High Schools in Helena High School

Summary:

The Helena High School district in Montana contains 4 high schools serving grades 9-12. The data reveals stark contrasts in performance between the top-achieving schools and the lower-performing ones within the district.

Capital High School and Helena High School consistently rank among the top 20-34 high schools in the state, with 4-star ratings from SchoolDigger. These schools outperform the district and state averages in ACT proficiency, particularly in Math. In contrast, Helena P.A.L. and Mount Ascension Learning Ac High School struggle, ranking much lower statewide and having significantly lower ACT proficiency rates.

The data also reveals differences in student-teacher ratios and free/reduced lunch rates across the schools. Mount Ascension has the highest student-teacher ratio, while Helena P.A.L. has the lowest. Additionally, Helena P.A.L. has the highest percentage of students on free/reduced lunch programs, suggesting a potential correlation between socioeconomic status and academic achievement. Overall, the Helena High School district as a whole has room for improvement, with a ranking of 188th out of 387 districts in Montana and a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

District Detail

1325 Poplar Street
Helena, MT 59601

(406) 324-2001

SchoolDigger Rank:
188^th of 387 Montana districts

See the 2025 Montana District rankings!

Grades served: 9-12
Students: 2,373

Primary Schools: 0
Middle Schools: 0
High Schools: 4
Alternative Schools: 0

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)	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	Total
Capital High School	Public	9-12	100 Valley Drive	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena High School	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 324-2500	1,293	79	16.2	27.7%	1,130 (87.4%)	13 (1.0%)	70 (5.4%)	15 (1.2%)	18 (1.4%)	2 (0.2%)	45 (3.5%)	76.7	26^th of 182 public high schools	85.7%		65.8	19^th of 122 public high schools	84.4%	7	60.8	39.6	37.3	$12,877
Helena High School	Public	9-12	1300 Billings Avenue	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena High School	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 324-2200	979	63	15.5	31.4%	818 (83.6%)	15 (1.5%)	61 (6.2%)	12 (1.2%)	22 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (5.2%)	80.4	20^th of 182 public high schools	89.0%		65.1	22^nd of 122 public high schools	82.0%	2	61.1	45.8	38.4	$13,957
Mount Ascension Learning Ac High School	Public, Virtual	9-12	1325 Poplar Street	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena High School	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(406) 324-2000	43	1	29.6	39.5%	35 (81.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (7.0%)	29.7	140^th of 182 public high schools	23.1%					(n/a)	50.0	0.0	16.7
Helena P.A.L.	Public	9-12	1325 Poplar Street	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena High School	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(406) 324-2000	58	7	8.1	55.2%	46 (79.3%)	1 (1.7%)	3 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.4%)	1 (1.7%)	5 (8.6%)	22.8	151^st of 182 public high schools	17.0%					(n/a)	25.9	6.9	20.7

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Helena Elementary	0.66 mi	16	179^th
East Helena K-12	6.23 mi	7	236^th
East Helena Elementary	6.42 mi	3
Montana City Elementary	7.53 mi	2	82^nd
Clancy Elementary	10.68 mi	2	99^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.