Original Research by School Decision on Centennial Elementary School
Centennial Elementary School sits on Ithica Drive in Bismarck, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Bismarck Public School District 1. It is a regular public school in the largest district in North Dakota, a district that has been growing steadily and investing in facilities. A bond referendum passed in 2020 funded new school construction and improvements across the district, and Roosevelt Elementary was rebuilt and opened in fall 2024 as part of that modernization push. That broader commitment to capacity and learning environments shapes the context Centennial operates in, even as Centennial itself is an established school rather than a brand-new building.
The school serves a moderate enrollment for a Bismarck elementary, with a grade distribution that is fairly even across the six grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Hispanic, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and two-or-more-races students. A modest portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not available, so those population details are absent here rather than absent at the school.
Academically, Centennial's state assessment results from the current year tell a mixed story. The school uses the ND A-PLUS assessment, and because the assessment name and cut scores changed this year, trend comparisons to prior years are not reliable. What the current results show is a clear subject gap. Math proficiency is solid across the tested grades, with most grades landing in the upper portion of the reported range and fifth grade the strongest. Science, tested in fourth grade, sits in a middle range. English language arts is the soft spot. Third and fourth grade ELA proficiency falls in a lower band, and fifth grade is only somewhat better. This is a pattern where math is a relative strength and literacy is where a parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking about reading instruction, interventions, and how the school supports students below proficiency. Participation was strong across all tested grades and subjects.
Because Centennial serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate, no AP or career pathway data, and no high school course access to report. Those gaps reflect the grade band, not a missing program. The data sections also did not include discipline, attendance, staffing, or Title I status information, so those pieces of the school environment are not described here.
Bismarck itself is the state capital and the economic center of south-central North Dakota, a regional hub for government, healthcare, and retail. State government is the dominant employer, and two major hospital systems, CHI St. Alexius and Sanford Health, operate downtown. The city has a compact historic core with small stores and restaurants along its streets, Kirkwood Mall in the city center, and the State Capitol complex just north of downtown. Beyond that core, the built environment is more auto-oriented, with Interstate 94 running through and shaping the layout. The Missouri River forms the western edge of the city and offers boating, fishing, and trails. Publicly reported sources describe Bismarck as one of the faster-growing small cities in the country, and the school district's enrollment growth aligns with that.
For housing, the zip code area around Centennial carries typical home values above the state benchmark and above the national benchmark, with values appreciating over the past year. Rents have risen more sharply year over year. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home in this area is meaningfully higher than typical rent, which is worth noting for families weighing buying versus renting. Affordability relative to national income norms sits at a level that reflects Bismarck's growth and capital-city status.
What Centennial offers a family is a established elementary option in a growing, capital-city district with active facilities investment and a student body that reflects Bismarck's demographics. Math results are a strength, science is middling, and literacy is the area most worth a parent's attention. The surrounding community is stable, economically diverse across government and healthcare, and oriented around a walkable downtown core with auto-dependent neighborhoods beyond it.
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