Original Research by School Decision on Belfield 13
Belfield Public School District sits in Stark County, North Dakota, serving students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade across two schools, Belfield Elementary and Belfield High. The district is small by any measure, with a total enrollment that places it among the state's more intimate districts. Classes at each grade level are compact, which is typical for rural western North Dakota and shapes much of what follows.
The student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native students and a handful of students identifying as two or more races. The district did not report free or reduced-price lunch figures, English learner counts, or special education rates in the data we received, so families looking for that information will need to contact the district directly. Those gaps are common in small districts where reporting thresholds and privacy considerations suppress figures, and they should not be read as a sign the data was hidden.
On state assessments, Belfield uses the ND A-PLUS, and the most recent results are reported as proficiency ranges rather than point estimates. This is a standard approach for very small cohorts, where a single student's performance can shift a percentage dramatically. The ranges are wide. In math, proficiency runs from a strong band in eighth grade to considerably lower bands in fourth, fifth, and seventh grades. English language arts follows a similar pattern, with a high band in fifth grade and weaker bands in fourth and seventh. Science was tested only in grades four and eight, with moderate ranges. Participation rates were solid across grades and subjects.
Because the assessment itself changed recently, with a new test name and revised cut scores, the state flags these results as not directly comparable to prior years. Trend data was not available, so there is no year-over-year picture to draw from. What the current snapshot shows is a district with real variability from grade to grade, which is common when cohort sizes are this small. A parent reviewing these results should ask the district how they interpret the patterns and what supports are in place for the grades where proficiency bands sit lower.
Housing in the Belfield area is modest by national standards. Typical home values sit well below the national benchmark and somewhat below the North Dakota state benchmark, though the area has seen a sharp recent run of appreciation. The price-to-income ratio suggests that buying a home here is more attainable than in most of the country, assuming current mortgage rates. Rental data was not available. The district spans parts of two zip code areas, with the overwhelming weight of housing activity concentrated in Belfield itself, and a sliver extending toward South Heart.
We searched for recent district-level changes that would matter to families, such as facility projects, curriculum shifts, or staffing changes, and found little beyond basic directory and demographic information. No strategic priorities or program announcements surfaced. Program offerings, advanced coursework, career pathways, and extracurricular details were not provided in the data, so we cannot characterize what the academic pathway looks like beyond the core grade-by-grade state results. A family considering Belfield should ask directly about what is available at the high school level in particular.
What the data does tell you is that this is a small, rural, single-community district where families are likely to know their teachers and principals well. That intimacy can be an asset, especially for students who thrive with close attention. It also means that year-to-year test results will swing more than they would in a larger district, and that families should look beyond a single year's scores to understand how the school is doing. The housing market is accessible, the community is tight, and the academic picture is mixed but not alarming. What is missing is the fuller story of programs, supports, and recent direction, and that is where a conversation with the district would fill in the gaps.
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