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Glacier Gateway Elementary

Q: Is Glacier Gateway Elementary a good school?

Glacier Gateway Elementary ranks 218 th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

218^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Glacier Gateway Elementary is a public elementary school located in Columbia Falls, Montana, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 471 students. The school is part of the Columbia Falls Elementary School District, which is ranked 230 out of 387 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Glacier Gateway Elementary has consistently underperformed compared to the state and district averages in standardized test scores. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (37.67%), Mathematics (35.27%), and Science (50%) were all lower than the state and district averages. Additionally, the school has an exceptionally high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, reaching nearly 99% in the 2024-2025 school year, significantly higher than the state and district averages. However, the school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.7 to 14.8 over the past few years, comparable to the nearby Ruder Elementary school and slightly lower than the state average.

While Glacier Gateway Elementary struggles academically, some nearby schools in the same district and other districts perform significantly better. For example, West Glacier School and Ruder Elementary, both within the Columbia Falls Elementary School District, have higher proficiency rates and better statewide rankings. The school's low student-teacher ratio could be leveraged as a strength, allowing for more personalized attention and targeted interventions, and its proximity to other higher-performing schools may present opportunities for collaboration and shared best practices.

471

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,477

Per pupil spending ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

440 4th Avenue West
Columbia Falls, MT 59912

(406) 892-6540

District: Columbia Falls Elementary

Students who attend Glacier Gateway Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Columbia Falls Junior High School
High:	Columbia Falls High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.0%

Two or more races:

7.0%

Hispanic:

5.3%

See top rated Montana elementary schools

Compare Glacier Gateway Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 26th percentile in 2013 → 46th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg37%

Montana avg40%

218^th of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▲ up 18 pts since 2015

From bottom 28% (2015) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Columbia Falls Elementary

230^th of 387Columbia Falls 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	48.0	218 of 401	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.4	250 of 332	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.3	257 of 329	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.1	261 of 356	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.8	99 of 123	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	101 of 116	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	32.2	76 of 109	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.0	137 of 191	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	32.3	208 of 287	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	38.0	181 of 246	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	42.0	177 of 244	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	42.6	169 of 247	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.8	171 of 241	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	41.5	139 of 190	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	37.5	153 of 194	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	39.4	175 of 230	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	32.5	195 of 234	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	19.5	192 of 218	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	41.7	141 of 217	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

Science50%+12 vs state

English Language Arts38%-5 vs state

Mathematics35%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Glacier Gateway 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
Glacier Gateway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	440 4th Avenue West	Columbia Falls	59912	Flathead County	Columbia Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 892-6540	471	33	14.4	98.9%	405 (86.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.3%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.0%)	48	218^th of 401 public elementary schools	45.6%					(n/a)	37.7	35.3	$12,477
Ruder Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 12th Avenue West	Columbia Falls	59912	Flathead County	Columbia Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 892-6570	487	34	14.3	97.5%	413 (84.8%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	43 (8.8%)	38.4	259^th of 401 public elementary schools	35.4%					(n/a)	38.5	25.8	$11,747
Deer Park School	Public	PK, KG-5	2105 Middle Road	Columbia Falls	59912	Flathead County	Deer Park Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 892-5388	120	9	13.4	35.8%	114 (95.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	73.5	81^st of 401 public elementary schools	79.8%		71.7	68^th of 212 public elementary schools	67.9%	13	55.9	50.0	$10,359
L A Muldown School	Public	PK, KG-4	1300 East 7th St.	Whitefish	59937	Flathead County	Whitefish Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 862-8620	661	50	13.2	28.7%	589 (89.1%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.1%)	88.1	24^th of 401 public elementary schools	94.0%					(n/a)	61.3	71.2	$12,437
Helena Flats School	Public	PK, KG-6	1000 Helena Flats Road	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Helena Flats Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 257-2301	253	14	17.7	100.0%	238 (94.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.4%)	4 (1.6%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	49.6	209^th of 401 public elementary schools	47.9%					(n/a)	38.7	37.6	$9,229
Cayuse Prairie School	Public	PK, KG-6	897 Lake Blaine Road	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Cayuse Prairie Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 756-4560	254	17	14.9	32.3%	231 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	72.9	84^th of 401 public elementary schools	79.1%					(n/a)	53.2	52.4	$10,679
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
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
Fair-Mont-Egan School	Public	PK, KG-5	797 Fairmont Road	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Fair-Mont-Egan Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 755-7072	115	10	11.9	100.0%	108 (93.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	1 (0.9%)	3 (2.6%)	78.9	57^th of 401 public elementary schools	85.8%					(n/a)	58.3	55.0	$15,256
Bissell School	Public	PK, KG-6	5955 Farm To Market Road	Whitefish	59937	Flathead County	Olney-Bissell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 862-2828	78	9	8.9	37.2%	71 (91.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.6%)	3 (3.8%)	78	60^th of 401 public elementary schools	85.0%		75.8	57^th of 212 public elementary schools	73.1%	3	55.3	57.5	$17,890

Frequently Asked Questions about Glacier Gateway Elementary

What schools do graduates of Glacier Gateway Elementary attend?

Students who attend Glacier Gateway Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Columbia Falls Junior High School
High : Columbia Falls High School

What is the racial makeup of Glacier Gateway Elementary?

Students at Glacier Gateway Elementary are 86% White, 7% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 1% American Indian.

Is Glacier Gateway Elementary a good school?

Glacier Gateway Elementary ranks 218^th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Glacier Gateway Elementary in?

Columbia Falls Elementary

How many students attend Glacier Gateway Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 471 students attended Glacier Gateway Elementary.

Rate Glacier Gateway 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.