North Star Public School

North Star Public School, doing business as North Star Elementary School, is a non-profit elementary school in Cando, North Dakota that receives federal grant funding as a prime recipient and participates in federal child nutrition and education sub-grant programs as a sub-recipient. The school operates almost entirely within federal grant structures (95% of recent awards as sub-recipient, 5% as prime recipient) and competes in full-and-open, non-set-aside funding streams typical of K-12 institutions.

North Star's federal footprint centers on two customer agencies, the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service and the Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, which together account for 100% of recent awards. The Food and Nutrition Service dominates by volume: 93 awards across child nutrition programs including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Summer Meal Program (SMP), and Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education contributes 16 awards, including Small Rural School Achievement Program (SRSAP) formula grants as prime recipient and Title I, Title V transfer, and 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) sub-awards routed through the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

As a prime grant recipient, North Star received Small Rural School Achievement Program formula grants from the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education on July 1, 2022 (ultimate completion September 30, 2023), July 1, 2023 (ultimate completion September 30, 2024), and July 1, 2026 (ultimate completion September 30, 2027). As a sub-recipient, North Star participates in the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction's pass-through of federal child nutrition and education grants. Child nutrition sub-awards flow monthly or quarterly and cover meal reimbursement and program operations across NSLP Paid, NSLP Free/Reduced, SBP, SMP, and FFVP programs. Education sub-awards include Title I (Elementary and Secondary Education Act), Title V transfers, and 21st CCLC continuation funding for after-school programs (Cohorts 1, 2, and NESC Cohort B). Recent sub-awards date from October 2023 through August 2026, with particular concentration in monthly nutrition reimbursement awards beginning in late 2023 and recurring through 2026.

Activity has grown sharply year over year, from 1 award in 2022 to 34 awards in 2026, reflecting the cumulative effect of recurring monthly and quarterly nutrition reimbursements and annual education program cycles. Combined dollars obligated across all awards total $2 million. One award reaches ultimate completion in the next twenty-four months, indicating a stable baseline of recurring federal nutrition and education entitlements. North Star's sub-recipient role means it executes federal programs at the school level under state pass-through arrangements; the school itself does not serve as a subcontractor to federal prime contractors and carries no federal contract vehicle positions.