Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Riverside Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

201^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 222 Montana Middle Schools

Better than 9% of Montana middle schools

Summary

Riverside Middle School is a public middle school in Billings, Montana, serving 436 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Billings Elementary School District, which is ranked 243 out of 387 school districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Riverside Middle School consistently underperforms compared to the district and state averages in standardized test scores. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 18.16% of Riverside students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, 13.48% in Mathematics, and 5.88% in Science, significantly lower than the nearby Ben Steele Middle School, which had proficiency rates of 47.79%, 45.38%, and 42.86%, respectively. Riverside Middle School has a low statewide ranking and has received a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years, indicating poor overall performance.

The school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, reaching 68.12% in the 2024-2025 school year, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools. However, Riverside Middle School has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 12.3, which could indicate an opportunity for more personalized attention and targeted interventions to support student learning. Addressing the root causes of the school's underperformance, such as socioeconomic factors and implementing effective instructional strategies, may be crucial in improving student outcomes and the overall school performance.

436

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,217

Per pupil spending ?

68.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3700 Madison Avenue
Billings, MT 59101

(406) 281-6000

District: Billings Elementary

Feeder schools for Riverside Middle School:

Elementary:	Big Sky Elementary
	McKinley School
	Newman School
	Orchard School
	More...
	Ponderosa School

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.9%

American Indian:

15.4%

Hispanic:

14.9%

See top rated Montana middle schools

Compare Riverside Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 12th percentile in 2015 → 9th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Montana average (14% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!Science scores 32 pts below the Montana average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school14%

District avg36%

Montana avg40%

201^st of 222

Montana public middle schools ?

Bottom 9%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Montana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7Middle 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	12.9	201 of 222	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.3	108 of 123	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.9	168 of 187	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.2	162 of 190	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.5	164 of 200	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.4	58 of 60	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.2	55 of 58	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.3	52 of 55	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	10.3	75 of 81	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.8	138 of 156	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.1	133 of 159	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	37.4	124 of 156	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	39.0	125 of 161	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	38.4	124 of 156	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	35.3	118 of 147	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	34.9	125 of 149	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	42.5	107 of 147	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	37.1	118 of 146	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	31.5	137 of 164	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	38.5	120 of 171	29.8%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts18%-25 vs state

Mathematics13%-23 vs state

Science6%-32 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Riverside Middle School and help other families decide.

Rate Riverside Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Riverside Middle 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
Riverside Middle School	Public	6-8	3700 Madison Avenue	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 281-6000	436	35	12.3	68.1%	248 (56.9%)	13 (3.0%)	65 (14.9%)	2 (0.5%)	67 (15.4%)	3 (0.7%)	38 (8.7%)	12.9	201^st of 222 public middle schools	9.5%		13.3	108^th of 123 public middle schools	12.2%	93	18.2	13.5	$14,217
Billings Multilingual Academy	Public	6-8	415 North 30th St	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(406) 281-5066	21	1	21.0	42.9%	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.8%)	17 (81.0%)	1 (4.8%)	2 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4.5	214^th of 222 public middle schools	3.6%					(n/a)	0.0	0.0
Lewis & Clark Middle School	Public	6-8	1315 Lewis Avenue	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-5900	741	45	16.6	60.1%	536 (72.3%)	20 (2.7%)	65 (8.8%)	2 (0.3%)	63 (8.5%)	4 (0.5%)	51 (6.9%)	42.3	134^th of 222 public middle schools	39.6%					(n/a)	36.1	35.5
Elysian Middle School	Public	6-8	6416 Elysian Road	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Elysian Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 656-4101	148	9	17.4	30.4%	123 (83.1%)	3 (2.0%)	8 (5.4%)	3 (2.0%)	7 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.7%)	71.5	40^th of 222 public middle schools	82.0%		81.5	19^th of 123 public middle schools	84.6%	21	52.1	50.0	$11,043
Castle Rock Middle School	Public	6-8	1441 Governors Blvd	Billings	59105	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-5800	691	39	17.5	39.8%	545 (78.9%)	7 (1.0%)	40 (5.8%)	4 (0.6%)	35 (5.1%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (8.5%)	40.3	143^rd of 222 public middle schools	35.6%		44.7	67^th of 123 public middle schools	45.5%	76	38.6	32.4	$11,479
Will James Middle School	Public	6-8	1200 30th Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6100	634	37	17.0	45.7%	462 (72.9%)	5 (0.8%)	56 (8.8%)	11 (1.7%)	47 (7.4%)	6 (0.9%)	47 (7.4%)	40.5	142^nd of 222 public middle schools	36.0%		37.8	78^th of 123 public middle schools	36.6%	64	38.2	29.2	$12,124
Lockwood Middle School	Public	6-8	1932 US Highway 87	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Lockwood K-12	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 259-0154	359	27	13.2	95.5%	259 (72.1%)	3 (0.8%)	46 (12.8%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (9.2%)	46.4	120^th of 222 public middle schools	45.9%					(n/a)	40.2	33.0
Medicine Crow Middle School	Public	6-8	900 Barrett Road	Billings	59105	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-8600	517	31	16.5	60.7%	367 (71.0%)	3 (0.6%)	42 (8.1%)	1 (0.2%)	53 (10.3%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (9.7%)	25.9	176^th of 222 public middle schools	20.7%		21	102^nd of 123 public middle schools	17.1%	74	30.2	21.5	$13,150
Canyon Creek 6-8	Public	6-8	3139 Duck Creek Road	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Canyon Creek Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 656-4471	69	5	14.9	37.7%	57 (82.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (7.2%)	35.6	151^st of 222 public middle schools	32.0%		75.2	25^th of 123 public middle schools	79.7%	126	39.1	23.4	$15,895
Ben Steele Middle School	Public	6-8	5640 Grand Avenue	Billings	59106	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 601-1600	740	40	18.4	23.8%	626 (84.6%)	3 (0.4%)	38 (5.1%)	8 (1.1%)	27 (3.6%)	1 (0.1%)	37 (5.0%)	62.3	68^th of 222 public middle schools	69.4%		68.1	35^th of 123 public middle schools	71.5%	33	47.8	45.4	$11,772

Frequently Asked Questions about Riverside Middle School

Is Riverside Middle School a good school?

Riverside Middle School ranks in the bottom 9.5% of Montana middle schools.

What district is Riverside Middle School in?

Billings Elementary

How many students attend Riverside Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 436 students attended Riverside Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Riverside Middle School?

Students at Riverside Middle School are 57% White, 15% American Indian, 15% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 3% African American.

Rate Riverside Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MTMontana Middle School Rankings

MTMontana District Rankings

Schools in Billings, MT

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Riverside Middle School!

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.