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North Star School

Public Grades PK, KG-8
332nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 401 Montana Elementary Schools
Better than 17% of Montana elementary schools
Summary

North Star School is an elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Gildford, MT, with 83 students enrolled. The school is part of the North Star Elementary District, which is ranked 302 out of 387 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, North Star School has struggled compared to the state average and the nearby Gildford Colony School. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 28.57% of North Star students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, 20% in Mathematics, and 14.29% in Science, significantly lower than the state averages. In contrast, Gildford Colony School had much higher proficiency rates of 50% in ELA, 70% in Math, and 66.67% in Science. North Star School's academic performance has also declined over the years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 28th out of 244 Montana elementary schools in 2011-2012 to 332nd out of 401 schools in 2024-2025.

Additionally, North Star School has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, with 60.24% of students eligible in the 2024-2025 school year, significantly higher than the state average. Despite having a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 8.6 students per teacher, the school's academic struggles suggest that factors other than just the student-teacher ratio, such as curriculum, teaching quality, and school leadership, may be more important in driving student success.

83
Students ?
8.6
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,429
Per pupil spending ?
60.2%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 205 3rd St East
       Gildford, MT  59525

(406) 355-4481

District: North Star Elementary


Students who attend North Star School usually attend:

Middle:    North Star 7-8
High:    North Star High School
Racial breakdown:

White:
86.7%
Two or more races:
6.0%
Hispanic:
4.8%
more
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 Compare North Star School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 79th percentile in 2010 → 17th in 2025
Strengths
✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Montana average (23% vs 40% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)
!Ranking has slipped — down 62 percentile points since 2010
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school23%
District avg27%
Montana avg40%
332nd of 401
Montana public elementary schools ?
Bottom 17%▼ down 35 pts since 2015
From top 47% (2015) to bottom 17% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
302nd of 387North Star 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMontana percentileRating
202523.4332 of 40117.2%★☆☆☆☆
202348.5193 of 33241.9%★★☆☆☆
202275.492 of 32972.0%★★★★☆
202150.5211 of 35640.7%★★☆☆☆
201649.798 of 19148.7%★★☆☆☆
201556.5136 of 28752.6%★★★☆☆
201357.5118 of 24652.0%★★★☆☆
201277.428 of 24488.5%★★★★☆
201171.153 of 24778.5%★★★★☆
201071.051 of 24178.8%★★★★☆
200980.811 of 19094.2%★★★★★
200882.111 of 19494.3%★★★★★
200769.158 of 23074.8%★★★★☆
By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts29%-15 vs state
Mathematics20%-17 vs state
Science14%-24 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about North Star School

In the 2024-25 school year, 83 students attended North Star School.

Students who attend North Star School usually go on to attend:

Middle : North Star 7-8
High : North Star High School

Students at North Star School are 87% White, 6% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

North Star School ranks in the bottom 17.2% of Montana elementary schools.


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MTMontana Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in Gildford, 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.




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