Best Cities in Montana for Schools

Welcome to SchoolDigger, your premier source for city-wide school rankings! Our user-friendly platform focuses on test scores, presenting a transparent, data-driven comparison to help you navigate the educational scene. Explore top-rated cities in Montana and make informed decisions for your child's academic future. With our comprehensive database, uncover the best-performing schools within each city, evaluate their performance, and gain valuable insights. Trust SchoolDigger.com to guide you in finding the perfect city for your child's education. Embark on your journey to academic success right here!

Year after year, SchoolDigger is always the first to publish Montana test scores and rankings. Other sites use stale test score data that are several years old! Be in the know with the very latest performance metrics.

The list is updated annually upon the release of the test scores by the Montana Office of Public Instruction. The most recent update was on Monday, February 16, 2026.

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Rank (of 233)	City	# Elementary Schools	# Middle Schools	# High Schools	# Private Schools*	Rank score (2025)	Rank (2024)	Rank change from 2024
1^st	Luther	1	0	0	0	0.998		(n/a)
2^nd	Decker	1	0	0	0	0.983		(n/a)
2^nd	Cooke City	1	0	0	0	0.983		(n/a)
4^th	Jackson	1	0	0	0	0.978		(n/a)
5^th	Hammond	2	0	0	0	0.97		(n/a)
6^th	Hall	1	0	0	0	0.955	5	1
7^th	Ovando	1	0	0	0	0.948		(n/a)
8^th	Nye	1	0	0	0	0.945		(n/a)
9^th	Manhattan	2	1	1	1	0.945	4	5
10^th	Glen	1	0	0	0	0.935		(n/a)
11^th	Swan Lake	1	0	0	0	0.92		(n/a)
12^th	Wisdom	1	0	0	0	0.915		(n/a)
13^th	Cardwell	1	0	0	0	0.908	15	2
14^th	Whitewater	1	1	1	0	0.898		(n/a)
15^th	Plevna	1	1	1	0	0.883	7	8
16^th	Ennis	1	1	1	0	0.862	19	3
17^th	Augusta	1	1	1	0	0.858	21	4
18^th	Fairfield	3	2	1	1	0.857	17	1
19^th	Vida	1	0	0	0	0.853	23	4
20^th	Rapelje	1	1	1	0	0.845		(n/a)
21^st	Clyde Park	0	1	1	0	0.842	6	15
22^nd	Whitefish	2	2	1	1	0.835	11	11
23^rd	Fort Shaw	1	0	0	1	0.833	32	9
24^th	Somers	0	1	0	0	0.829		(n/a)
25^th	Avon	1	0	0	0	0.825	1	24
26^th	Reed Point	1	1	1	0	0.817	26
27^th	Cohagen	1	0	0	0	0.813		(n/a)
28^th	Twin Bridges	1	1	1	0	0.812	27	1
29^th	Canyon Creek	1	0	0	0	0.81	29
30^th	Broadview	1	1	1	0	0.788	41	11
31^st	Cascade	1	1	1	0	0.783		(n/a)
32^nd	Melville	1	0	0	0	0.778	3	29
33^rd	Fort Benton	1	1	1	0	0.776	28	5
34^th	Scobey	1	1	1	1	0.773	18	16
35^th	Bozeman	14	5	3	17	0.77	13	22
36^th	Turner	1	1	1	0	0.767		(n/a)
37^th	Townsend	1	1	1	0	0.759	53	16
38^th	Saco	1	1	1	0	0.759		(n/a)
39^th	Froid	1	1	1	0	0.753	64	25
40^th	Mc Leod	1	0	0	0	0.751		(n/a)
41^st	Clancy	2	2	0	0	0.75	16	25
42^nd	Birney	1	0	0	0	0.743		(n/a)
43^rd	Winifred	1	1	1	0	0.741	51	8
44^th	Columbus	1	1	1	0	0.738		(n/a)
45^th	Gallatin Gateway	2	2	1	0	0.735		(n/a)
46^th	Big Timber	1	1	1	0	0.727	24	22
47^th	Wise River	1	0	0	0	0.723		(n/a)
48^th	Plentywood	1	1	1	0	0.723		(n/a)
49^th	Belgrade	5	1	1	2	0.714		(n/a)
50^th	Savage	1	1	1	0	0.711	45	5
51^st	Alzada	1	0	0	0	0.708		(n/a)
52^nd	Circle	1	2	1	0	0.705		(n/a)
53^rd	Belt	2	1	1	0	0.7	22	31
54^th	Wilsall	1	0	0	0	0.688	31	23
55^th	Chester	4	1	1	0	0.687	76	21
56^th	Ekalaka	1	1	1	0	0.683	78	22
57^th	Ulm	2	1	0	0	0.67		(n/a)
58^th	Lakeside	1	0	0	0	0.663		(n/a)
59^th	Gardiner	1	1	1	0	0.663	20	39
60^th	Hobson	1	1	1	0	0.662	37	23
61^st	Jordan	2	1	1	0	0.659	8	53
62^nd	Florence	1	1	1	0	0.655	36	26
63^rd	Missoula	14	8	4	15	0.653	25	38
64^th	Lavina	1	1	1	0	0.652	105	41
65^th	Sand Coulee	2	1	1	0	0.648	68	3
66^th	Broadus	1	1	1	0	0.648	44	22
67^th	Frenchtown	2	1	2	0	0.644	47	20
68^th	Livingston	3	2	1	3	0.641		(n/a)
69^th	Bloomfield	1	0	0	0	0.638		(n/a)
70^th	Conrad	3	2	1	0	0.636	110	40
71^st	Columbia Falls	3	2	1	1	0.625	30	41
72^nd	Joliet	1	1	1	0	0.624		(n/a)
73^rd	Winnett	1	1	1	0	0.624		(n/a)
74^th	Boulder	1	1	1	0	0.623	42	32
75^th	Sheridan	1	1	1	0	0.617	52	23
76^th	Kila	1	1	0	0	0.617		(n/a)
77^th	Bainville	1	1	1	0	0.614		(n/a)
78^th	Polaris	1	0	0	0	0.613		(n/a)
79^th	Kalispell	13	7	4	10	0.612		(n/a)
80^th	Rudyard	0	1	1	0	0.603	89	9
81^st	Dillon	2	1	1	0	0.603	14	67
82^nd	Moore	1	1	1	2	0.6		(n/a)
83^rd	Glasgow	1	2	1	0	0.597	79	4
84^th	Richey	1	1	1	0	0.596	93	9
85^th	Shepherd	1	1	1	0	0.592	75	10
86^th	Charlo	1	1	1	0	0.591	65	21
87^th	White Sulphur Springs	2	2	1	0	0.59	69	18
88^th	Bigfork	2	2	1	0	0.58		(n/a)
89^th	West Yellowstone	1	1	1	0	0.576	60	29
90^th	Medicine Lake	1	1	1	0	0.572	56	34
91^st	Helmville	1	0	0	0	0.571	87	4
92^nd	Whitehall	1	1	1	0	0.57		(n/a)
93^rd	Chinook	3	1	1	0	0.57		(n/a)
94^th	West Glacier	1	0	0	0	0.569	10	84
95^th	Sunburst	3	1	1	0	0.567		(n/a)
96^th	Red Lodge	1	1	1	0	0.564		(n/a)
97^th	Harlowton	2	2	1	1	0.559	35	62
98^th	Bonner	2	2	0	0	0.558	50	48
99^th	Forsyth	1	1	1	1	0.557		(n/a)
100^th	Power	2	1	1	0	0.556		(n/a)
101^st	Lincoln	1	1	1	0	0.553	38	63
102^nd	Helena	13	3	4	7	0.552	33	69
103^rd	Melstone	1	1	1	0	0.549		(n/a)
104^th	Highwood	1	1	1	0	0.549	12	92
105^th	Troy	3	1	1	1	0.547	70	35
106^th	Sidney	4	1	1	1	0.544		(n/a)
107^th	Westby	1	1	1	0	0.543		(n/a)
108^th	Polson	3	1	1	2	0.537		(n/a)
109^th	Opheim	1	1	1	0	0.536		(n/a)
110^th	Fishtail	1	0	0	0	0.534		(n/a)
111^th	Custer	1	1	1	0	0.529	72	39
112^th	Greenough	1	0	0	0	0.529	77	35
113^th	Gildford	2	0	0	0	0.52	2	111
114^th	Malta	1	1	1	0	0.52	40	74
115^th	Sun River	1	0	0	0	0.519	9	106
116^th	Lewistown	5	2	1	0	0.514		(n/a)
117^th	Denton	1	1	1	0	0.506		(n/a)
118^th	Lambert	1	1	1	0	0.504	102	16
119^th	Willow Creek	1	1	1	0	0.497	67	52
120^th	Fairview	1	1	1	0	0.494		(n/a)
121^st	Plains	2	2	1	0	0.491	43	78
122^nd	Absarokee	1	1	1	0	0.487	74	48
123^rd	Laurel	3	1	1	1	0.484	81	42
124^th	Hamilton	2	2	2	4	0.48		(n/a)
125^th	Eureka	1	1	1	1	0.478		(n/a)
126^th	Choteau	1	1	1	1	0.472	49	77
127^th	Big Sandy	2	2	1	0	0.471	80	47
128^th	Clinton	1	1	0	0	0.468		(n/a)
129^th	Marion	2	1	0	1	0.463		(n/a)
130^th	Ramsay	1	1	0	0	0.463	59	71
131^st	Butte	6	1	1	4	0.461		(n/a)
132^nd	Baker	2	1	1	0	0.457		(n/a)
133^rd	Corvallis	3	4	3	0	0.457	55	78
134^th	Stevensville	2	2	1	0	0.457	71	63
135^th	Three Forks	1	1	1	0	0.454	58	77
136^th	Pray	1	1	0	0	0.453		(n/a)
137^th	Lindsay	1	0	0	0	0.451		(n/a)
138^th	Superior	1	1	1	0	0.451		(n/a)
139^th	Bridger	1	1	1	0	0.451	39	100
140^th	Wibaux	1	1	1	0	0.45		(n/a)
141^st	Simms	0	1	1	0	0.449	48	93
142^nd	Lolo	2	2	0	0	0.447	66	76
143^rd	Park City	1	1	1	0	0.447		(n/a)
144^th	Havre	6	1	1	1	0.446		(n/a)
145^th	Grass Range	2	1	1	0	0.443		(n/a)
146^th	Wolf Creek	2	0	0	0	0.441	62	84
147^th	Libby	1	1	1	2	0.434		(n/a)
148^th	Geyser	2	2	1	0	0.433		(n/a)
149^th	Stockett	1	0	0	0	0.431	96	53
150^th	Anaconda	2	1	1	0	0.428		(n/a)
151^st	Valier	2	1	1	0	0.428	100	51
152^nd	East Helena	5	3	2	1	0.425		(n/a)
153^rd	Thompson Falls	1	1	1	4	0.414		(n/a)
154^th	Darby	1	1	1	0	0.413	82	72
155^th	Dixon	1	1	0	0	0.407	98	57
156^th	Philipsburg	1	1	1	0	0.406	90	66
157^th	Worden	1	1	1	0	0.4	92	65
158^th	Hot Springs	1	1	1	0	0.398		(n/a)
159^th	Roberts	1	1	1	0	0.397		(n/a)
160^th	Pendroy	1	0	0	0	0.394		(n/a)
161^st	Billings	33	13	7	14	0.391	61	100
162^nd	Great Falls	17	2	3	7	0.384		(n/a)
163^rd	Miles City	7	2	2	3	0.383	84	79
164^th	Roundup	1	1	1	1	0.38		(n/a)
165^th	Belfry	1	1	1	0	0.371	86	79
166^th	Glendive	3	1	1	1	0.363		(n/a)
167^th	Nashua	1	1	1	0	0.363	106	61
168^th	Terry	1	1	1	0	0.363	63	105
169^th	Pablo	1	0	1	0	0.357	108	61
170^th	Dutton	1	1	1	0	0.353	73	97
171^st	Alberton	1	1	1	1	0.342	101	70
172^nd	Zurich	1	0	0	0	0.339	54	118
173^rd	Saint Regis	1	1	1	0	0.339		(n/a)
174^th	Lima	1	1	1	0	0.339		(n/a)
175^th	Drummond	1	1	1	0	0.334	46	129
176^th	Hysham	1	1	1	0	0.325		(n/a)
177^th	Fortine	1	1	0	0	0.317	95	82
178^th	Elliston	1	0	0	0	0.314	107	71
179^th	Seeley Lake	1	1	1	0	0.31	57	122
180^th	Brusett	1	0	0	0	0.304		(n/a)
181^st	Noxon	1	1	1	0	0.302		(n/a)
182^nd	Babb	1	0	0	0	0.289	94	88
183^rd	Vaughn	1	1	0	0	0.284		(n/a)
184^th	Hinsdale	1	1	1	0	0.284		(n/a)
185^th	Frazer	2	1	1	0	0.262		(n/a)
186^th	Colstrip	1	1	1	0	0.258	91	95
187^th	Rosebud	1	1	1	0	0.254		(n/a)
188^th	Cut Bank	9	1	1	0	0.253	88	100
189^th	Shelby	3	1	1	0	0.244		(n/a)
190^th	Kinsey	1	0	0	0	0.224	34	156
191^st	St Ignatius	1	1	1	0	0.218		(n/a)
192^nd	Culbertson	1	1	1	0	0.213		(n/a)
193^rd	Brockton	1	1	1	0	0.201	122	71
194^th	Dayton	1	0	0	0	0.2	99	95
195^th	Stanford	2	1	1	1	0.191		(n/a)
196^th	Ryegate	1	1	1	0	0.186	112	84
197^th	Geraldine	1	1	1	0	0.18	109	88
198^th	Condon	1	1	0	0	0.18		(n/a)
199^th	Wolf Point	2	3	1	0	0.179	114	85
200^th	Trego	1	0	0	0	0.177	111	89
201^st	Ronan	1	1	1	1	0.17	103	98
202^nd	Harrison	1	1	1	0	0.162	104	98
203^rd	Fromberg	1	1	1	0	0.153	83	120
204^th	Floweree	1	0	0	0	0.14		(n/a)
205^th	Divide	1	0	0	0	0.137		(n/a)
206^th	Galata	2	0	0	0	0.13	117	89
207^th	Carter	1	0	0	0	0.125		(n/a)
208^th	Arlee	1	1	1	1	0.119		(n/a)
209^th	Victor	1	1	1	0	0.117	97	112
210^th	E Glacier Park	1	0	0	0	0.117	120	90
211^th	Greycliff	1	0	0	0	0.115		(n/a)
212^th	Harlem	2	1	1	1	0.107	113	99
213^th	Bynum	1	0	0	0	0.087		(n/a)
214^th	Poplar	1	2	1	0	0.084		(n/a)
215^th	Hardin	2	1	1	1	0.08		(n/a)
216^th	Box Elder	2	2	2	0	0.079	118	98
217^th	Hays	1	1	1	1	0.07	116	101
218^th	Lodge Grass	1	1	1	0	0.064	126	92
219^th	Dodson	1	1	1	0	0.061		(n/a)
220^th	Trout Creek	1	1	0	1	0.051		(n/a)
221^st	Lame Deer	1	1	1	0	0.045	124	97
222^nd	Pryor	1	1	1	1	0.045	121	101
223^rd	Browning	3	1	1	2	0.044	123	100
224^th	Fort Smith	1	0	0	0	0.042		(n/a)
225^th	Garrison	1	0	0	0	0.04		(n/a)
226^th	Crow Agency	1	0	0	0	0.03		(n/a)
227^th	Ashland	1	1	0	3	0.028		(n/a)
228^th	Dupuyer	1	0	0	0	0.027	115	113
229^th	Wyola	1	1	0	0	0.02	119	110
230^th	Heart Butte	1	1	1	0	0.019	125	105
231^st	Biddle	1	0	0	0	0.007		(n/a)
231^st	Mosby	1	0	0	0	0.007		(n/a)
231^st	Loring	1	0	0	0	0.007		(n/a)

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About our rankings:

* Private schools are not used in determining city rank.
Schooldigger calculates school rankings based on test scores released by the Montana Office of Public Instruction.
These rankings were last updated on February 16, 2026, and are based on the most recent test scores available. We update rankings as we receive new test scores from the Montana Office of Public Instruction, usually on a yearly basis.
Our sources of data include the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education and the Montana Office of Public Instruction.
For more information about our ranking process, please see our Ranking FAQ. Details about our methodology are here.

Educational resources:

Charter Schools vs Regular Public Schools: Understanding the Key Differences

Per-Pupil Spending: Understanding the Breakdown of Federal, State, and Local Funds

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.