Original Research by School Decision on Longfellow Elementary School
Longfellow Elementary School sits on Minot's northwest side, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Minot 1 district. The enrollment is moderate for an elementary building in this district, with a fairly even distribution across the early grades and a sizable pre-kindergarten cohort. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller but visible groups of Hispanic, multiracial, Black, American Indian, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, though the rate sits below what many would assume for a school of this profile. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so those populations cannot be characterized here.
On state assessments, Longfellow's results paint a mixed picture across subjects and grade levels. Math is the stronger area. Third-grade proficiency lands in the upper-middle range, fourth grade dips, and fifth grade recovers to the school's highest band. Science, tested only in fourth grade, falls in a middle range. English language arts is where the school shows its softest results. Third and fifth grade land in a modest range, while fourth grade is notably lower. Participation was near full for most grades, though one grade's ELA participation dipped. A parent may want to look into the fourth-grade ELA results further with the school, since that grade stands out across both reading and math.
One important caveat about these results: North Dakota switched to the A-PLUS assessment for this year, with new cut scores, so the state itself flags that these results are not comparable to prior years. There is no multi-year trend to draw from yet. The numbers represent a fresh baseline under a new test, not a continuation of an old one.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate, no AP or dual-credit data, and no career-pathway information to report. Those gaps reflect the grade band, not missing performance. Program offerings, staffing ratios, discipline data, and attendance figures were not available in the materials reviewed, so they are left out rather than estimated.
Minot itself is a mid-sized regional hub for northern North Dakota, and Longfellow families live in a city shaped by several forces. Minot Air Force Base, roughly fifteen miles north, is the dominant economic presence, bringing military families into the community and the schools. The city grew as a Great Northern Railway stop and remains a trading center drawing from southwestern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan. The Souris River runs through town, and a major flood in the city's recent history prompted substantial rebuilding and flood-control work. Publicly reported estimates show the population has been roughly stable with slight decline, so Longfellow operates in a community without strong growth pressure. The built environment is largely auto-oriented; most residents drive, and the school sits in a residential neighborhood rather than a walkable downtown core.
Housing in the school's zip code is relatively affordable compared with national benchmarks. Typical home values sit below the state median and well below the national figure. Rents are modest, and the rent-to-income ratio is low enough that renting is materially cheaper than carrying a mortgage at current rates. For families considering a move, the housing market here is accessible by most measures, with prices rising at a gentle pace.
At the district level, Minot Public Schools has been exploring redistricting and facilities planning tied to enrollment and capacity, including possible school closures or repurposing. North Dakota has also expanded open enrollment, giving families more flexibility to choose schools within and across district lines. A parent looking at Longfellow may want to ask how those conversations could affect attendance boundaries and building assignments in coming years.
Longfellow fits a family looking for a traditional public elementary in an established Minot neighborhood, with solid math results, affordable housing, and a student body that reflects some of the city's diversity. The reading results, particularly in the middle grades, are the area most worth asking about.
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