Original Research by School Decision on Liberty Elementary School
Liberty Elementary School sits on Onyx Drive in Bismarck, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Bismarck Public School District 1. The school draws from a city that functions as the state capital and the regional hub for south-central North Dakota, with state government, two major hospital systems, and a compact downtown core anchored by Kirkwood Mall. Bismarck has grown steadily over recent years, and the school district has responded with active facilities investment, including a 2020 bond referendum that funded new construction and building additions across the district.
The school's enrollment is moderate for an elementary building, with a fairly even distribution across the six grade levels. Its student body is predominantly white, with small representations of American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black, and Hispanic students, plus a modest group identifying as two or more races. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which stands out in a city where housing costs have been climbing. The school's location in a growing residential part of Bismarck likely shapes this demographic profile, and families considering the school should know it serves a relatively advantaged population compared with many public elementary schools.
Academic results from the most recent state assessment cycle, the ND A-PLUS, paint a mixed picture. Math proficiency is the school's clear strength. Third-grade math landed in a range that suggests about half to somewhat more than half of students were proficient, and proficiency climbed steadily through fourth and fifth grades, with fifth-grade math reaching the highest band among the grades tested. Science results for fourth grade sat in a middle range, with roughly half the tested students reaching proficiency. English language arts tells a different story. Third-grade ELA proficiency was notably low, and while fourth and fifth grade showed improvement, ELA proficiency across the upper grades remained well below the math results. The school-level summary figures reinforce this pattern, with math proficiency clearly outpacing both ELA and science. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly how reading instruction and literacy support are structured in the early grades. Because the state changed both the assessment name and the proficiency cut scores this year, no reliable trend comparison with prior years is possible, so these results should be read as a baseline rather than a trajectory.
Several data points that parents often ask about were not available. The school did not report IEP counts or English learner counts, so the size of special education and English language support populations cannot be characterized here. No discipline, attendance, staffing, or course access data was provided. Title I status was not reported. These gaps mean the picture of student support is incomplete, and families with specific questions about services may need to contact the school directly.
Bismarck Public Schools, the parent district, is the largest in North Dakota and has been managing sustained enrollment growth. The district recently rebuilt and opened Roosevelt Elementary for the 2024-25 school year and continues to draw on its 2020 bond referendum for facility improvements across its schools. This district-level investment context matters for Liberty families because it shapes broader capacity and resource decisions, even as Liberty itself sits in an established part of the system.
The housing market around the school reflects Bismarck's growth. Typical home values in the school's zip code run well above both the state and national benchmarks, and rents have been rising at a faster clip than home prices year over year. Estimated monthly mortgage costs exceed typical rent by a meaningful margin, and the price-to-income ratio sits above the national figure. For families considering a move into the Liberty attendance area, this is a relatively expensive part of the Bismarck region, and rental options, while cheaper monthly than buying, are becoming less affordable.
Liberty Elementary is a school with solid math performance, a homogeneous and economically advantaged student body, and a reading result that lags behind its math strength. Families drawn to the growing north Bismarck area should weigh the academic profile alongside the cost of living and the district's broader building momentum.
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