Northmark provides custodial service for education facilities in Fargo, West Fargo and Moorhead: private and charter schools, tutoring and learning centers, training and certification centers, college-adjacent buildings, and administrative offices of education organizations. We clean classrooms, restrooms, hallways, offices, libraries and common areas after hours, adjust frequency around the academic calendar, use background-checked staff and measure quality against standards many educational facilities already use, such as APPA cleanliness levels.
Education buildings have unique cleaning needs
Schools and learning facilities are intensely used. Dozens or hundreds of people share desks, door handles, restrooms and water fountains every day. Children and young adults are hard on buildings, and parents judge a school partly by how it looks and smells. At the same time, budgets are tight and schedules change with semesters, breaks and summer.
The EPA's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools program highlights cleaning and maintenance among the practical steps schools can take to support a healthy learning environment, and the CDC's facility cleaning guidance emphasizes routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces in shared spaces.
Who we serve in education
- Private and parochial schools that manage their own facilities
- Charter schools often operating in converted commercial buildings
- Tutoring, test-prep and learning centers
- Training and certification facilities for trades, healthcare and technology
- College-adjacent buildings near MSUM, Concordia College, NDSU and M State, such as student services offices and private learning spaces
- Education organization offices and administrative buildings
Large public school districts typically employ their own custodial staff. We focus on the many smaller education facilities that need a professional partner.
What we clean
| Area | Typical tasks | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Classrooms | Trash, desks and tables when cleared, floors, whiteboard trays, touchpoints | Nightly |
| Restrooms | Fixtures, partitions, mirrors, floors, waste, supply reporting | Nightly |
| Hallways and entries | Floors, glass, lockers' exteriors, handrails, mats | Nightly |
| Libraries and study areas | Tables, chairs, floors, trash | Nightly or several times a week |
| Offices and staff rooms | Trash, surfaces, floors, kitchen areas | Nightly |
| Gyms and multipurpose rooms | Floors (routine), bleacher areas' trash, restrooms nearby | As scoped |
| Cafeteria (non-food areas) | Floors, tables after food staff clean them, trash | Daily during school year |
Food preparation and service areas stay with food service staff under food safety rules.
Touchpoints and illness season
Schools see waves of seasonal illness. During those periods, frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, desks, light switches, faucet handles and water fountain buttons get more frequent attention with products agreed with the school. Our guide to cleaning vs sanitizing vs disinfecting explains the difference.
Built around the academic calendar
| Period | Typical approach |
|---|---|
| School year | Nightly service with weekly and monthly detail |
| Winter and spring breaks | Reduced frequency or targeted detail work while the building is empty |
| Summer | Reduced routine service and an end-of-year detail of reachable areas, as scoped |
| Before the first day | Readiness walkthrough and detail of entries, restrooms and classrooms |
That flexibility means schools do not pay for nightly service when nobody is in the building. See recurring janitorial schedules.
Measuring quality the way schools do
Many educational facilities already use APPA's custodial staffing guidelines and its five levels of cleanliness, from "orderly spotlessness" to "unkempt neglect." We can scope and report against the APPA level your school targets. See measuring cleaning quality with APPA levels and janitorial QA inspection scoring.
Safety and screening
Even though cleaning happens after hours, education facilities serve children and young people. Every Northmark team member is background-checked before receiving access, and schools that require additional screening can specify it. Staff wear identification, follow your visitor and access policies and report anything concerning. See background-checked staff.
Related pages
- Childcare centers
- Churches, many of which operate schools or education programs
- Commercial cleaning in Moorhead, home to several campuses
Frequently asked questions
Do you clean public school districts?
Most large districts employ their own custodial staff. We focus on private, charter and smaller education facilities, training centers and education offices.
Can service drop during summer break?
Yes. We reduce routine frequency when the building is empty and can schedule detail work before the new school year.
Do you use APPA cleanliness levels?
We can scope and report against the APPA level your school targets.
Are your staff background-checked?
Yes. Every team member is background-checked, and schools can require additional screening.
Sources
Published · Northmark Facility Services.