The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in English language arts. The lowest is 28% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Bakken Elementary School
Bakken Elementary School was a regular public school in Williston, North Dakota, serving middle-grade students as part of Williston Basin School District 7. The school is now closed, which is the most important fact for any family encountering its name. What follows describes what the school was during its last reported academic year, drawn from state assessment results and community context, so families can understand the record this campus left behind and how the district around it has shifted.
State testing data from the 2022-23 school year gives the clearest academic picture available. In math, proficiency was low across both tested grades, with fewer than a third of students meeting the state's proficiency bar in fifth grade and a slightly lower share in sixth grade. English language arts results were stronger, with roughly four in ten students reaching proficiency in both fifth and sixth grade. Participation was high, with nearly all enrolled students taking the assessments. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say from the provided data whether these results were improving, declining, or holding steady. Average scale scores were also missing from the dataset.
Enrollment and demographic data were not available in the provided records. We do not have figures for total enrollment, racial or ethnic composition, free or reduced-price lunch rates, or counts of students receiving special education or English learner services. This gap means we cannot characterize the student body's size or composition from what was supplied. The school served only middle grades, which explains why no graduation rate, high school course access, or college-readiness data appears.
Williston itself is a city defined by oil. Publicly reported sources describe a community historically rooted in agriculture and ranching that transformed sharply during the Bakken oil boom, adding oilfield infrastructure, retail centers, and expanded housing. The city's economy rests on oil, agriculture, and tourism, with a large concentration of oil service companies operating locally. Growth was explosive for a period and has since begun to normalize, according to the city's own account. Williston is car-oriented with no fixed-route bus service, though demand-response transit is available and Amtrak's Empire Builder stops in town. Williston State College, a two-year public institution, sits within the city, and civic amenities include a large recreation center, a public library serving all of Williams County, and cultural venues like the James Memorial Art Center.
The housing market in the school's zip code is notable. Home values sit well above the statewide benchmark and roughly in line with national figures, with steady year-over-year appreciation. Rents are moderate and have held roughly flat. The gap between an estimated monthly mortgage payment and rent is wide enough that renting is meaningfully cheaper than owning at current prices and rates, which may matter to families moving into the area for oil-related work.
The district surrounding Bakken has undergone 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. This consolidation unified governance across the city and reshaped school boundaries and administration. More recently, the community voted to build a new elementary school, Sloulin Elementary, scheduled to open in August 2026. The district is also in the middle of a two-phase attendance boundary overhaul, with the second phase set to take effect when the new school opens. Families looking at this area should work from current district boundary maps and enrollment information, since the landscape has shifted and continues to shift.
Because Bakken Elementary is closed, families considering the Williston area should direct their attention to the district's currently operating schools. The academic record from 2022-23 suggests that math was a relative soft spot while English language arts was a modest strength, but those results reflect a campus that no longer enrolls students. A parent weighing the district may want to ask how current schools are performing and how the upcoming boundary changes will affect assignment.
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