 769 students
- Custer ElemCuster, WA · 392 students
- Custer Elementary SchoolLakewood, WA · 358 students
- Custer Elementary - 02Custer, SD · 269 students
- Custer Elementary SchoolCuster, KY · 178 students
Nearby schools
- MANDAN VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL1.1 mi · 49
- MANDAN K-8 ELEMENTARY VIRTUAL ACADEMY1.1 mi · 14
- MARY STARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.2 mi · 193
- ROOSEVELT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.2 mi · 284
- LEWIS AND CLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.2 mi · 379
- BRAVE CENTER ACADEMY1.5 mi · 50
Frequently asked questions
About CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLHow large is CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls approximately 126 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serve?
CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
The student-to-teacher ratio at CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is approximately 9.7:1 (13 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
At CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, the student body is approximately 60% White, 15% Hispanic, 4% Black, 2% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL public or private?
CUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a public K-12 school, overseen by MANDAN 1.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.