NC Minnesota News

There were 48 Black students enrolled in Beltrami County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 26.2% less than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Beltrami County welcomed 8,040 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 0.6% of the student body to be the fourth least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 30 schools in the county, Bemidji Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 12.

According to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Minnesota's fourth graders scored 241 in math, just above the national average of 237. Their reading score of 216 was on par with the U.S. average, but shows a slight decline over recent years. Eighth graders scored 284 in math and 264 in reading, both above the national averages. 

However, despite these results, both grade levels remain below pre-pandemic levels in math and reading.

As of 2024, according to Public School Review, the student-to-teacher ratio in Minnesota's public schools stands at 1:16, slightly worse than the national average of 1:15. This is part of a larger framework within Minnesota's educational system, which is the 10th largest in the United States, accommodating over 869,000 students across 2,709 public schools.

School Name	No. of Black Students	% of Black Students	Total School Enrollment
Lincoln Elementary School	7	2.2%	320
J.W. Smith Elementary School	5	1.9%	258
Gene Dillon Elementary School	8	1.2%	679
Bemidji Middle School	10	1%	1,035
Bemidji Senior High School	12	0.8%	1,516
Aurora Waasakone Community of Learners Charter School	1	0.7%	141
Schoolcraft Learning Community	1	0.5%	196
Blackduck Elementary School	2	0.5%	437
Blackduck Secondary School	1	0.3%	302
Horace May Elementary School	1	0.3%	307
Bemidji Area Learning Center	0	0%	54
Bemidji Middle ALP	0	0%	1
Bemidji Senior Lumberjack Alternative Learning Center	0	0%	67
Endazhi-Nitaawiging	0	0%	90
Kelliher Elementary School	0	0%	169
Kelliher Secondary School	0	0%	159
Northern Elementary School	0	0%	285
Paul Bunyan Center	0	0%	90
Ponemah Elementary School	0	0%	115
Red Lake Alternative Learning	0	0%	81
Red Lake Early Childhood Center	0	0%	113
Red Lake Elementary School	0	0%	487
Red Lake Middle Level Alternative Learning Center	0	0%	7
Red Lake Middle School	0	0%	278
Red Lake Secondary School	0	0%	341
Solway Elementary School	0	0%	146
Trek North Middle School	0	0%	108
TrekNorth High School	0	0%	145
Voyageurs Expeditionary Middle School	0	0%	42
Voyageurs Expeditionary School	0	0%	71