The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in Science. The lowest is 38% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Horace May Elementary
Horace May Elementary is a regular public school in Bemidji, Minnesota, serving students from prekindergarten through third grade. The school is part of the Bemidji Public School District and sits in a mixed-use regional hub that combines lakeside residential life with commercial, governmental, medical, and educational functions. Bemidji is the largest commercial center between Grand Forks and Duluth, home to Bemidji State University, a significant wood products industry, and a concentration of Native American services for three nearby Ojibwe reservations. The city’s downtown is compact and walkable along Lake Bemidji, with the Paul Bunyan and Babe statues, a Sculpture Walk, and the Tourist Information Center. Outdoor recreation is central to the area, with numerous lakes, the Paul Bunyan State Trail, and a roughly 17-mile bike trail around Lake Bemidji.
Because Horace May only covers the earliest elementary grades, its academic profile is based on a single grade level’s state testing. In third-grade math, the share of students meeting proficiency standards was solid, while in English language arts it was lower. The school’s overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades placed it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Beltrami County, a strong showing. A parent may want to ask the school about the gap between math and reading performance and how the school supports early literacy, especially given that the district recently implemented a new evidence-based literacy curriculum across all elementary schools, moving to a structured literacy approach that emphasizes phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. That change began in the 2023-2024 school year and all K-3 teachers received training in evidence-based reading instruction.
The school’s enrollment is small for its grade band, and the student body is predominantly white, with a notable American Indian population and a smaller share of students identifying as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a significant number of families with lower household incomes. The school does not serve grades that take state science assessments in the current testing cycle, so no recent science data is available; older results from a prior year are not meaningful for the current program.
The district context matters for a family considering Horace May. The school board approved attendance boundary changes for elementary schools effective in the 2024-2025 school year, redrawing attendance zones to balance enrollment across buildings, with grandfathering for current students. This means that which elementary school a child attends may depend on the specific neighborhood. The district also approved a major round of budget cuts for the 2023-2024 school year, including staffing reductions, reduced elective offerings at the high school level, and adjustments to transportation services, driven by declining enrollment and the expiration of COVID-era federal funding. Voters did approve an operating levy renewal that keeps annual revenue steady and protects class sizes and staffing, providing some budget stability.
Because Horace May serves only through third grade, families will need to plan for a transition to another elementary school for fourth grade and beyond. The district has multiple elementary buildings spread across Bemidji, so the feeder pattern is something to confirm with the school or district. The school’s early-grades focus means it is a place where foundational reading and math skills are built, and the district’s recent curriculum changes and budget pressures are directly relevant to how those skills are taught and supported.
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