Summary:
Elementary schools in the Bemidji Public School District include six buildings serving 1,955 students, split into two grade configurations: Gene Dillon Elementary School serves grades 4–5 and is by far the largest with 667 students, while Lincoln Elementary, Horace May Elementary, Northern Elementary, J.W. Smith Elementary, and Solway Elementary serve PK–3 and together enroll 1,288 students. Because of that split, an "all grades" score means 3rd grade at the PK–3 schools but a 4th–5th grade mix at Gene Dillon, so the most meaningful comparisons are within grade bands.
The strongest current results come from three PK–3 schools. Lincoln posts the top math score at 68.4% and the top composite, well above district and state 3rd-grade results, though its reading dropped nearly 9 points to 51.3%. Solway is the most balanced and most improved school: it has the highest reading score at 54.1% and gained 8.15 points in math and 5.45 points in reading. Horace May ranks second in math at 66.7% and improved reading by 7.24 points. Gene Dillon's rank rose to 3 stars and the 56th percentile, with all-grade math, reading, and science above state averages, but 4th-grade math and reading and 5th-grade math still trail state.
Two schools raise concerns. Northern, despite the lowest free/reduced lunch rate at 34.4%, saw the steepest decline — math fell 15.37 points and reading 12.88 points. J.W. Smith is the clear outlier, with 18.5% proficiency in both math and reading and an 82.35% free/reduced lunch rate; even its lowest-in-group student-teacher ratio of 11.6 has not closed the gap. Overall, this is a district with strong pockets alongside one severe outlier.
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