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Ben Steele Middle School

Q: Is Ben Steele Middle School a good school?

Ben Steele Middle School ranks 68 th of 222 Montana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

68^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 222 Montana Middle Schools

Better than 69% of Montana middle schools

Summary

Ben Steele Middle School is a public middle school located in Billings, Montana, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 740 students. The school is part of the Billings Elementary School District, which is ranked 243 out of 387 districts in Montana and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ben Steele Middle School consistently outperforms the Billings Elementary District and the state of Montana in academic proficiency across various subjects. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school had 47.79% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, 45.38% in Mathematics, and 42.86% in Science, all higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school has a strong statewide ranking, placing 68th out of 222 middle schools in the state in the 2024-2025 school year, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. With a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 18.4 students per teacher, Ben Steele Middle School provides a more personalized learning environment compared to some nearby schools.

While Ben Steele Middle School's performance is impressive, the nearby schools show a wide range of free and reduced-price lunch rates, from 20.97% at Elder Grove 7-8 to 68.12% at Riverside Middle School. This suggests the Billings area has a diverse socioeconomic population, which may impact the resources and support available to students at different schools. Additionally, the schools closest to Ben Steele Middle School, such as Will James Middle School (3.28 miles) and Elysian Middle School (5.02 miles), have varying academic performance and statewide rankings, highlighting the importance of considering factors beyond just geographic proximity when evaluating school options for families.

740

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,772

Per pupil spending ?

23.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5640 Grand Avenue
Billings, MT 59106

(406) 601-1600

District: Billings Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.6%

Hispanic:

5.1%

Two or more races:

5.0%

See top rated Montana middle schools

Compare Ben Steele Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 47th percentile in 2019 → 69th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Montana average (46% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2019

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Billings Elementary

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg36%

Montana avg40%

68^th of 222

Montana public middle schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 23 pts since 2019

From bottom 47% (2019) to top 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	62.3	68 of 222	69.4%	★★★★☆
2024	68.1	35 of 123	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	69.4	52 of 187	72.2%	★★★★☆
2022	58.6	78 of 190	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.6	41 of 200	79.5%	★★★★☆
2019	49.3	32 of 60	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts48%+5 vs state

Mathematics45%+9 vs state

Science43%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ben Steele 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
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
Elder Grove 7-8	Public	6-8	1532 South 64 Street W	Billings	59106	Yellowstone County	Elder Grove Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 656-2893	248	12	20.6	21.0%	215 (86.7%)	2 (0.8%)	10 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.4%)	3 (1.2%)	12 (4.8%)	49.9	114^th of 222 public middle schools	48.6%		36.8	81^st of 123 public middle schools	34.1%	33	50.6	25.5	$10,850
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
Yellowstone Academy 7-8	Public	7-8	1750 Ray of Hope Lane	Billings	59106	Yellowstone County	Yellowstone Academy Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 656-2198	16	6	2.6	68.8%	12 (75.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (18.8%)	9.8	203^rd of 222 public middle schools	8.6%		6	114^th of 123 public middle schools	7.3%	89	7.1	7.1	$126,292
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
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
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Steele Middle School

How many students attend Ben Steele Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 740 students attended Ben Steele Middle School.

Is Ben Steele Middle School a good school?

Ben Steele Middle School ranks 68^th of 222 Montana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Ben Steele Middle School?

Students at Ben Steele Middle School are 85% White, 5% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% American Indian, 1% Asian.

What district is Ben Steele Middle School in?

Billings 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.