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Smith Valley Primary School

Q: Is Smith Valley Primary School a good school?

Smith Valley Primary School ranks 262 nd of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

262^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Smith Valley Primary School is an elementary school located in Kalispell, Montana, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 148 students. The school is part of the Smith Valley Elementary School District, which is ranked 209 out of 387 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Smith Valley Primary School's test scores are generally lower than the state and district averages across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (42.03%), Mathematics (23.94%), and Science (22.22%) were all below the state and district averages. The school's performance has been relatively consistent over the years, with its statewide ranking fluctuating between 149 and 290 out of Montana's elementary schools. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, with rates ranging from 46.62% to 50.97% in recent years.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Fair-Mont-Egan School, Cornelius Hedges School, Edgerton School, and West Valley School, Smith Valley Primary School's performance is generally lower, with higher test scores and statewide rankings. The nearby schools with higher performance also tend to have lower percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. The school's statewide ranking has declined over the years, from 149 out of 246 Montana elementary schools in 2012-2013 to 262 out of 401 in 2024-2025, indicating a potential need for improvement in the school's educational programs and resources.

148

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,286

Per pupil spending ?

46.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2901 Hwy 2 West
Kalispell, MT 59901

(406) 756-4535

District: Smith Valley Elementary

Students who attend Smith Valley Primary School usually attend:

Middle:	Smith Valley 7-8
High:	Flathead High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.2%

Two or more races:

6.1%

Hispanic:

1.4%

See top rated Montana elementary schools

Compare Smith Valley Primary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2008 → 35th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 23 percentile points since 2008

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Montana average (32% vs 40% meeting standards)

!Science scores 16 pts below the Montana average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school32%

District avg37%

Montana avg40%

262^nd of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▲ up 16 pts since 2021

From bottom 19% (2021) to bottom 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

209^th of 387Smith Valley 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	37.5	262 of 401	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.2	257 of 332	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.3	220 of 329	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.3	290 of 356	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	51.6	149 of 246	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	52.1	142 of 244	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	31.9	197 of 247	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	33.0	193 of 241	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	38.4	149 of 190	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	25.4	170 of 194	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	26.2	208 of 230	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	30.8	201 of 234	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	9.4	204 of 218	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	43.9	137 of 217	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts42%~ state avg

Mathematics24%-13 vs state

Science22%-16 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, April 6, 2020

My kids have been going to Smith Valley for three years. They are both excelling academically and it has been a positive experience overall. Close Quote

Schools Near Smith Valley Primary 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 Valley Primary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2901 Hwy 2 West	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Smith Valley Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 756-4535	148	12	12.1	46.6%	135 (91.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	1 (0.7%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.1%)	37.5	262^nd of 401 public elementary schools	34.7%					(n/a)	42.0	23.9	$11,286
Kila School	Public	PK, KG-6	395 Kila Road	Kila	59920	Flathead County	Kila Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 257-2428	142	9	16.1	35.9%	131 (92.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.8%)	60.1	154^th of 401 public elementary schools	61.6%					(n/a)	43.0	48.8	$11,409
West Valley School	Public	PK, KG-4	2290 Farm To Market Road	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	West Valley Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 755-7239	434	25	17.5	36.2%	393 (90.6%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.7%)	4 (0.9%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.7%)	70.2	97^th of 401 public elementary schools	75.8%					(n/a)	55.1	46.6	$12,155
Lillian Peterson School	Public	PK, KG-5	1119 2nd Street W	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Kalispell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 751-3737	344	20	17.2	100.0%	296 (86.0%)	2 (0.6%)	25 (7.3%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.4%)	65.2	129^th of 401 public elementary schools	67.8%					(n/a)	51.3	43.0	$10,736
Elrod School	Public	PK, KG-5	412 3rd Avenue W	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Kalispell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 751-3700	237	15	15.7	100.0%	193 (81.4%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (6.8%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	22 (9.3%)	42.7	244^th of 401 public elementary schools	39.2%					(n/a)	42.7	30.1	$15,326
Russell School	Public	PK, KG-5	227 West Nevada	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Kalispell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 751-3900	223	14	15.9	100.0%	189 (84.8%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (4.0%)	2 (0.9%)	5 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.6%)	69.7	102^nd of 401 public elementary schools	74.6%					(n/a)	58.4	46.1	$13,590
Jeannette Rankin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2155 Airport Road	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Kalispell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 751-3400	415	25	16.6	100.0%	355 (85.5%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (7.2%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (5.3%)	54.5	185^th of 401 public elementary schools	53.9%					(n/a)	52.4	34.7	$11,574
Cornelius Hedges School	Public	PK, KG-5	827 4th Avenue E	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Kalispell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 751-4090	320	21	15.2	100.0%	269 (84.1%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (7.5%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (6.3%)	70.4	96^th of 401 public elementary schools	76.1%		54.6	110^th of 212 public elementary schools	48.1%	14	56.9	44.5	$13,819
Edgerton School	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 Whitefish Stage	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Kalispell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 751-4040	509	30	17.2	100.0%	434 (85.3%)	2 (0.4%)	36 (7.1%)	5 (1.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.7%)	65.7	127^th of 401 public elementary schools	68.3%					(n/a)	55.0	46.6	$11,252
East Evergreen School	Public	PK, KG-4	585 E. Evergreen	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Evergreen Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 751-1121	360	28	13.0	100.0%	294 (81.7%)	2 (0.6%)	35 (9.7%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.6%)	22 (6.1%)	29.7	305^th of 401 public elementary schools	23.9%					(n/a)	27.3	28.8	$15,199

Frequently Asked Questions about Smith Valley Primary School

What district is Smith Valley Primary School in?

Smith Valley Elementary

Is Smith Valley Primary School a good school?

Smith Valley Primary School ranks 262^nd of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Smith Valley Primary School?

Students at Smith Valley Primary School are 91% White, 6% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

How many students attend Smith Valley Primary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 148 students attended Smith Valley Primary School.

What schools do graduates of Smith Valley Primary School attend?

Students who attend Smith Valley Primary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Smith Valley 7-8
High : Flathead High School

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Schools in Kalispell, 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.