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Chief Joseph Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

18^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 222 Montana Middle Schools

Better than 92% of Montana middle schools

Summary

Chief Joseph Middle School is a high-performing public middle school in Bozeman, Montana, serving 751 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Bozeman Elementary School District, which is ranked 108 out of 387 districts in the state and has a 4-out-of-5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Chief Joseph Middle School consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Montana, with a statewide ranking between 6 and 31 over the past 10 years. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are significantly higher than the state averages, with 62.67%, 60.22%, and 47.22% of students proficient or better, respectively, in the 2024-2025 school year. Compared to the Bozeman Elementary School District, Chief Joseph Middle School outperforms in Mathematics, with an 11.54 percentage point higher proficiency rate.

The school also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 14.2 to 16.7 over the past three school years, which is lower than the nearby Sacajawea Middle School (16.2) and Belgrade Middle School (16.5). Additionally, the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Chief Joseph Middle School is relatively low, ranging from 9.38% to 17.18% over the past three school years, which is lower than the nearby Sacajawea Middle School (25.15%) and Manhattan 6-8 (29.63%).

751

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,573

Per pupil spending ?

17.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4255 Kimberwicke
Bozeman, MT 59718

(406) 522-6300

District: Bozeman Elementary

Feeder schools for Chief Joseph Middle School:

Elementary:	Emily Dickinson School
	Hawthorne School
	Meadowlark Elementary
	Whittier School

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.1%

Hispanic:

7.5%

Two or more races:

4.4%

See top rated Montana middle schools

Compare Chief Joseph Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 79th percentile in 2015 → 92nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Montana average (59% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of Montana middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg55%

Montana avg40%

18^th of 222

Montana public middle schools ?

Top 8%▲ up 12 pts since 2015

From top 21% (2015) to top 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Bozeman Elementary

108^th of 387Bozeman Elementary among Montana districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Montana percentile	Rating
2025	81.9	18 of 222	91.9%	★★★★★
2024	81.7	17 of 123	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	87.2	13 of 187	93.0%	★★★★★
2022	81.0	31 of 190	83.7%	★★★★☆
2021	83.2	20 of 200	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	84.4	6 of 60	90.0%	★★★★★
2018	73.5	13 of 58	77.6%	★★★★☆
2017	73.9	9 of 55	83.6%	★★★★☆
2016	63.2	21 of 81	74.1%	★★★★☆
2015	65.4	32 of 156	79.5%	★★★★☆
2013	66.6	48 of 159	69.8%	★★★★☆
2012	70.6	33 of 156	78.8%	★★★★☆
2011	65.9	47 of 161	70.8%	★★★★☆
2010	72.2	27 of 156	82.7%	★★★★☆
2009	59.9	64 of 147	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	60.6	54 of 149	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	68.9	29 of 147	80.3%	★★★★☆
2006	69.9	35 of 146	76.0%	★★★★☆
2005	62.8	60 of 164	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2004	73.6	38 of 171	77.8%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts63%+20 vs state

Mathematics60%+23 vs state

Science47%+9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Chief Joseph Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAST English Language Arts (2025)	MAST Mathematics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAST English Language Arts All Grades	MAST Mathematics All Grades	Total
Chief Joseph Middle School	Public	6-8	4255 Kimberwicke	Bozeman	59718	Gallatin County	Bozeman Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 522-6300	751	46	16.4	17.2%	624 (83.1%)	7 (0.9%)	56 (7.5%)	13 (1.7%)	18 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.4%)	81.9	18^th of 222 public middle schools	91.9%		81.7	17^th of 123 public middle schools	86.2%	1	62.7	60.2	$11,573
Monforton 6-8	Public	6-8	6001 Monforton School Rd	Bozeman	59718	Gallatin County	Monforton Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 586-1557	242	15	16.6	22.3%	214 (88.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.2%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	7 (2.9%)	69.3	48^th of 222 public middle schools	78.4%		85.1	11^th of 123 public middle schools	91.1%	37	57.6	46.5	$9,498
Sacajawea Middle School	Public	6-8	3525 So 3rd Ave	Bozeman	59715	Gallatin County	Bozeman Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 522-6470	807	50	16.2	25.2%	645 (79.9%)	13 (1.6%)	97 (12.0%)	9 (1.1%)	11 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (4.0%)	84.6	14^th of 222 public middle schools	93.7%		86.3	9^th of 123 public middle schools	92.7%	5	66.0	60.2	$11,556
Belgrade Middle School	Public	5-8	410 Triple Crown Road	Belgrade	59714	Gallatin County	Belgrade Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 924-2259	978	59	16.5	39.2%	807 (82.5%)	3 (0.3%)	120 (12.3%)	6 (0.6%)	8 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (3.5%)	63.4	63^rd of 222 public middle schools	71.6%					(n/a)	45.5	46.6	$11,702
Anderson 7-8	Public	7-8	10040 Cottonwood Road	Bozeman	59718	Gallatin County	Anderson Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 587-1305	49	3	16.0	6.1%	41 (83.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.1%)	2 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.1%)	97.2	3^rd of 222 public middle schools	98.6%					(n/a)	83.0	89.4	$12,192
LaMotte 6-8	Public	6-8	841 Bear Canyon Road	Bozeman	59715	Gallatin County	LaMotte Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 586-2838	22	2	10.6		22 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	89.5	5^th of 222 public middle schools	97.7%		96.9	1^st of 123 public middle schools	99.2%	4	85.7	54.6	$22,070
Gallatin Gateway 7-8	Public	7-8	100 Mill Street	Gallatin Gateway	59730	Gallatin County	Gallatin Gateway Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 763-4415	33	4	7.6	39.4%	32 (97.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	83.3	16^th of 222 public middle schools	92.8%					(n/a)	73.3	70.0	$18,938
Manhattan 6-8	Public	6-8	416 North Broadway	Manhattan	59741	Gallatin County	Manhattan School	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 284-3250	189	11	16.7	29.6%	175 (92.6%)	1 (0.5%)	6 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.2%)	86.1	12^th of 222 public middle schools	94.6%		87.7	8^th of 123 public middle schools	93.5%	4	61.3	76.0	$11,332

Frequently Asked Questions about Chief Joseph Middle School

How many students attend Chief Joseph Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 751 students attended Chief Joseph Middle School.

What district is Chief Joseph Middle School in?

Bozeman Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Chief Joseph Middle School?

Students at Chief Joseph Middle School are 83% White, 7% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 2% Asian.

Is Chief Joseph Middle School a good school?

Yes. Chief Joseph Middle School ranks in the top 8.1% of Montana middle schools.

Rate Chief Joseph Middle School!

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MTMontana Middle School Rankings

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Schools in Bozeman, MT

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Montana Office of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.