Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Kessler Elementary School

Q: Is Kessler Elementary School a good school?

Kessler Elementary School ranks 221 st of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

221^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Kessler Elementary School is a public elementary school in Helena, Montana, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 235 students. The school is part of the Helena Elementary School District, which is ranked 179 out of 387 districts in the state and rated 3 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Kessler Elementary School has consistently ranked in the middle to lower range of Montana elementary schools, with a ranking between 124 and 221 out of 212 to 401 schools over the past several years. The school's performance on state assessments is generally below the district and state averages, with lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science compared to the district and state. However, Kessler Elementary School has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.5 to 14.3 students per teacher over the past three school years, which is lower than the ratios of some nearby schools, such as Rossiter School (17.4) and Helena Montessori Charter School (17.8).

Kessler Elementary School's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates on state assessments, is generally lower than the nearby schools in the Helena Elementary School District, such as Rossiter School, Smith School, Central School, and Jefferson School. However, Kessler Elementary School has a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch compared to some of the nearby schools, such as Central School (60.33%) and Broadwater School (73.43%).

235

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,541

Per pupil spending ?

34%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2420 Choteau Street
Helena, MT 59601

(406) 324-1700

District: Helena Elementary

Students who attend Kessler Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	C R Anderson Middle School
High:	Capital High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.5%

Hispanic:

8.1%

American Indian:

3.0%

See top rated Montana elementary schools

Compare Kessler Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2015 → 45th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2015

!Near the bottom of Helena Elementary's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg45%

Montana avg40%

221^st of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to bottom 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Helena Elementary

179^th of 387Helena Elementary among Montana districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Montana percentile	Rating
2025	46.0	221 of 401	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.4	124 of 212	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.4	216 of 332	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.6	171 of 329	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.1	192 of 356	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.5	77 of 123	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.1	62 of 116	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.0	62 of 109	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	33.6	138 of 191	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	64.4	114 of 287	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	55.0	130 of 246	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	49.9	150 of 244	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	48.6	156 of 247	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	61.5	92 of 241	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	66.9	59 of 190	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	47.3	124 of 194	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	68.7	61 of 230	73.5%	★★★★☆
2006	77.1	23 of 234	90.2%	★★★★★
2005	84.7	25 of 218	88.5%	★★★★☆
2004	71.6	54 of 217	75.1%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts43%~ state avg

Science36%~ state avg

Mathematics32%-5 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Kessler Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Kessler Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Kessler Elementary School

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
Kessler Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2420 Choteau Street	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 324-1700	235	18	13.1	34.0%	201 (85.5%)	5 (2.1%)	19 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	46	221^st of 401 public elementary schools	44.9%		50.4	124^th of 212 public elementary schools	41.5%	97	42.6	31.5	$12,541
Broadwater School	Public	PK, KG-5	900 Hollins	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 324-1130	207	17	12.4	73.4%	164 (79.2%)	2 (1.0%)	19 (9.2%)	2 (1.0%)	13 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.4%)	31.7	294^th of 401 public elementary schools	26.7%		55.2	109^th of 212 public elementary schools	48.6%	185	31.3	22.6	$13,945
Hawthorne School	Public	PK, KG-5	430 Madison Avenue	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 324-1370	183	13	13.7	20.8%	156 (85.2%)	1 (0.5%)	11 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.8%)	73.7	79^th of 401 public elementary schools	80.3%		67.4	80^th of 212 public elementary schools	62.3%	1	54.2	51.0	$12,955
Four Georgians School	Public	PK, KG-5	555 Custer Avenue	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 324-1300	482	29	16.8	30.9%	405 (84.0%)	5 (1.0%)	37 (7.7%)	6 (1.2%)	12 (2.5%)	2 (0.4%)	15 (3.1%)	68.2	114^th of 401 public elementary schools	71.6%		71.9	66^th of 212 public elementary schools	68.9%	48	60.9	37.2	$12,054
Central School	Public	PK, KG-5	1325 Poplar	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 324-1230	242	17	13.9	60.3%	190 (78.5%)	2 (0.8%)	25 (10.3%)	4 (1.7%)	15 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.5%)	56.5	174^th of 401 public elementary schools	56.6%		81.8	35^th of 212 public elementary schools	83.5%	139	46.9	37.9	$16,565
Helena Montessori Charter School	Public	K-5	1325 Poplar Street	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(406) 324-2000	198	11	17.8	19.7%	160 (80.8%)	5 (2.5%)	20 (10.1%)	2 (1.0%)	5 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	65.7	126^th of 401 public elementary schools	68.6%					(n/a)	58.9	35.5
Mount Ascension Learning Ac Elementary	Public, Virtual	K-5	1325 Poplar Street	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(406) 324-2000	0	1	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Jefferson School	Public	PK, KG-5	1023 Broadway	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 324-2060	245	13	19.2	20.0%	209 (85.3%)	2 (0.8%)	21 (8.6%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	80.5	51^st of 401 public elementary schools	87.3%		95.7	4^th of 212 public elementary schools	98.1%	47	62.9	58.1	$13,206
Bryant School	Public	PK, KG-5	1529 Boulder	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 324-1200	288	20	14.0	83.0%	204 (70.8%)	4 (1.4%)	48 (16.7%)	1 (0.3%)	21 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.5%)	26.5	319^th of 401 public elementary schools	20.4%		27.9	168^th of 212 public elementary schools	20.8%	151	26.1	22.7	$13,947
Smith School	Public	PK, KG-5	2320 5th Avenue	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 324-1530	217	16	13.5	35.5%	153 (70.5%)	6 (2.8%)	47 (21.7%)	2 (0.9%)	5 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.8%)	59.2	158^th of 401 public elementary schools	60.6%		82	32^nd of 212 public elementary schools	84.9%	126	49.5	36.4	$13,714

Frequently Asked Questions about Kessler Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Kessler Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Kessler Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : C R Anderson Middle School
High : Capital High School

How many students attend Kessler Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 235 students attended Kessler Elementary School.

Is Kessler Elementary School a good school?

Kessler Elementary School ranks 221^st of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Kessler Elementary School in?

Helena Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Kessler Elementary School?

Students at Kessler Elementary School are 86% White, 8% Hispanic, 3% American Indian, 2% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Rate Kessler Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MTMontana Elementary School Rankings

MTMontana District Rankings

Schools in Helena, MT

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Kessler Elementary School!

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.