Summary:
The Helena Elementary school district in Montana serves 15 schools, including 12 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and no high schools or alternative schools. The district has a mix of high-performing and low-performing schools, with some standout schools like Jefferson School and Hawthorne School ranking among the top elementary schools in the state, as well as some lower-performing schools like Bryant School and Broadwater School.
The district's overall academic performance is above the state average, with 49.5% proficiency in English Language Arts and 38.8% proficiency in math. However, there is a wide range in test scores, from the high-performing Jefferson School at over 60% proficiency to the low-performing Bryant School under 27%. Schools with higher poverty levels, as measured by free/reduced lunch rates, tend to have lower test scores, indicating potential opportunity gaps that may need to be addressed.
Spending per student does not appear to be a major driver of performance, as some of the highest and lowest-spending schools have similar outcomes. The district's virtual middle school, Mount Ascension Learning Ac Middle School, has the worst performance in the district, highlighting the challenges of virtual learning. Overall, the Helena Elementary district has a mix of high-performing and low-performing schools, and identifying and replicating the practices of the top-performing schools could help raise the district's outcomes.
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