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Vaughn Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

341^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Vaughn Elementary is a small public elementary school located in Vaughn, MT, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 93 students. The school is part of the Vaughn Elementary School District, which is ranked 317 out of 387 districts in Montana and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Vaughn Elementary has struggled to maintain academic performance over the years, with test scores significantly below the state averages in English Language Arts (23.26% proficient vs. 43.09% state), Mathematics (23.26% proficient vs. 36.77% state), and Science (8.33% proficient vs. 38.16% state) for the 2024-2025 school year. The school's performance has been consistently below the state averages in recent years across all subject areas. Additionally, Vaughn Elementary has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 100% in the 2024-2025 school year, which is much higher than the state average and indicates a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Compared to nearby schools, Vaughn Elementary's performance is significantly lower than the Power Elementary and the Great Falls Elementary schools, which have higher test scores, lower free/reduced lunch rates, and better student-teacher ratios. However, Vaughn Elementary performs better than the nearby Hillcrest Colony Elementary in terms of test scores and student-teacher ratio. The school's declining performance and unique challenges suggest that addressing the needs of its student population should be a priority for the Vaughn Elementary School District.

Students ?

11.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,512

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

480 Central Avenue
Vaughn, MT 59487

(406) 965-2231

District: Vaughn Elementary

Students who attend Vaughn Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Vaughn 6-8
High:	Simms High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.2%

American Indian:

10.8%

Two or more races:

7.5%

See top rated Montana elementary schools

Compare Vaughn Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 98th percentile in 2011 → 15th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Montana average (21% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped from its 98th-percentile peak (2011) to 15th (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg26%

Montana avg40%

341^st of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 16 pts since 2021

From bottom 31% (2021) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Vaughn Elementary

317^th of 387Vaughn 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	21.2	341 of 401	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.0	195 of 332	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.7	252 of 329	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.4	244 of 356	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	31.2	194 of 246	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	59.9	104 of 244	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	87.0	4 of 247	98.4%	★★★★★
2009	74.2	26 of 190	86.3%	★★★★☆
2008	49.3	116 of 194	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	6.9	226 of 234	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts23%-20 vs state

Mathematics23%-14 vs state

Science8%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Vaughn Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking ()				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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAST English Language Arts All Grades	MAST Mathematics All Grades	Total
Vaughn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	480 Central Avenue	Vaughn	59487	Cascade County	Vaughn Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 965-2231	93	8	11.1	100.0%	69 (74.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (6.5%)	1 (1.1%)	10 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (7.5%)	21.2	341^st of 401 public elementary schools	15.0%					(n/a)	23.3	23.3	$14,512
Hillcrest Colony Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	1124 Wilson Road	Power	59468	Cascade County	Vaughn Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 463-2236	11	1	10.8		11 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12.3	365^th of 401 public elementary schools	9.0%					(n/a)	0.0	20.0	$13,326
Ulm School	Public	PK, KG-5	6 Ulm-Vaughn Road	Ulm	59485	Cascade County	Ulm Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 866-3313	69	8	9.0	33.3%	63 (91.3%)	1 (1.4%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	53.6	190^th of 401 public elementary schools	52.6%					(n/a)	42.4	39.4	$11,209
West Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1205 1st Avenue NW	Great Falls	59404	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-7180	421	31	13.7	76.2%	296 (70.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.8%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (13.8%)	22.6	334^th of 401 public elementary schools	16.7%					(n/a)	22.1	26.3	$11,934
Valley View School	Public	PK, KG-6	900 Avenue A NW	Great Falls	59404	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-7145	312	21	14.7	57.7%	224 (71.8%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (15.4%)	23.2	333^rd of 401 public elementary schools	17.0%					(n/a)	26.9	21.6	$12,583
Riverview School	Public	PK, KG-6	100 Smelter Avenue	Great Falls	59404	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 268-7015	445	21	21.1	38.0%	347 (78.0%)	3 (0.7%)	33 (7.4%)	5 (1.1%)	19 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.5%)	67.9	116^th of 401 public elementary schools	71.1%					(n/a)	48.9	51.1	$11,286
Fairhaven Colony	Public	PK, KG-8	9 Miles SW of Ulm	Ulm	59485	Cascade County	Ulm Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 866-3313	30	2	13.3		30 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60.1	153^rd of 401 public elementary schools	61.8%					(n/a)	50.0	45.8	$10,094
Meadow Lark School	Public	PK, KG-6	2204 Fox Farm Road	Great Falls	59404	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 268-7300	527	26	20.0	19.4%	446 (84.6%)	4 (0.8%)	32 (6.1%)	2 (0.4%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.6%)	76.2	69^th of 401 public elementary schools	82.8%					(n/a)	53.9	56.4	$10,549
Sacajawea School	Public	PK, KG-6	630 Sacajawea Drive	Great Falls	59404	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 268-7080	405	23	17.8	45.2%	309 (76.3%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.9%)	6 (1.5%)	9 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	55 (13.6%)	69.3	105^th of 401 public elementary schools	73.8%					(n/a)	55.6	45.3	$11,610
Whittier School	Public	PK, KG-6	305 8th Street North	Great Falls	59401	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-7230	187	18	10.6	97.3%	77 (41.2%)	2 (1.1%)	22 (11.8%)	3 (1.6%)	42 (22.5%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (21.9%)	7	381^st of 401 public elementary schools	5.0%					(n/a)	7.4	6.2	$15,657

Frequently Asked Questions about Vaughn Elementary

Is Vaughn Elementary a good school?

Vaughn Elementary ranks in the bottom 15.0% of Montana elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Vaughn Elementary?

Students at Vaughn Elementary are 74% White, 11% American Indian, 8% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Vaughn Elementary attend?

Students who attend Vaughn Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Vaughn 6-8
High : Simms High School

What district is Vaughn Elementary in?

Vaughn Elementary

How many students attend Vaughn Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 93 students attended Vaughn Elementary.

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Schools in Vaughn, 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.