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Darby School

Q: Is Darby School a good school?

Darby School ranks 224 th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

224^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Darby School is an elementary school located in Darby, Montana, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 170 students. The school is part of the Darby K-12 Schools district, which is ranked 242 out of 387 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Darby School has consistently underperformed compared to the state average in academic proficiency, with 2024-2025 school year rates of 34.07% in English Language Arts, 42.39% in Math, and 25% in Science, while the state averages were 43.09%, 36.77%, and 38.16%, respectively. Additionally, the school has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, reaching 100% in the 2024-2025 school year, significantly higher than the nearby Daly School (55.84%) and Washington School (43.08%). However, Darby School has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.5 to 13.5 over the past few years, lower than Daly School (15.7) and Washington School (12.5).

The nearby Hamilton K-12 Schools district, which includes Daly School and Washington School, generally outperforms Darby School in academic proficiency rates, despite serving a lower percentage of students from low-income families. This highlights the need for further investigation into the factors contributing to Darby School's underperformance and potential strategies for improvement.

170

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,159

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

209 School Drive
Darby, MT 59829

(406) 821-3643

District: Darby K-12 Schools

Students who attend Darby School usually attend:

Middle:	Darby 7-8
High:	Darby High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.2%

Hispanic:

4.7%

American Indian:

4.1%

See top rated Montana elementary schools

Compare Darby School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 21st percentile in 2022 → 44th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 44th (2025) from a 21st-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Science scores 13 pts below the Montana average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg37%

Montana avg40%

224^th of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 20 pts since 2021

From bottom 24% (2021) to bottom 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

242^nd of 387Darby K-12 Schools 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	45.6	224 of 401	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.7	108 of 212	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.2	197 of 332	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.8	259 of 329	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.9	271 of 356	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	40.6	174 of 246	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.2	168 of 244	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	57.3	123 of 247	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.7	52 of 241	78.4%	★★★★☆
2009	63.2	72 of 190	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	48.4	118 of 194	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	73.7	39 of 230	83.0%	★★★★☆
2006	77.3	22 of 234	90.6%	★★★★★
2005	91.0	5 of 218	97.7%	★★★★★
2004	21.2	188 of 217	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics42%+6 vs state

English Language Arts34%-9 vs state

Science25%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Darby 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
Darby School	Public	PK, KG-6	209 School Drive	Darby	59829	Ravalli County	Darby K-12 Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 821-3643	170	13	13.5	100.0%	150 (88.2%)	1 (0.6%)	8 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)	45.6	224^th of 401 public elementary schools	44.1%		55.7	108^th of 212 public elementary schools	49.1%	116	34.1	42.4	$15,159
Daly School	Public	K-4	208 Daly Avenue	Hamilton	59840	Ravalli County	Hamilton K-12 Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 363-2122	539	34	15.7	55.8%	456 (84.6%)	5 (0.9%)	42 (7.8%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (5.4%)	58.8	160^th of 401 public elementary schools	60.1%					(n/a)	44.8	44.0	$10,929
Washington School	Public	PK-K	225 North 5th Street	Hamilton	59840	Ravalli County	Hamilton K-12 Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 363-2144	65	5	12.5	43.1%	61 (93.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.5%)								(n/a)			$13,893

Frequently Asked Questions about Darby School

Is Darby School a good school?

Darby School ranks 224^th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Darby School?

Students at Darby School are 88% White, 5% Hispanic, 4% American Indian, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Darby School in?

Darby K-12 Schools

How many students attend Darby School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 170 students attended Darby School.

What schools do graduates of Darby School attend?

Students who attend Darby School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Darby 7-8
High : Darby High School

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Schools in Darby, 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.