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Chief Joseph School

Q: Is Chief Joseph School a good school?

Chief Joseph School ranks 92 nd of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

92^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 77% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Chief Joseph School is an elementary school in Great Falls, Montana, serving 260 students in grades PK-6. The school consistently outperforms the Great Falls Elementary District and the state of Montana in academic proficiency, with 55.2% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, 50% in Mathematics, and 43.75% in Science, compared to the district's 40.04%, 35.18%, and 32.3%, respectively, and the state's 43.09%, 36.77%, and 38.16%.

Chief Joseph School has a strong statewide ranking, placing in the top quarter of Montana elementary schools in recent years, and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger in the 2024-2025 school year. The school also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 11.9 to 13 students per teacher, which is lower than the nearby schools in the district. However, Chief Joseph School has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 55.77% to 59.16% in recent years, indicating a higher proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds compared to the district average.

While Chief Joseph School outperforms other elementary schools in the Great Falls Elementary District, such as Sunnyside School, Longfellow School, and Whittier School, the school's statewide ranking and SchoolDigger star rating have fluctuated over the years, suggesting that factors beyond just academic achievement, such as changes in student demographics or teaching staff, may influence the school's overall success.

260

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,339

Per pupil spending ?

55.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5305 3rd Avenue South
Great Falls, MT 59405

(406) 268-6675

District: Great Falls Elementary

Students who attend Chief Joseph School usually attend:

Middle:	East Middle School
High:	Great Falls High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.1%

Two or more races:

11.5%

Hispanic:

8.8%

See top rated Montana elementary schools

Compare Chief Joseph School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 50th percentile in 2012 → 77th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Montana average (52% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of Montana elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 27 percentile points since 2012

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg37%

Montana avg40%

92^nd of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Top 23%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From top 36% (2015) to top 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 14Elementary Schools in the Great Falls Elementary

241^st of 387Great Falls 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	71.5	92 of 401	77.1%	★★★★☆
2023	60.7	138 of 332	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.9	180 of 329	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	72.8	106 of 356	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	75.9	25 of 123	79.7%	★★★★☆
2018	83.3	12 of 116	89.7%	★★★★★
2016	88.4	21 of 191	89.0%	★★★★☆
2015	67.5	104 of 287	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	55.9	125 of 246	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	55.3	121 of 244	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	55.0	132 of 247	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	55.0	121 of 241	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	49.4	121 of 190	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	67.0	63 of 194	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	74.6	35 of 230	84.8%	★★★★☆
2006	65.7	74 of 234	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	82.1	32 of 218	85.3%	★★★★☆
2004	84.3	28 of 217	87.1%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts55%+12 vs state

Mathematics50%+13 vs state

Science44%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Chief Joseph School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking ()				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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAST English Language Arts All Grades	MAST Mathematics All Grades	Total
Chief Joseph School	Public	PK, KG-6	5305 3rd Avenue South	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-6675	260	21	12.1	55.8%	190 (73.1%)	3 (1.2%)	23 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (11.5%)	71.5	92^nd of 401 public elementary schools	77.1%					(n/a)	55.2	50.0	$14,339
Loy School	Public	PK, KG-6	501 57th Street North	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 268-6885	392	22	17.5	33.7%	240 (61.2%)	27 (6.9%)	69 (17.6%)	7 (1.8%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (11.2%)	59.9	156^th of 401 public elementary schools	61.1%					(n/a)	49.4	42.6	$10,936
MT School For Deaf & Blnd Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	3911 Central Ave	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Mont School for Deaf Blind	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 771-6017	20	10	1.9	100.0%	17 (85.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.0%)	1 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.0%)	26	322^nd of 401 public elementary schools	19.7%					(n/a)	22.2	22.2
Lewis & Clark School	Public	PK, KG-6	3800 1st Avenue South	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-6705	338	18	19.2	59.8%	247 (73.1%)	1 (0.3%)	43 (12.7%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (9.2%)	42.7	245^th of 401 public elementary schools	38.9%					(n/a)	39.6	32.1	$12,147
CORE School at Morningside Elementary	Public	K-6	4119 7th Ave N	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(406) 268-6050	297	21	13.9	57.6%	198 (66.7%)	4 (1.3%)	36 (12.1%)	3 (1.0%)	13 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (14.5%)	33.7	284^th of 401 public elementary schools	29.2%					(n/a)	33.9	25.7
Mountain View School	Public	PK, KG-6	3420 15th Avenue South	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-7305	315	32	9.7	80.6%	195 (61.9%)	2 (0.6%)	20 (6.3%)	2 (0.6%)	43 (13.7%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (16.8%)	30.8	299^th of 401 public elementary schools	25.4%					(n/a)	30.2	24.0	$15,978
Giant Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	520 32nd Street North	Great Falls	59401	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-7045	431	30	14.4	75.6%	308 (71.5%)	7 (1.6%)	33 (7.7%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (12.1%)	42.6	246^th of 401 public elementary schools	38.7%					(n/a)	38.4	31.0	$10,538
Lincoln School	Public	PK, KG-6	624 27th Street South	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 268-6800	373	24	15.6	54.7%	273 (73.2%)	2 (0.5%)	29 (7.8%)	4 (1.1%)	18 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (12.6%)	48.6	215^th of 401 public elementary schools	46.4%					(n/a)	42.7	36.4	$11,668
Sunnyside School	Public	PK, KG-6	1800 19th Street South	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-7115	396	25	15.6	78.5%	226 (57.1%)	6 (1.5%)	54 (13.6%)	5 (1.3%)	33 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (18.2%)	24.2	328^th of 401 public elementary schools	18.2%					(n/a)	21.9	26.2	$11,580
Longfellow School	Public	PK, KG-6	1100 6th Ave So	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-6845	263	22	12.1	98.1%	107 (40.7%)	3 (1.1%)	45 (17.1%)	1 (0.4%)	62 (23.6%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (17.1%)	9.8	372^nd of 401 public elementary schools	7.2%					(n/a)	12.0	9.1	$12,920

Frequently Asked Questions about Chief Joseph School

What is the racial makeup of Chief Joseph School?

Students at Chief Joseph School are 73% White, 12% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 5% American Indian, 1% African American.

What district is Chief Joseph School in?

Great Falls Elementary

What schools do graduates of Chief Joseph School attend?

Students who attend Chief Joseph School usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Middle School
High : Great Falls High School

Is Chief Joseph School a good school?

Chief Joseph School ranks 92^nd of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Chief Joseph School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 260 students attended Chief Joseph School.

Rate Chief Joseph School!

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MTMontana District Rankings

Schools in Great Falls, 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.