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Big Sky Elementary

Q: Is Big Sky Elementary a good school?

Big Sky Elementary ranks 295 th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

295^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Big Sky Elementary is a public elementary school in Billings, Montana, serving 373 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Billings Elementary School District, which is ranked 243 out of 387 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Big Sky Elementary has consistently underperformed compared to the Billings Elementary district and the state of Montana in standardized test scores across subjects. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 28.22% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, 26.35% in Math, and 38.78% in Science, significantly lower than the district and state averages. The school's statewide ranking has also declined over the years, from a high of 79 out of 246 Montana elementary schools in 2012-2013 to a low of 295 out of 401 in 2024-2025. Additionally, Big Sky Elementary has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 59.25% in the 2024-2025 school year, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the Billings Elementary district, such as Arrowhead School, Poly Drive School, and Meadowlark School, have significantly outperformed Big Sky Elementary in academic measures, with higher proficiency rates and higher statewide rankings. These schools also have lower percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a more affluent student population. The declining performance of Big Sky Elementary over time is concerning and may be rooted in socioeconomic factors, which could be crucial in improving student outcomes.

373

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,887

Per pupil spending ?

59.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3231 Granger Avenue East
Billings, MT 59102

(406) 281-6204

District: Billings Elementary

Students who attend Big Sky Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Riverside Middle School
High:	Billings West High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.9%

Hispanic:

13.7%

American Indian:

11.8%

See top rated Montana elementary schools

Compare Big Sky Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 68th percentile in 2013 → 26th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Montana average (29% vs 40% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 42 percentile points since 2013

!English Language Arts scores 15 pts below the Montana average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg36%

Montana avg40%

295^th of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 39% (2015) to bottom 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 21Elementary Schools in the Billings Elementary

243^rd of 387Billings 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	31.5	295 of 401	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.3	217 of 332	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.5	172 of 329	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.3	197 of 356	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.2	102 of 123	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	110 of 116	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	26.6	90 of 109	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	24.0	154 of 191	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	43.8	174 of 287	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	64.6	79 of 246	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	57.6	114 of 244	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.4	122 of 247	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	65.7	76 of 241	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	60.8	83 of 190	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	57.1	88 of 194	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	47.3	140 of 230	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	49.6	138 of 234	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	49.1	130 of 218	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	24.4	175 of 217	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

Science39%~ state avg

English Language Arts28%-15 vs state

Mathematics26%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Big Sky Elementary

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
Big Sky Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3231 Granger Avenue East	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6204	373	24	15.6	59.2%	227 (60.9%)	12 (3.2%)	51 (13.7%)	6 (1.6%)	44 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (8.8%)	31.5	295^th of 401 public elementary schools	26.4%					(n/a)	28.2	26.4	$11,887
Meadowlark School	Public	PK, KG-5	221 29th Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6213	691	38	18.3	23.6%	547 (79.2%)	10 (1.4%)	38 (5.5%)	7 (1.0%)	38 (5.5%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (7.2%)	81	48^th of 401 public elementary schools	88.0%					(n/a)	59.6	57.4	$10,996
Central Heights School	Public	PK, KG-5	120 Lexington	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6209	285	19	15.4	58.2%	179 (62.8%)	1 (0.4%)	55 (19.3%)	1 (0.4%)	30 (10.5%)	1 (0.4%)	18 (6.3%)	35	276^th of 401 public elementary schools	31.2%		53.5	115^th of 212 public elementary schools	45.8%	161	35.4	21.5	$12,270
Elysian School	Public	PK, KG-5	6416 Elysian Road	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Elysian Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 656-4101	302	19	16.3	27.5%	241 (79.8%)	1 (0.3%)	21 (7.0%)	6 (2.0%)	18 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.0%)	58.6	162^nd of 401 public elementary schools	59.6%		75.6	58^th of 212 public elementary schools	72.6%	104	50.7	42.6	$11,721
Burlington School	Public	PK, KG-5	2135 Lewis Avenue	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6208	257	19	13.8	54.5%	182 (70.8%)	2 (0.8%)	26 (10.1%)	5 (1.9%)	18 (7.0%)	3 (1.2%)	21 (8.2%)	51.9	201^st of 401 public elementary schools	49.9%		54.2	112^th of 212 public elementary schools	47.2%	89	41.7	39.7	$12,182
Boulder School	Public	PK, KG-5	2202 32nd Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6206	495	27	18.6	23.6%	415 (83.8%)	6 (1.2%)	32 (6.5%)	4 (0.8%)	8 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (5.9%)	81.7	46^th of 401 public elementary schools	88.5%		81.2	39^th of 212 public elementary schools	81.6%	7	60.0	59.0	$11,331
Miles Avenue School	Public	PK, KG-5	1601 Miles Avenue	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 281-6214	325	21	15.1	67.1%	202 (62.2%)	8 (2.5%)	47 (14.5%)	1 (0.3%)	43 (13.2%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (7.1%)	39.6	253^rd of 401 public elementary schools	36.9%					(n/a)	39.0	28.1	$13,278
Arrowhead School	Public	PK, KG-5	2510 38th Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6201	434	24	18.1	18.4%	370 (85.3%)	2 (0.5%)	22 (5.1%)	2 (0.5%)	16 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.1%)	73	83^rd of 401 public elementary schools	79.3%		85.9	26^th of 212 public elementary schools	87.7%	57	55.7	50.5	$11,781
Rose Park School	Public	PK, KG-5	1812 19th Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6219	277	17	15.9	49.1%	189 (68.2%)	9 (3.2%)	35 (12.6%)	3 (1.1%)	19 (6.9%)	2 (0.7%)	20 (7.2%)	55.3	181^st of 401 public elementary schools	54.9%		52.9	117^th of 212 public elementary schools	44.8%	64	45.2	40.2	$12,371
Poly Drive School	Public	PK, KG-5	2410 Poly Drive	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6217	283	17	16.7	33.9%	216 (76.3%)	3 (1.1%)	27 (9.5%)	1 (0.4%)	15 (5.3%)	2 (0.7%)	19 (6.7%)	71	93^rd of 401 public elementary schools	76.8%		75	60^th of 212 public elementary schools	71.7%	33	51.7	53.1	$11,940

Frequently Asked Questions about Big Sky Elementary

What district is Big Sky Elementary in?

Billings Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Big Sky Elementary?

Students at Big Sky Elementary are 61% White, 14% Hispanic, 12% American Indian, 9% Two or more races, 3% African American, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Big Sky Elementary attend?

Students who attend Big Sky Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Riverside Middle School
High : Billings West High School

Is Big Sky Elementary a good school?

Big Sky Elementary ranks 295^th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Big Sky Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 373 students attended Big Sky Elementary.

Rate Big Sky Elementary!

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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.