Grass Range Elementary

The Grass Range Elementary district in Montana consists of two schools: Grass Range School, an elementary school, and Grass Range 7-8, a middle school. While the middle school is a standout performer, ranking 17th out of 222 Montana middle schools and earning a 5-star rating, the elementary school maintains a more modest 3-star rating.

The middle school, Grass Range 7-8, significantly outperforms the district and state averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics, with 62.5% of students proficient compared to 42.42% and 43.09% for the district, and 36.77% for the state. Additionally, the middle school has a lower student-teacher ratio of 5.5, compared to 7.7 at the elementary school. This suggests that the smaller class sizes may contribute to the middle school's exceptional academic performance.

In contrast, the elementary school, Grass Range School, has test scores closer to the state averages, indicating room for improvement. The school also has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at 40%, compared to 33.33% at the middle school. Despite the differences in performance, both schools report the same spending per student of $9,886 for the 2018-2019 school year, highlighting the importance of factors beyond funding, such as instructional practices and school leadership, in driving student outcomes.