Moorhead Area Public Schools welcomed 7378 students in grades K–12 for the first day of the 2025–26 school year on September 2. This year’s opening enrollment is 88 students less than last year’s opening enrollment. These numbers do not include preschool students.

The district’s largest class is 12th Grade with 613 students and 512 students were welcomed into the new kindergarten class. Enrollment numbers typically fluctuate during the first weeks of school and stabilize in October and November.

The 2025–26 enrollment reflects the district’s healthy enrollment, building on record enrollment levels in recent years. For comparison, opening enrollment was 7,466 in 2024–25; 7,348 in 2023–24; 7,427 in 2022–23; 7,336 in 2021–22; 7,153 in 2020–21; and 7,087 in 2019–20.

“We are excited to welcome our students and families back for another school year,” said Dr. Brandon Lunak, Superintendent of Moorhead Area Public Schools. “This year’s theme, Foundations for the Future, reflects both the learning opportunities happening inside our classrooms and the progress we’re making as a district to support students. Our students truly are the foundation for Moorhead’s future.”

This fall also marks an important milestone in the Moorhead High School Phase 2 construction project. On opening day, the new main entrance, administration areas, science classrooms and the South parking lot opened. Additional music and fine arts classrooms will open over winter break and the state of the art theater is scheduled to be complete at the end of the 2025–26 school year. Phase 1 of the high school opened to students in January 2024.

To continue meeting the needs of a growing student body, the district is seeking approval of a two-question operating levy and capital projects levy referendum on November 4, 2025. Unlike the bond referendum passed in 2019, which was used solely for building projects, this year’s referendum is focused on students and learning.

The operating levy would provide stable funding for academic programming and staff to maintain strong class sizes and student support.

The capital projects levy would fund classroom technology, curriculum, and other learning resources students use every day.

For more information about the upcoming referendum, visit www.vote152.org.