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Big Stone School

Q: Is Big Stone School a good school?

Big Stone School ranks 104 th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

104^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 74% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Big Stone School is a small elementary school in Sand Coulee, MT, serving grades PK-8 with just 17 students. Despite its tiny size, this school has consistently outperformed its district and the state of Montana in key academic metrics.

In the 2024-2025 school year, an impressive 81.25% of Big Stone School students were proficient or better in mathematics, far surpassing the Centerville Elementary district (45.7%) and the state average (36.77%). The school also excelled in science, with 50% of students reaching proficiency, compared to 41.18% for Centerville Elementary and 38.16% for the state. Big Stone School's low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 8.3 to 11.2, is another key strength, significantly lower than the nearby Centerville School (11.8) and other schools in the Great Falls Elementary district.

The school's impressive performance is reflected in its statewide ranking, which has consistently placed it in the top half of Montana elementary schools, reaching as high as 104th out of 401 in 2024-2025. This is a remarkable achievement for a small, rural school like Big Stone School. While the school's small size may present some challenges, its strong academic results, low student-teacher ratio, and steady improvement over time make it a standout option for families in the Sand Coulee area.

Students ?

8.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,456

Per pupil spending ?

15%

Free/discounted lunch ?

251 Goonhill Road
Sand Coulee, MT 59472

(406) 736-5167

District: Centerville Elementary

Students who attend Big Stone School usually attend:

Middle:	Centerville 6-8
High:	Centerville High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

100.0%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 7th percentile in 2010 → 74th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Montana average (59% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 67 percentile points since 2010

✓Above the Montana median (74th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg44%

Montana avg40%

104^th of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Top 26%▲ up 56 pts since 2015

From bottom 18% (2015) to top 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the Centerville Elementary

192^nd of 387Centerville 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Montana percentile	Rating
2025	69.4	104 of 401	74.1%	★★★★☆
2024	51.9	121 of 212	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.5	184 of 332	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.1	166 of 329	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.3	203 of 356	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	22.8	236 of 287	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.9	212 of 246	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	13.2	223 of 244	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	10.8	236 of 247	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	12.5	225 of 241	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Montana percentile	Rating
2012	7.9	143 of 156	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	12.9	142 of 161	11.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics81%+44 vs state

Science50%+12 vs state

English Language Arts38%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Big Stone 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
Big Stone School	Public	PK, KG-8	251 Goonhill Road	Sand Coulee	59472	Cascade County	Centerville Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 736-5167	17	2	8.3		17 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69.4	104^th of 401 public elementary schools	74.1%		51.9	121^st of 212 public elementary schools	42.9%	17	37.5	81.3	$11,456
Centerville School	Public	PK, KG-5	693 Stockett Rd	Sand Coulee	59472	Cascade County	Centerville Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 736-5167	120	10	11.8	45.8%	103 (85.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (8.3%)	72.8	86^th of 401 public elementary schools	78.6%		45.3	129^th of 212 public elementary schools	39.2%	43	52.1	50.0	$11,298
Hill Top Colony School	Public	PK, KG-8	909 Spring Creek Road	Stockett	59480	Cascade County	Centerville Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 736-5169	19	2	9.3		19 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45.4	228^th of 401 public elementary schools	43.1%		30.5	160^th of 212 public elementary schools	24.5%	68	28.6	64.3	$9,626
Grass Land Colony School	Public	PK, KG-8	714 Eden Rd	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Centerville Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 736-5322	21	2	10.2		21 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20.6	342^nd of 401 public elementary schools	14.7%		17.6	183^rd of 212 public elementary schools	13.7%	159	26.7	20.0	$11,124
Mountain View School	Public	PK, KG-6	3420 15th Avenue South	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-7305	315	32	9.7	80.6%	195 (61.9%)	2 (0.6%)	20 (6.3%)	2 (0.6%)	43 (13.7%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (16.8%)	30.8	299^th of 401 public elementary schools	25.4%					(n/a)	30.2	24.0	$15,978
Sunnyside School	Public	PK, KG-6	1800 19th Street South	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-7115	396	25	15.6	78.5%	226 (57.1%)	6 (1.5%)	54 (13.6%)	5 (1.3%)	33 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (18.2%)	24.2	328^th of 401 public elementary schools	18.2%					(n/a)	21.9	26.2	$11,580
Chief Joseph School	Public	PK, KG-6	5305 3rd Avenue South	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-6675	260	21	12.1	55.8%	190 (73.1%)	3 (1.2%)	23 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (11.5%)	71.5	92^nd of 401 public elementary schools	77.1%					(n/a)	55.2	50.0	$14,339
Lincoln School	Public	PK, KG-6	624 27th Street South	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 268-6800	373	24	15.6	54.7%	273 (73.2%)	2 (0.5%)	29 (7.8%)	4 (1.1%)	18 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (12.6%)	48.6	215^th of 401 public elementary schools	46.4%					(n/a)	42.7	36.4	$11,668
Lewis & Clark School	Public	PK, KG-6	3800 1st Avenue South	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Great Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 268-6705	338	18	19.2	59.8%	247 (73.1%)	1 (0.3%)	43 (12.7%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (9.2%)	42.7	245^th of 401 public elementary schools	38.9%					(n/a)	39.6	32.1	$12,147
MT School For Deaf & Blnd Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	3911 Central Ave	Great Falls	59405	Cascade County	Mont School for Deaf Blind	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 771-6017	20	10	1.9	100.0%	17 (85.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.0%)	1 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.0%)	26	322^nd of 401 public elementary schools	19.7%					(n/a)	22.2	22.2

Frequently Asked Questions about Big Stone School

What district is Big Stone School in?

Centerville Elementary

How many students attend Big Stone School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 17 students attended Big Stone School.

Is Big Stone School a good school?

Big Stone School ranks 104^th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Big Stone School?

Students at Big Stone School are 100% White.

What schools do graduates of Big Stone School attend?

Students who attend Big Stone School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Centerville 6-8
High : Centerville High School

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MTMontana Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in Sand Coulee, 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.