Custer 7-8

Custer 7-8 is a small public middle school in Custer, MT, serving 13 students in grades 7-8. The school is part of the Custer K-12 Schools district, which has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. Over the past few years, Custer 7-8's statewide ranking has fluctuated, ranging from 8th out of 187 middle schools in 2022-2023 to 181st out of 190 in 2021-2022.

Custer 7-8 has shown strong academic performance in English Language Arts, with 61.54% of students proficient or better in 2024-2025, significantly higher than the district (36.59%) and state (43.09%) averages. However, the school's performance in Mathematics (7.69% proficient) was much lower than the district (29.27%) and state (36.77%) averages. The school also has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 61.54% to 62.5%, indicating a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged students. Compared to the nearby Hysham 7-8 school, Custer 7-8 has a lower student-teacher ratio, ranging from 5.8 to 9 students per teacher.

The fluctuating statewide ranking of Custer 7-8 suggests that the school's performance may be inconsistent or heavily influenced by factors beyond just academic achievement. The school's strengths in English Language Arts could be an area of focus and potential best practices that could be shared with other schools. Additionally, the high poverty rates at Custer 7-8 indicate that the school serves a population with significant economic challenges, which could be an important factor in understanding the school's performance and the resources and support needed to address the needs of its students.