Bemidji Area Schools sees increase in graduation rates despite statewide drop

Daltyn Lofstrom, The Bemidji Pioneer, Minn.
·3 min read

Mar. 29—BEMIDJI — The Minnesota Department of Education released statewide graduation rates for the 2023 graduating class on March 28, detailing a slight decrease across the state compared to 2022.

Overall, a total of 58,293 students graduated within four years, coming in at 83.3% of students. This is down from 83.6% in 2022.

According to the MDE, the decrease is partially driven by an increase in the "unknown" reporting category, which tracks students who were either incorrectly reported or not reported as enrolled in another district.

Graduation rates held steady for American Indian students across the state at 61.3% while the rate for white students increased from 88.4% to 88.7%.

While schools throughout

Beltrami County

were a mixed bag, the county itself saw a 4.1% increase from 2022. There were 443 out of 673 students who graduated in four years, which increased its graduation rate from 61.7% in 2022 to 65.8% in 2023.

Beltrami County's drop-out rate fell from 11.4% in 2022 to 10.7% in 2023.

Students eligible for free or reduced lunch, often used as an indicator for low-income students, increased their graduation rate from 45.7% in 2022 to 51.2% in 2023. This nearly matches a 51.1% rate in 2021.

American Indian students saw a similar increase from 36.2% in 2022 to 38.8% in 2023 — exceeding their 38.2% rate in 2021.

Female graduates ranked above their male counterparts at 67.5% and 64.2% respectively for 2023. Both groups graduated more students since 2022 with females at 64.5% and males at 59.2%.

Bemidji Area Schools

saw a 7.3% increase from 70.3% in 2022 to 77.6% in 2023. A total of 315 students out of 406 graduated within four years while 38 dropped out and 28 continued to earn their diplomas beyond a four-year timeline.

The district's homeless demographic included 12 graduates out of 24 students, which leaves a 50% graduation rate up from 27.6% in 2022. Students receiving free and reduced lunches graduated at 61.2%, another increase from 53.1% the prior year.

American Indian students graduated from the district at a 52% rate for 2023, a 9.1% hike from 42.9% in 2022. Female students also outperformed males at the district level, 79.4% to 75.6% respectively.

For charter schools,

TrekNorth Junior and Senior High School

trended downward from 87.1% in 2022 to 83.9% in 2023, or a difference of 3.2%. American Indian graduation also went down from 86.7% in 2022 to 78.6% last year. Male students graduated at an 83.3% rate compared to 84.6% for female students.

Voyageurs Expeditionary School

did not show four-year graduation rates for 2023 but noted a five-year rate of 43.8%.

Cass Lake-Bena

Public Schools saw a considerable decline in four-year graduations by 32.5%. About 50.6% of students graduated compared to 83.1% in 2022. Their rate in 2022 marked an increase from 61.5% in 2021.

Red Lake

High School showed a 29.9% graduation rate, a 4.6% decrease from 2022's rate of 34.5%.

Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School

graduated 57.1% of its seniors, which is down from 65% in 2022.

A complete list of graduation rates for schools, districts and counties across the state can be found on the

Minnesota Department of Education's website.