Olney-Bissell Elementary

Summary:

The Olney-Bissell Elementary District in Montana is home to two schools: Bissell School, an elementary school, and Bissell 7-8, a middle school. Based on the available data, Bissell School appears to be a standout performer in the district, consistently ranking highly in the state and outperforming the district and state averages in academic proficiency.

Bissell School has maintained a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past three school years and has a higher percentage of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science compared to the district and state. In contrast, Bissell 7-8 has seen a decline in its state-wide ranking, dropping from 7th out of 123 middle schools in 2023-2024 to 115th out of 222 in 2024-2025. Additionally, Bissell 7-8 has a lower percentage of students proficient or better in Mathematics compared to the district and state.

The difference in student-teacher ratios between the two schools, with Bissell School having a ratio of 8.9 and Bissell 7-8 having a ratio of 10.2, may be a contributing factor to the performance gap. Additionally, the relatively high free and reduced lunch rates at both schools, around 35-37%, could be an indicator of the socioeconomic challenges faced by the student population. Further investigation into the factors influencing the schools' performance could provide valuable insights for the district's educational strategies and resource allocation.

District Detail

5955 Farm To Market Road
Whitefish, MT 59937

(406) 862-2828

SchoolDigger Rank:
127^th of 387 Montana districts

See the 2025 Montana District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-8
Students: 95

Primary Schools: 1
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 0
Alternative Schools: 0

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
Bissell School	Public	PK, KG-6	5955 Farm To Market Road	Whitefish	59937	Flathead County	Olney-Bissell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 862-2828	78	9	8.9	37.2%	71 (91.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.6%)	3 (3.8%)	78	60^th of 401 public elementary schools	85.0%		75.8	57^th of 212 public elementary schools	73.1%	3	55.3	57.5	$17,890
Bissell 7-8	Public	7-8	5955 Farm To Market Road	Whitefish	59937	Flathead County	Olney-Bissell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 862-2828	17	2	10.2	35.3%	16 (94.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	48.8	115^th of 222 public middle schools	48.2%		88.6	7^th of 123 public middle schools	94.3%	108	50.0	16.7	$19,119

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Whitefish Elementary	6.38 mi	2	22^nd
Whitefish High School	6.6 mi	1	24^th
West Valley Elementary	9.17 mi	2	106^th
Flathead High School	10.4 mi	4	151^st
Columbia Falls Elementary	11.56 mi	3	230^th

See the top MT Montana districts

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.