Original Research by School Decision on Roosevelt Elementary School
Roosevelt Elementary sits on Avenue B in Bismarck, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Bismarck Public School District. It is a small school for its grade band, with roughly one or two classrooms per grade. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic presence and a smaller share of students identifying as two or more races, American Indian, or Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and special-education enrollment was not available, so those population details remain unknown here.
The school was rebuilt and reopened in fall 2024 as part of a district-wide facilities modernization, replacing an older building with a modern learning environment. Bismarck Public Schools, the largest district in North Dakota, has been managing steady enrollment growth, and a bond referendum passed earlier in the decade funded new construction and additions across the district. For Roosevelt families, that means a freshly built facility and the district's broader capacity pressures shaping class sizes and staffing decisions.
On state assessments under the ND A-PLUS system, Roosevelt's math results are a clear strength. Third-grade math proficiency sits in a strong range, and fourth and fifth grades land in a solid band as well. The overall math proficiency rate reported across tested grades is well above half. Science, tested in fourth grade, falls in a moderate range. English language arts is more mixed. Third-grade ELA proficiency is in a low range, while fourth and fifth grades reach moderate levels. The overall ELA proficiency sits just below half. A parent considering Roosevelt may want to look into the third-grade reading results further with the school, though it is worth noting that the range reported for that grade is wide, which can reflect small class sizes and the variability that comes with them.
One important caveat: North Dakota changed its assessment name and proficiency cut scores for this testing cycle, so these results are not directly comparable to prior years. There is no usable trend data yet. The proficiency picture here is a single-year snapshot under a new system.
Participation rates across tested grades were generally strong, with most grades near full participation and third grade slightly below.
Beyond the school, Bismarck is the state capital and the regional economic center for south-central North Dakota and north-central South Dakota. State government is the dominant employer, and two major hospital systems operate downtown. The city has a compact historic core with small stores and restaurants, Kirkwood Mall in the city center, and the Capitol complex just north of downtown. The Missouri River forms the western edge, and the broader built environment beyond the core is auto-oriented, with Interstate 94 running through. Bismarck has grown steadily in recent years, and publicly reported rankings have placed it among fast-growing small cities nationally.
The housing market in the school's zip code sits above the statewide benchmark but below the national one. Home values have been appreciating at a healthy clip year over year, and rents have risen more sharply. For families renting, the cost burden relative to income is modest. For those buying, the price-to-income ratio is elevated relative to the national figure, and current mortgage rates make ownership costs substantially higher than renting. This is a market where renting remains the more affordable path in monthly terms.
Several data areas were absent. Title I status, school locale classification, discipline data, course access, staffing, attendance, and civil-rights indicators were not available. Neighbor comparison data was not provided, so Roosevelt's position relative to other Bismarck elementary schools is not rendered here. Program offerings were also not available. What the available evidence does show is a small, recently rebuilt elementary school with solid math outcomes, mixed early-grade reading results, and a setting in a growing capital city where housing costs are rising but rents remain relatively manageable.
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