And the name of Fargo’s newest elementary school will be….Horace Mann

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) —  Fargo School Board has voted 9-0 to name the newest elementary school Horace Mann.

At the end of the 2025-2026 school year, the current Horace Mann Elementary School will close and be demolished so a new school can be built on the site.

It will bring together Horace Mann-Roosevelt and Madison students together in a new three-section elementary school that will have the capacity to serve approximately 444 students in grades K–5.

During Tuesday evening’s board meeting, member Robin Nelson made an impassioned plea to keep the name, Horace Mann.

She believes she is the only current member of the board who actually attended Horace Mann and says residents consider the name a part of their identity as she does.

Nelson said those who grew up in the neighborhood consider Horace Mann as a part of who they are.

“The Horace Mann residents consider the name part of their identity, as I do. If we change this name, we are robbing the of their identity and quite frankly you are robbing me of part of my identity,” said Nelson.

At least one student survey was split evenly between the names Horace Mann and North Star.

They were among the five finalists the board moved forward two weeks ago.

The other potential names were Unity, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Prairie Rose.

An idea to name the school after slain Republican activist Charlie Kirk, which was on the list of 29 finalists out of over 430 unique name submissions, did not advance in the last round.