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Smith School

Q: Is Smith School a good school?

Smith School ranks 158 th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

158^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 61% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Smith School is an elementary school located in Helena, Montana, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 217 students. 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.

Smith School consistently outperforms the state and district averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science proficiency. For example, in 2024-2025, Smith School had a 49.54% proficiency rate in ELA, compared to 49.52% for the Helena Elementary district and 43.09% for the state. In Mathematics, Smith School's 2024-2025 proficiency rate of 36.36% was slightly lower than the district average of 38.83%, but still higher than the state's 36.77%. Additionally, Smith School's 2024-2025 Science proficiency rate of 52.5% was significantly higher than the district's 48.79% and the state's 38.16%. However, Smith School's performance history has fluctuated, with its statewide ranking ranging from 25th to 158th out of Montana's elementary schools over the past 10 years, and its SchoolDigger star rating also fluctuating between 2 and 4 stars during this period.

Compared to nearby schools, Smith School generally outperforms Kessler Elementary, Broadwater School, and Central School in terms of test scores and statewide rankings. However, it lags behind the higher-performing Four Georgians School and Jefferson School in the district. Additionally, the nearby Prickly Pear Elementary, which is in a different district (East Helena K-12), has a higher percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients (43.87%) compared to Smith School's 35.48%.

217

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,714

Per pupil spending ?

35.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2320 5th Avenue
Helena, MT 59601

(406) 324-1530

District: Helena Elementary

Students who attend Smith School usually attend:

Middle:	Helena Middle School
High:	Helena High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.5%

Hispanic:

21.7%

African American:

2.8%

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Compare Smith School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 63rd percentile in 2015 → 61st in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Montana median (61st percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg45%

Montana avg40%

158^th of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Top 39%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^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	59.2	158 of 401	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	82.0	32 of 212	84.9%	★★★★☆
2023	68.7	105 of 332	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	87.3	46 of 329	86.0%	★★★★☆
2021	67.7	124 of 356	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.8	66 of 123	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.0	59 of 116	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	72.8	25 of 109	77.1%	★★★★☆
2016	58.6	78 of 191	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	66.8	105 of 287	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	38.1	180 of 246	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	41.6	178 of 244	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	41.3	173 of 247	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.0	174 of 241	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	64.6	68 of 190	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	73.5	35 of 194	82.0%	★★★★☆
2007	76.6	22 of 230	90.4%	★★★★★
2006	72.5	43 of 234	81.6%	★★★★☆
2005	69.2	67 of 218	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	81.9	34 of 217	84.3%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

Science52%+14 vs state

English Language Arts50%+6 vs state

Mathematics36%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Smith 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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
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
Prickly Pear Elementary	Public	1-2	2520 Valley Drive	East Helena	59635	Lewis and Clark County	East Helena K-12	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 227-7700	269	17	16.2	43.9%	227 (84.4%)	1 (0.4%)	18 (6.7%)	2 (0.7%)	6 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.6%)								(n/a)			$11,096

Frequently Asked Questions about Smith School

What is the racial makeup of Smith School?

Students at Smith School are 71% White, 22% Hispanic, 3% African American, 2% American Indian, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Smith School in?

Helena Elementary

How many students attend Smith School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 217 students attended Smith School.

What schools do graduates of Smith School attend?

Students who attend Smith School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Helena Middle School
High : Helena High School

Is Smith School a good school?

Smith School ranks 158^th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Smith School!

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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.