Original Research by School Decision on Rickard Elementary School
Rickard Elementary School sits on First Avenue East in Williston, North Dakota, serving kindergarten through fourth grade as part of Williston Basin School District 7. It is a regular public school with an enrollment that is moderate for an elementary building in this region, with roughly even distribution across the five grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful Hispanic presence and smaller groups of American Indian or Alaska Native, multiracial, Black, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. A small fraction of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is unusual for a city with Williston's industrial working-class character and may reflect the relatively high wages that oil-sector employment brings to many households in the area. The school does not report figures for English learners or students with individualized education programs, so those populations are unconfirmed in the data provided.
State assessment results from the 2024-25 school year are available but come with an important caveat. North Dakota changed its assessment name and cut scores this year, which means the results are not directly comparable to prior years and no trend can be computed. What the current results show is modest proficiency. Third-grade math and third-grade ELA proficiency fall in a similar low-to-moderate range. Fourth-grade math lands somewhat higher, while fourth-grade ELA is the weakest result, with a lower band that is notably below the other subjects. Fourth-grade science proficiency sits in the same moderate range as fourth-grade math. Participation is strong across all tested grades. Because the assessment itself changed this year, a parent looking to track whether the school is improving or declining would need to wait for another year or two of comparable data before drawing a conclusion.
The broader context matters here. Williston is a city transformed by the Bakken oil boom. Publicly reported sources describe it as a mix of commercial, industrial, and residential land use, with an economy built on oil, agriculture, and tourism. Several of the world's largest oil service companies have operations in the city, and Baker Hughes maintains a multi-acre branch campus. The population surged over the past couple of decades, nearly doubling by the 2020 census, though more recent estimates suggest growth has begun to normalize. The city is car-oriented with no fixed-route bus service, only demand-response transit, and Amtrak's Empire Builder provides once-daily rail service in each direction. Williston State College, a two-year public institution, is located in the city, and Mercy Medical Center is a regional healthcare anchor.
The housing market reflects the oil economy. Typical home values in Rickard's zip code sit above the state benchmark for North Dakota and near the national benchmark, with solid year-over-year appreciation. Rents are more stable, roughly flat compared to a year ago. The affordability picture is mixed: estimated mortgage costs run well above typical rent, which may push some families toward rental options, though rents remain a smaller share of income than the mortgage burden would be. A family moving to the area for oil industry work may find the housing market tighter and pricier than they would expect for a small city on the northern plains.
The district itself has been through substantial change. In 2020, voters approved merging Williston Public School District 1 with Williams County School District 8 to form Williston Basin School District 7, effective in 2021. That consolidation unified governance and resources across the city. The district is also in the middle of a two-phase attendance boundary overhaul. Phase 1 established residence-based boundaries for Missouri Ridge Elementary for the 2023-24 school year, and Phase 2 will set boundaries for all elementary schools when a new building, Sloulin Elementary, opens in August 2026. For a family considering Rickard, the boundary map could shift in the near future, so confirming current and projected attendance zones with the district would be worthwhile.
Beyond the assessment numbers, the data provided does not include information on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, attendance, Title I status, or specific program offerings at Rickard. Civil rights data was not available. No comparison fact-set against other schools or districts was provided for this entity. Those gaps mean the picture here is partial. A parent evaluating Rickard has enough to understand the academic baseline and the community context, but would want to ask the school directly about classroom support, teacher experience, special education and English learner services, and any enrichment or intervention programming before making a decision.
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