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Swan River School

Q: Is Swan River School a good school?

Swan River School ranks 206 th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

206^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 49% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Swan River School is an elementary school located in Bigfork, MT, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 106 students. The school is part of the Swan River Elementary District, which is ranked 246 out of 387 districts in Montana and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Swan River School has shown a declining performance over the years, dropping from a rank of 32 out of 247 Montana elementary schools in 2010-2011 to a rank of 206 out of 401 in 2024-2025. While the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (52.73%) and Science (52.63%) were higher than the state averages in the 2024-2025 school year, its Mathematics proficiency rate (20%) was significantly lower than the state average (36.77%). The school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.4 to 13.3 over the past few years, but has seen a significant increase in its free/reduced lunch rate, reaching 100% in the 2024-2025 school year.

When compared to nearby schools, Bigfork Elementary, located just 3.17 miles away, has a higher statewide ranking and better academic performance than Swan River School, particularly in Mathematics. Other nearby schools, such as Deer Park School and Fair-Mont-Egan School, also outperform Swan River School in various academic measures, suggesting that the local area has access to higher-performing educational options. Swan River School's high free/reduced lunch rate of 100% is significantly higher than the rates of nearby schools, which range from 29.37% to 100%.

106

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,156

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1205 Swan Highway
Bigfork, MT 59911

(406) 837-4528

District: Swan River Elementary

Students who attend Swan River School usually attend:

Middle:	Swan River 6-8
High:	Bigfork High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.6%

Hispanic:

3.8%

Two or more races:

3.8%

See top rated Montana elementary schools

Compare Swan River School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 23rd percentile in 2021 → 49th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 49th (2025) from a 23rd-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

!Mathematics scores 17 pts below the Montana average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg36%

Montana avg40%

206^th of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 49%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

246^th of 387Swan River 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	50.3	206 of 401	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.9	240 of 332	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.0	240 of 329	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.2	274 of 356	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	49.4	99 of 191	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	63.3	84 of 246	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.8	60 of 244	75.4%	★★★★☆
2011	76.2	32 of 247	87.0%	★★★★☆
2010	71.7	46 of 241	80.9%	★★★★☆
2009	75.2	20 of 190	89.5%	★★★★☆
2008	75.4	28 of 194	85.6%	★★★★☆
2007	72.5	42 of 230	81.7%	★★★★☆
2006	60.5	100 of 234	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	77.1	43 of 218	80.3%	★★★★☆
2004	72.7	52 of 217	76.0%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts53%+10 vs state

Science53%+14 vs state

Mathematics20%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Swan River 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
Swan River School	Public	PK, KG-5	1205 Swan Highway	Bigfork	59911	Flathead County	Swan River Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 837-4528	106	8	12.9	100.0%	96 (90.6%)	2 (1.9%)	4 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.8%)	50.3	206^th of 401 public elementary schools	48.6%					(n/a)	52.7	20.0	$12,156
Bigfork Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	600 Commerce St	Bigfork	59911	Flathead County	Bigfork Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 837-7412	343	27	12.8	31.2%	318 (92.7%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.8%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	59.1	159^th of 401 public elementary schools	60.3%					(n/a)	49.2	38.3	$11,102
Creston School	Public	PK, KG-6	4495 Montana 35	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Creston Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 755-2859	83	9	9.4		66 (79.5%)	1 (1.2%)	12 (14.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.8%)	52	200^th of 401 public elementary schools	50.1%		88.4	21^st of 212 public elementary schools	90.1%	179	48.0	32.0	$11,059
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
Lakeside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	255 Adams Street	Lakeside	59922	Flathead County	Somers Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 844-2208	303	21	14.5	29.4%	280 (92.4%)	4 (1.3%)	8 (2.6%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (2.0%)	63.4	135^th of 401 public elementary schools	66.3%					(n/a)	42.7	52.4	$11,626
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
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
Jeannette Rankin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2155 Airport Road	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Kalispell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 751-3400	415	25	16.6	100.0%	355 (85.5%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (7.2%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (5.3%)	54.5	185^th of 401 public elementary schools	53.9%					(n/a)	52.4	34.7	$11,574
Cornelius Hedges School	Public	PK, KG-5	827 4th Avenue E	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Kalispell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 751-4090	320	21	15.2	100.0%	269 (84.1%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (7.5%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (6.3%)	70.4	96^th of 401 public elementary schools	76.1%		54.6	110^th of 212 public elementary schools	48.1%	14	56.9	44.5	$13,819
Elrod School	Public	PK, KG-5	412 3rd Avenue W	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Kalispell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 751-3700	237	15	15.7	100.0%	193 (81.4%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (6.8%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	22 (9.3%)	42.7	244^th of 401 public elementary schools	39.2%					(n/a)	42.7	30.1	$15,326

Frequently Asked Questions about Swan River School

How many students attend Swan River School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 106 students attended Swan River School.

What district is Swan River School in?

Swan River Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Swan River School?

Students at Swan River School are 91% White, 4% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Swan River School attend?

Students who attend Swan River School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Swan River 6-8
High : Bigfork High School

Is Swan River School a good school?

Swan River School ranks 206^th of 401 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Swan River School!

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Schools in Bigfork, 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.