Original Research by School Decision on Larimore Elementary School
Larimore Elementary School sits at 700 Clark Avenue in the small Grand Forks County community of Larimore, part of the Larimore 44 district. It serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade as a regular public school, and its enrollment is modest for its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with small representation across Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, multiracial, and Black students. A lower share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch than is typical in many North Dakota small-town schools, which suggests a relatively stable economic base among enrolled families. Data on English learners and special education populations was not available, so those figures are left out rather than estimated.
Larimore itself is a compact residential town in the Greater Grand Forks metro area. Many residents commute to Grand Forks or Grand Forks Air Force Base for work, and the town has held a relatively stable population over the years despite a gradual slight decline. The downtown went through decades of commercial contraction as the farm economy softened and larger nearby cities drew shopping traffic away. Some abandoned buildings have since been renovated or replaced, though vacant lots remain. Civic life centers on a small grid: city hall, the public library, and a community museum sit within or near the downtown core. Turtle River State Park and the Larimore Dam recreation area provide outdoor amenities close to town. The built environment is car-dependent, with limited walkable infrastructure for daily needs, and no public transit system serves the community. Amtrak's Empire Builder passes through on BNSF tracks but does not stop; the nearest station is in Grand Forks.
On state assessments, Larimore Elementary's results come from North Dakota's A-PLUS assessment in its first year of administration, with new cut scores that make year-over-year trend comparisons unreliable. The state reported proficiency as ranges rather than point estimates, which often reflects small grade-level cohorts. In math, third grade showed the strongest performance, with a majority of students reaching proficiency. Fourth grade landed in a middling band, and fifth and sixth grades came in lower, with fewer than half of tested students proficient. Aggregate math proficiency across the school was at or just above the midpoint. English language arts results were weaker across the board. Third, fifth, and sixth grades fell in a middling range, while fourth grade dipped below that. The schoolwide ELA proficiency sat below the math mark. Science was assessed in fourth grade and landed in a similar middling band.
The data also included proficiency results for seventh and eighth grades, even though the school's stated grade band runs only through sixth. This may reflect a shared building arrangement or district-level reporting, but the payload does not explain the discrepancy, so it is flagged here rather than interpreted.
Because Larimore Elementary does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. No state locale classification, discipline data, course access information, staffing figures, or attendance metrics were available in the provided data, so those areas are left out. The district brief turned up little on recent strategic changes or parent-relevant initiatives, so there is nothing concrete to relay on that front.
Housing in the Larimore zip code is affordable relative to both state and national benchmarks. Typical home values sit well below the state median and roughly half the national figure, with recent year-over-year appreciation that outpaced both. Rent data was not available. For families considering the area, this means homeownership costs are comparatively low, though the trade-off is limited local commerce and dependence on Grand Forks for broader services, shopping, and employment.
The academic picture at Larimore Elementary is mixed. Math starts strong in the early grades but weakens as students move toward the upper elementary years. Reading and writing results are consistently lower, and a parent may want to look into how the school supports literacy development across grade levels. The school's small size and community setting offer a close-knit environment, and the town's proximity to Grand Forks gives families access to a larger regional economy while living in a quieter, more affordable place. Whether that trade-off fits a given family depends on how much weight they place on small-school intimacy versus program breadth, and on their comfort with the academic results as they stand.
See more original research from School Decision →