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Capital High School

Q: Is Capital High School a good school?

Capital High School ranks 26 th of 182 Montana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

26^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 182 Montana High Schools

Better than 86% of Montana high schools

Summary

Capital High School is a public high school located in Helena, Montana, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,293 students. The school is part of the Helena High School District, which is ranked 188 out of 387 districts in Montana and is rated 3 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Capital High School has consistently ranked among the top high schools in Montana, ranking 26th out of 182 schools in the 2024-2025 school year and receiving a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. This performance is significantly better than the district average and the state average. Additionally, Capital High School students outperform their peers in the Helena High School district and the state of Montana in various standardized tests, such as the ACT with Writing/English Language Arts.

Compared to nearby schools, Capital High School has a relatively lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 27.69% in the 2024-2025 school year, and a lower student-teacher ratio of 16.2, suggesting a more diverse student population and smaller class sizes that may contribute to the school's academic success.

1,293

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,877

Per pupil spending ?

27.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

100 Valley Drive
Helena, MT 59601

(406) 324-2500

District: Helena High School

Feeder schools for Capital High School:

Elementary:	Broadwater School
	Four Georgians School
	Hawthorne School
	Jim Darcy School
	More...
	Kessler Elementary School
	Rossiter School
	Trinity School
	Wolf Creek School
Middle:	C R Anderson Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.4%

Hispanic:

5.4%

Two or more races:

3.5%

See top rated Montana high schools

Compare Capital High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 47th percentile in 2013 → 86th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Montana average (46% vs 39% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 14% of Montana high schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 39 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg45%

Montana avg39%

26^th of 182

Montana public high schools ?

Top 14%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From top 19% (2016) to top 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Helena High School

188^th of 387Helena High School 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	76.7	26 of 182	85.7%	★★★★☆
2024	65.8	19 of 122	84.4%	★★★★☆
2023	72.5	17 of 124	86.3%	★★★★☆
2022	46.4	24 of 114	78.9%	★★★★☆
2021	65.4	26 of 138	81.2%	★★★★☆
2019	72.1	26 of 119	78.2%	★★★★☆
2018	80.5	12 of 119	89.9%	★★★★★
2017	87.2	9 of 111	91.9%	★★★★★
2016	73.5	22 of 113	80.5%	★★★★☆
2013	54.0	68 of 128	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.6	82 of 129	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	50.7	79 of 122	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.0	98 of 135	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	67.3	36 of 135	73.3%	★★★★☆
2008	63.0	47 of 139	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	58.3	69 of 136	49.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	68.6	40 of 138	71.0%	★★★★☆
2005	75.6	26 of 142	81.7%	★★★★☆
2004	70.4	42 of 137	69.3%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts61%+6 vs state

Mathematics40%+8 vs state

Science37%+7 vs state

1.0

3 ratings · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★3

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What people are saying

by a citizen on FaceBook
Monday, December 29, 2014

Teachers, administration, and coaches are not interested in getting to know students or athletes unless the child has a parent employed by the school district or the parent has a friend employed by the district or has a well known name in the district. The school district weighs heavy on the "good ol boy" system, politics, and greed. Students are bullied all the time, sometimes even by the adults in the district. Most of them go along with the bullying. They turn their eyes and close their ears to whom they choose based on the politics and money. Close Quote

Schools Near Capital High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ACT with Writing English Language Arts (2025)	ACT with Writing Mathematics (2025)	ACT with Writing Science (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	ACT with Writing English Language Arts 11th Grade	ACT with Writing Mathematics 11th Grade	ACT with Writing Science 11th Grade	Total
Capital High School	Public	9-12	100 Valley Drive	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena High School	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 324-2500	1,293	79	16.2	27.7%	1,130 (87.4%)	13 (1.0%)	70 (5.4%)	15 (1.2%)	18 (1.4%)	2 (0.2%)	45 (3.5%)	76.7	26^th of 182 public high schools	85.7%		65.8	19^th of 122 public high schools	84.4%	7	60.8	39.6	37.3	$12,877
Mount Ascension Learning Ac High School	Public, Virtual	9-12	1325 Poplar Street	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena High School	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(406) 324-2000	43	1	29.6	39.5%	35 (81.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (7.0%)	29.7	140^th of 182 public high schools	23.1%					(n/a)	50.0	0.0	16.7
Helena P.A.L.	Public	9-12	1325 Poplar Street	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena High School	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(406) 324-2000	58	7	8.1	55.2%	46 (79.3%)	1 (1.7%)	3 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.4%)	1 (1.7%)	5 (8.6%)	22.8	151^st of 182 public high schools	17.0%					(n/a)	25.9	6.9	20.7
Helena High School	Public	9-12	1300 Billings Avenue	Helena	59601	Lewis and Clark County	Helena High School	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 324-2200	979	63	15.5	31.4%	818 (83.6%)	15 (1.5%)	61 (6.2%)	12 (1.2%)	22 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (5.2%)	80.4	20^th of 182 public high schools	89.0%		65.1	22^nd of 122 public high schools	82.0%	2	61.1	45.8	38.4	$13,957
227 Academy- High School	Public	9-12	2760 Valley Dr	East Helena	59635	Lewis and Clark County	East Helena K-12	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(406) 227-7700	59	5	12.9	61.0%	50 (84.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (10.2%)	21.2	152^nd of 182 public high schools	16.5%					(n/a)	33.3	11.1	11.1
East Helena High School	Public	9-12	2760 Valley Drive	East Helena	59635	Lewis and Clark County	East Helena K-12	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 227-7700	563	26	21.9	33.9%	476 (84.5%)	1 (0.2%)	41 (7.3%)	3 (0.5%)	11 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (5.3%)	63.5	66^th of 182 public high schools	63.7%		43.2	64^th of 122 public high schools	47.5%	2	59.4	29.6	29.6	$10,352

Frequently Asked Questions about Capital High School

How many students attend Capital High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,293 students attended Capital High School.

What district is Capital High School in?

Helena High School

What schools feed into Capital High School?

Capital High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Broadwater School
Elementary : Four Georgians School
Elementary : Hawthorne School
Elementary : Jim Darcy School
Elementary : Kessler Elementary School
Elementary : Rossiter School
Elementary : Trinity School
Elementary : Wolf Creek School
Middle : C R Anderson Middle School

Is Capital High School a good school?

Capital High School ranks 26^th of 182 Montana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Capital High School?

Students at Capital High School are 87% White, 5% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% American Indian, 1% Asian, 1% African American.

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MTMontana High School Rankings

MTMontana District Rankings

Schools in Helena, 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.