The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in Math. The lowest is 28% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Littlefork-big Falls Elementary
Littlefork-Big Falls Elementary is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through sixth grade in the small, rural community of Littlefork, Minnesota. The town, located in Koochiching County near the Canadian border, has a population that has been declining steadily and is aging, with a modest residential and small-town commercial core concentrated along Main Street. The school sits at the same Main Street address as the district’s secondary building, City Hall, a clinic, and a nursing home, creating a compact, main-street-centered civic arrangement typical of small Minnesota towns.
The school enrolls a small number of students, with class sizes that are very manageable for a rural elementary. The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of students identifying as two or more races and very small numbers from other racial backgrounds. Nearly half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate level of economic need in the community. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available from the source used here, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those programs.
State testing results for the most recent school year show variation across grade levels and subjects. In math, proficiency rates ranged from modest in the lower grades to lower in sixth grade. In English language arts, the pattern was similar, with the highest rate seen in fifth grade and the lowest in sixth grade. Science results for fifth grade were also at a modest level overall. Compared to other districts in Koochiching County, Littlefork-Big Falls Elementary’s combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint of the county’s three districts. That positioning suggests it is performing roughly in line with or slightly ahead of its immediate neighbors, though the numbers themselves are modest in an absolute sense. A parent may want to review the specific proficiency rates in the data display on this page to get a fuller picture.
The school’s grade band means there is no graduation rate or high school outcomes to report here; students continue to the district’s secondary building for seventh grade and beyond. No chronic absenteeism data was available from the source.
The broader district has made two recent changes that directly affect families. Since a few years ago, the district has operated on a four-day school week, Monday through Thursday, and that schedule was renewed in 2023 for another term. This is a meaningful consideration for any family: childcare on Fridays, the structure of the school year, and the rhythm of weekly activities are all different from a traditional five-day schedule. The district has also approved a band and choir room addition, funded through long-term facilities maintenance revenue, with construction underway to expand arts facilities at the school building.
The housing market in Littlefork is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, which reflects the town’s remote location and population decline. A typical home is valued at a moderate level, well below the state median. For a family seeking a small, rural elementary school with a compact Main Street setting and a district that has intentionally chosen a four-day week, Littlefork-Big Falls Elementary offers a straightforward option. The academic results are modest, and the county comparison shows the school holding its own among its few local peers. Any family considering this school would want to talk with current parents and staff about how the four-day schedule works in practice and what supports are available for students who need extra help, since some achievement gaps are apparent in the testing data.
See more original research from School Decision →