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B+

Helena Elementary School District

Public school districtGrades PK–8

Serves Helena.

Helena’s School Grade B+ better than 68% of Montana school districts

Students
5,100
Schools
15
Spent per student
$13,260
MT $13,570
Students per teacher
16:1
Free or reduced lunch
38%
Debt
$52.9M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Helena Elementary School District

  • Its letter, B+: results better than 73% of Montana districts
  • Reading proficiency 6 pts above the state
  • 16 students per teacher
  • Debt of $52.9M, about $10,367 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

B+: better than 73% of the 241 Montana school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math above the state, 2021–22
B+
The town it serves, and its School Grade
B+Helena 35,138

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Helena. Grade by grade →

PK–59 elementary schoolsThis district
6–82 middle schoolsThis district
9–123 high schoolsHelena High School District

Test scores vs. MT

2021–22
Math proficiency38%
State average 35.2% · 3,312 students tested
Reading / language arts52%
State average 45.7% · 3,320 students tested

97% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Graduation rate 87% at Helena High School District, which runs the high school (state 85.5%) · class of 2023.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$13,260 per student · 2% below MT
Spending
Classroom instruction 55%Support & administration 38%Other 7%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 52%State 39%Federal 9%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
5,123’20
5,181’21
5,225’22
5,173’23
5,100’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 84%Hispanic 8%Two or more races 3%American Indian/Alaska Native 3%Black 1%Asian <1%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%

Schools in the district

15 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Montana’s other public schools.

Four Georgians School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Helena
B
482 students17:1
Jim Darcy School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Helena
C+
473 students19:1
Rossiter School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Helena
B−
369 students17:1
Bryant School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Helena
D
288 students14:1
Warren School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Helena
B+
276 students16:1
Jefferson School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Helena
A+
245 students19:1
Central School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Helena
B−
242 students14:1
Kessler Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Helena
B−
235 students13:1
Smith School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Helena
B+
217 students13:1
Broadwater School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Helena
B−
207 students12:1
Hawthorne School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Helena
B+
183 students14:1
Helena Montessori Charter Schl
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Helena
198 students18:1
C R Anderson Middle Schl
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Helena
B+
962 students16:1
Helena Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Helena
C+
701 students17:1
Mount Ascension Learning Ac MS
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Helena
22 students13:1

Left off: 1 school reporting no students for 2024–25.

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

East Helena K-12East Helena
$10,159per student

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Montana.