Summary
Aurora Waasakone Community of Learn is a K–8 school at 3604 Bemidji Ave N in Bemidji, MN, serving 133 students as its own single-school district, Aurora Waasakone Community of Learn.
In 2025-2026, it ranked 836th of 869 Minnesota schools (4th percentile, 0 stars), its weakest year in five. It has the lowest proficiency in all three subjects: math 9.1%, reading 23.9%, and science 6.7%, versus state rates of 44.9%, 48.6%, and 25.5%—gaps of −35.8, −24.7, and −18.8 points. Nearby, Cass Lake-Bena Elementary sits at the 12th percentile, Gene Dillon Elementary School at the 56th with 3 stars, and Bemidji Public School District at the 37th with 2 stars. Grade-level results are concentrated: math was 0% in 3rd, 5th, and 6th grades but 30.8% in 7th; reading ranged from 13% to 28.6%. With about 13–15 students per grade, one child can swing a rate by 5–8 points, so treat these as signals. The state suppressed 3rd-grade reading and 8th-grade math, reading, and science; the 8th-grade science rate must be above 6.7%, since all-grades science is 6.7% and 5th-grade science is 0%.
The school’s advantages do not explain the gap. It has the lowest student-teacher ratio in the group at 9.8:1, and its 54.89% free/reduced lunch rate is mid-pack—well below Cass Lake-Bena Elementary (85.33%) and J.W. Smith Elementary (82.35%). Yet Cass Lake-Bena Elementary, with a 10.1:1 ratio, posts 23.2% math proficiency, more than double Aurora’s 9.1%, and J.W. Smith Elementary posts 18.5% in math and reading. Schoolcraft Learning Community outperforms Aurora by +19.9 math, +20.4 reading, and +27.4 science points. Low-income students rank at the 3rd percentile, special education students at the 4th, and male students at the 4th; female students are at the 10th. Bright spots are modest: reading showed real multi-year improvement before this year’s pullback, 7th grade is the strongest cohort, and 8th-grade science appears stronger than its suppressed label suggests. Overall, Aurora is the lowest-performing school in its local peer group and near the bottom of the state, and its small size and favorable student-teacher ratio are not accompanied by commensurate outcomes.
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