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Willow Creek School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

342^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Willow Creek School is a small elementary school in Willow Creek, MT, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 33 students. Despite its small size, the school faces significant challenges, consistently underperforming the state and its own Willow Creek Elementary District on standardized tests.

In the 2024-2025 school year, only 26.67% of Willow Creek students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 36.36% for the district and 43.09% statewide. In math, only 20% of Willow Creek students were proficient, compared to 18.18% for the district and 36.77% statewide. The school also had 0% proficiency in science, while the district and state averaged 44.44% and 38.16% respectively. Additionally, Willow Creek School has seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 8.82% in 2023-2024 to 30.3% in 2024-2025, indicating a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged students.

Interestingly, Willow Creek School's performance lags significantly behind the nearby high-performing schools, such as Amsterdam School and Manhattan Elementary, which have much higher test scores and better overall rankings. Despite the relatively high spending per student at Willow Creek School, the school's academic performance remains poor, raising questions about the effective use of resources and the need for a closer examination of the school's instructional practices and resource allocation.

Students ?

6.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,368

Per pupil spending ?

30.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

407 Main
Willow Creek, MT 59760

(406) 285-6991

District: Willow Creek Elementary

Students who attend Willow Creek School usually attend:

Middle:	Willow Creek 7-8
High:	Willow Creek High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

97.0%

Hispanic:

3.0%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 42nd percentile in 2021 → 15th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 7 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Montana average (21% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2021

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg30%

Montana avg40%

342^nd of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 28 pts since 2021

From bottom 42% (2021) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

263^rd of 387Willow Creek 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	20.6	342 of 401	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	182 of 212	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	45.7	206 of 332	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.3	194 of 329	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.0	205 of 356	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts27%-16 vs state

Mathematics20%-17 vs state

Science0%-38 vs state

★

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Schools Near Willow Creek 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
Willow Creek School	Public	PK, KG-6	407 Main	Willow Creek	59760	Gallatin County	Willow Creek Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 285-6991	33	5	6.9	30.3%	32 (97.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20.6	342^nd of 401 public elementary schools	14.7%		18.2	182^nd of 212 public elementary schools	14.2%	160	26.7	20.0	$17,368
Three Forks Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	212 East Neal	Three Forks	59752	Gallatin County	Three Forks Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 285-6830	361	24	14.9	33.2%	335 (92.8%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.9%)	53	194^th of 401 public elementary schools	51.6%		77	51^st of 212 public elementary schools	75.9%	143	36.4	46.7	$11,308
Harrison School	Public	PK, KG-5	120 Harrison St	Harrison	59735	Madison County	Harrison K-12 Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 685-3428	36	4	8.9	41.7%	35 (97.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19.5	347^th of 401 public elementary schools	13.5%		29.9	161^st of 212 public elementary schools	24.1%	186	20.0	25.0	$22,102
Cardwell School	Public	PK, KG-8	80 Highway 359	Cardwell	59721	Jefferson County	Cardwell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 287-3321	35	5	7.0	57.1%	28 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (8.6%)	83.7	37^th of 401 public elementary schools	90.8%		81.9	33^rd of 212 public elementary schools	84.4%	4	65.0	55.0	$17,366
Manhattan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	416 North Broadway	Manhattan	59741	Gallatin County	Manhattan School	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 284-3250	259	20	13.0	27.4%	240 (92.7%)	2 (0.8%)	9 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	6 (2.3%)	87.5	27^th of 401 public elementary schools	93.3%		93.7	11^th of 212 public elementary schools	94.8%	16	70.4	58.5	$12,849
Amsterdam School	Public	PK, KG-6	6360 Camp Creek Road	Manhattan	59741	Gallatin County	Amsterdam Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 282-7216	149	10	14.3	7.4%	131 (87.9%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.0%)	91.6	20^th of 401 public elementary schools	95.0%		97.6	2^nd of 212 public elementary schools	99.1%	18	67.7	72.9	$9,384

Frequently Asked Questions about Willow Creek School

What district is Willow Creek School in?

Willow Creek Elementary

What schools do graduates of Willow Creek School attend?

Students who attend Willow Creek School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Willow Creek 7-8
High : Willow Creek High School

Is Willow Creek School a good school?

Willow Creek School ranks in the bottom 14.7% of Montana elementary schools.

How many students attend Willow Creek School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 33 students attended Willow Creek School.

What is the racial makeup of Willow Creek School?

Students at Willow Creek School are 97% White, 3% Hispanic.

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Schools in Willow Creek, 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.