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Central School

Q: Is Central School a good school?

Central School ranks 174 th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

174^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Central School is an elementary school in Helena, Montana, serving 242 students in grades PK-5. It is part of the Helena Elementary School District, which is ranked 179 out of 387 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central School's performance has fluctuated over the years, with its statewide ranking ranging from 35 to 202 out of over 300 Montana elementary schools, and its SchoolDigger star rating varying between 1 to 4 stars. While the school's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are generally on par or slightly below the district and state averages, it has outperformed the district and state in Reading and Science in the 2023-2024 school year. Central School has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 41.55% to 60.33% over the past few years, which is higher than the district average.

Compared to nearby schools in the Helena Elementary District, Central School's performance is mixed. While it outperforms some schools, such as Bryant School and Broadwater School, in test scores, it lags behind higher-performing schools like Jefferson School and Four Georgians School. The school's relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 9.1 to 13.9 over the past few years, may provide opportunities to leverage this resource to provide more individualized attention and support for students.

242

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,565

Per pupil spending ?

60.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1325 Poplar
Helena, MT 59601

(406) 324-1230

District: Helena Elementary

Students who attend Central School usually attend:

Middle:	Helena Middle School
High:	Helena High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.5%

Hispanic:

10.3%

American Indian:

6.2%

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Compare Central School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 83rd percentile in 2024 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Montana median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 83rd-percentile peak (2024) to 57th (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg45%

Montana avg40%

174^th of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 49% (2015) to top 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^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	56.5	174 of 401	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	81.8	35 of 212	83.5%	★★★★☆
2023	57.9	154 of 332	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	78.8	79 of 329	76.0%	★★★★☆
2021	52.4	202 of 356	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.7	48 of 116	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	23.1	159 of 191	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	50.9	147 of 287	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	33.7	190 of 246	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	40.4	181 of 244	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	39.8	178 of 247	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	38.2	183 of 241	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	59.9	103 of 230	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	68.9	58 of 234	75.2%	★★★★☆
2005	64.5	87 of 218	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	48.8	121 of 217	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts47%+4 vs state

Science45%+7 vs state

Mathematics38%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Central 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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Central School

What schools do graduates of Central School attend?

Students who attend Central School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Helena Middle School
High : Helena High School

How many students attend Central School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 242 students attended Central School.

What district is Central School in?

Helena Elementary

Is Central School a good school?

Central School ranks 174^th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Central School?

Students at Central School are 79% White, 10% Hispanic, 6% American Indian, 2% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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Schools in Helena, MT

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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.