Original Research by School Decision on Roosevelt Elementary School
Roosevelt Elementary sits on the northwest side of Mandan, a city that traces its roots to the Northern Pacific Railroad and has since broadened into refining, food processing, manufacturing, and software. The town carries a self-described hometown feel across the Missouri River from Bismarck, with a traditional Main Street corridor, summer concerts in Dykshoorn Park, and events like Buggies-n-Blues and Rodeo Days. Publicly reported sources note a modest population growth from the 2020 census to a 2024 estimate, and the broader Bismarck-Mandan metro area is also expanding. The city's footprint and highway corridors make daily life largely car-dependent, though downtown has street life during events and the city maintains a substantial network of walking and bike trails plus numerous parks.
Roosevelt serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Mandan 1 district. Enrollment is moderate for an elementary in this district, with a fairly even distribution across the grade levels. The student body is majority white, with American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students making up the rest. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available in the provided records.
Academic results come from North Dakota's A-PLUS assessment for the 2024-25 school year. The state recently changed both the assessment name and the proficiency cut scores, which means trend comparisons to prior years are not yet reliable. Participation was strong across all tested grades.
In English language arts, Roosevelt's results were mixed across grades. Third grade showed the strongest performance, landing in the upper portion of the reported range, while fourth grade was in the lower-to-middle portion and fifth grade fell in the middle. The school-wide ELA proficiency rate sits around the middle of the pack. In math, third grade again performed in the higher portion of its range, fourth grade landed in the middle, and fifth grade was in the lower portion. The school-wide math rate is modest. Science, tested only in fourth grade, came in below the midpoint of its reported range. Average scale scores and tested counts were not available in the data, so it is hard to add further detail beyond these proficiency bands.
A parent weighing Roosevelt may want to look into the fifth-grade math and fourth-grade science results with the school, as those represent the softer spots in the available data. At the same time, third-grade results in both reading and math suggest the school is helping its youngest tested students reach proficiency at a healthy clip.
Housing in the Roosevelt attendance area, drawn from ZIP-level data, shows typical home values somewhat above the state benchmark and below the national benchmark, with recent year-over-year appreciation. Rents have risen more sharply. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home exceeds typical rent by a meaningful margin, which affects families weighing buying versus renting. Mortgage rates remain elevated relative to recent historical norms. The price-to-income ratio sits above four, meaning a typical home costs roughly four times the national median household income. The local unemployment rate has held steady in a low range.
Mandan's economy is anchored by the Marathon Petroleum refinery, BNSF Railway operations, a federal agricultural research station, and state and federal correctional institutions, along with healthcare, government, and retail. The city's recreation offerings are broad for a community of its size, including Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park to the south, two golf courses, a soccer complex, a water park, a ski area, and an indoor pool. The district operates multiple elementary schools on separate campuses, a middle school, and Mandan High School rather than clustering facilities in one location. We searched for recent district-level changes such as bond measures, curriculum shifts, or property tax changes and found nothing that clears a lasting-impact threshold, so there is nothing to report on that front.
Roosevelt reads as a mid-sized, neighborhood elementary in a growing Plains community with a diversified economic base and a strong civic and recreational footprint. Its test results are uneven across grades and subjects, with brighter spots in the earlier tested grades and softer spots in fifth-grade math and fourth-grade science. Families considering the school would benefit from asking how the staff supports students as they move into the upper elementary grades.
See more original research from School Decision →