Best Public Schools in Columbus, MT

Summary:

The city of Columbus, Montana is home to three schools - Columbus Elementary School, Columbus High School, and Columbus Middle School. These schools serve students from kindergarten through 12th grade across the Columbus Elementary and Columbus High School districts.

Based on the data, Columbus High School appears to be the standout performer in the district, ranking 16th out of 182 high schools in the state and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's test scores, particularly in English Language Arts and Science, are significantly higher than the state averages. In contrast, Columbus Middle School is the weakest performer, ranking 138th out of 222 middle schools and earning a 2-star rating, with test scores below the state averages in all subjects.

The data also reveals that Columbus Elementary School has made significant improvements, moving from 78th out of 332 elementary schools in 2022-2023 to 31st out of 401 in 2024-2025, accompanied by a jump in its SchoolDigger rating from 4 stars to 5 stars. However, Columbus High School has shown some inconsistency in its performance, with its statewide ranking fluctuating over the past few years.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ACT with Writing English Language Arts (2025)	ACT with Writing Mathematics (2025)	ACT with Writing Science (2025)	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	ACT with Writing English Language Arts 11th Grade	ACT with Writing Mathematics 11th Grade	ACT with Writing Science 11th Grade	MAST English Language Arts All Grades	MAST Mathematics All Grades	Total
Columbus Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	218 E 1st Ave N	Columbus	59019	Stillwater County	Columbus Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 322-5372	278	19	14.8	34.2%	248 (89.2%)	4 (1.4%)	13 (4.7%)	2 (0.7%)	7 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	85.9	31^st of 401 public elementary schools	92.3%					(n/a)				60.7	65.0	$17,627
Columbus Middle School	Public	6-8	415 N 3rd St	Columbus	59019	Stillwater County	Columbus Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 322-5375	178	10	18.2	26.4%	162 (91.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.6%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.2%)	41.3	138^th of 222 public middle schools	37.8%					(n/a)				41.9	28.5	$2,216
Columbus High School	Public	9-12	433 N 3rd St	Columbus	59019	Stillwater County	Columbus High School	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 322-5373	227	14	15.7	20.3%	207 (91.2%)	1 (0.4%)	13 (5.7%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.8%)	82.8	16^th of 182 public high schools	91.2%		51.4	46^th of 122 public high schools	62.3%	30	69.7	36.4	45.5			$12,599

Cities Near Columbus

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Absarokee	12.49 mi	3	74^th
Reed Point	14.83 mi	3	26^th
Park City	16.41 mi	3
Joliet	16.98 mi	3
Fishtail	17.45 mi	1

See the top MT Montana cities

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.