The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on First City School
First City School operates as an alternative school within the Bemidji Public School District, serving students in grades 3 through 12. Its mission is distinct from the district's conventional elementary, middle, and high schools, and its profile reflects that purpose. The school’s enrollment is small, with most of its students concentrated in high school grades and only a handful in the middle school years. The student body is composed primarily of American Indian or Alaska Native students, with a substantial share of white students and a smaller, but present, number of Black students. A very large majority of students at First City School come from low-income households, a rate among the highest possible for a school.
State testing data paints a direct picture of the academic context. Proficiency rates in math were the lowest possible, meaning no tested student met the standard, and in English language arts, proficiency was also very low. Because the cohort of tested students at any given grade level is extremely small, these single-year snapshots are not the kind of broad measure families see at larger buildings. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to all school districts in Beltrami County. A parent interpreting these numbers should keep in mind that this is an alternative school setting, which typically serves students who have struggled academically in a traditional classroom or who need a different structure to succeed. The graduation rate was not reported in the data, which is common for small alternative programs where a single cohort’s outcome can be volatile.
What the data does not provide is also meaningful. There is no information on staffing ratios, chronic absenteeism, course offerings, Advanced Placement, career and technical education, or dual-credit programs. Discipline data was also absent. These gaps often reflect the nature of a small alternative school, where the scale of the program is too small to publish such breakdowns, but a family would want to ask the school directly about student support services, counseling, college and career readiness efforts, and the specific pathways it offers toward a diploma.
The broader Bemidji context matters for understanding this school. Bemidji is a mixed-use regional hub in north-central Minnesota, serving as the Beltrami County seat and the largest commercial center between Grand Forks and Duluth. It sits on Lake Bemidji and bills itself as the First City on the Mississippi, with a downtown that blends tourism, Bemidji State University, and civic anchors like the Historic Carnegie Library and the Watermark Art Center. The economy is driven by higher education, health care, government, local manufacturing, and the wood products industry. The city is also a central point for three nearby Ojibwe reservations, and many Native American services are based there. Housing values in the area are below the state average but a bit above the national benchmark, and rents have been climbing.
The district serving First City School, Bemidji Public Schools, has been in a period of adjustment. An operating levy renewal passed recently, keeping annual operating revenue stable for the district and protecting class sizes and staffing from further cuts. At the same time, the school board approved significant budget cuts driven by declining enrollment and the end of federal pandemic funding, which reduced staffing and some high school elective offerings. Additionally, the district implemented a new structured literacy curriculum across all elementary schools in compliance with Minnesota’s READ Act, and redrew elementary attendance boundaries to balance enrollment across buildings. These changes affect the conventional elementary and high schools in the district but have less direct bearing on the smaller alternative environment of First City School.
For a family considering First City School, the essential conversation is about fit. This is a school designed for students who need an alternative path. The academic performance numbers on state tests are very low, which is not unexpected in a setting that receives students who have not found success in standard classrooms. A parent would want to understand the school’s approach to credit recovery, its support for social and emotional needs, and what post-graduation planning looks like for its seniors. The school is an option within the district for families seeking a smaller, more individualized environment, but the data alone cannot answer whether it is the right one. That answer requires a direct conversation with the school about how it works and what it offers each student.
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