Middle Schools in Shepherd Elementary

Summary:

The Shepherd Elementary School District in Shepherd, Montana, contains a single middle school, Shepherd Middle School, which serves grades 6-8. While the Shepherd Elementary District is ranked 132 out of 387 districts in the state and rated 3 out of 5 stars, the middle school's performance lags behind both the elementary school and the state averages.

Shepherd Middle School's statewide ranking has fluctuated in recent years, ranging from 77th out of 123 middle schools in 2023-2024 to 128th out of 222 in 2024-2025, with a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. In terms of academic performance, the school trails the Shepherd Elementary School and the state averages in proficiency rates for English Language Arts (43.26% vs. 52% and 43.09%), Mathematics (28.81% vs. 44.29% and 36.77%), and Science (32.76% vs. 43.65% and 38.16%). The school has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at 37.22%.

While the school's spending per student ($8,340) and student-teacher ratio (12.8) are within reasonable ranges, these factors alone do not appear to be driving higher academic achievement. Further investigation into the specific challenges and opportunities for growth at Shepherd Middle School would be valuable in developing strategies to support student success and improve the school's performance within the Shepherd Elementary district.

District Detail

7842 Shepherd Road
Shepherd, MT 59079

(406) 373-5461

SchoolDigger Rank:
132^nd of 387 Montana districts

See the 2025 Montana District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-8
Students: 522

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
Shepherd Middle School	Public	6-8	7842 Shepherd Road	Shepherd	59079	Yellowstone County	Shepherd Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 373-5873	180	14	12.8	37.2%	165 (91.7%)	1 (0.6%)	4 (2.2%)	1 (0.6%)	7 (3.9%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	43.9	128^th of 222 public middle schools	42.3%		38.4	77^th of 123 public middle schools	37.4%	51	43.3	28.8	$11,089

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Shepherd High School	0.09 mi	1	217^th
Pioneer Elementary	6.82 mi	1	305^th
Independent Elementary	8.55 mi	1	215^th
Huntley Project K-12 Schools	8.59 mi	3	250^th
Billings Elementary	9.2 mi	28	243^rd

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.