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Yellowstone Academy Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6

375^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 401 Montana Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Montana elementary schools

Summary

Yellowstone Academy Elementary is a small public elementary school in Billings, Montana, serving grades PK-6 with just 36 students. Despite its small size, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Montana elementary schools over the past several years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Yellowstone Academy Elementary faces significant challenges compared to nearby schools. Its students have much lower proficiency rates on state assessments, with only 13.79% proficient or better in English Language Arts and just 6.67% in math, far below the state averages. The school also has an extremely high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 77.78% to 81.25% in recent years, much higher than the surrounding schools. Interestingly, Yellowstone Academy Elementary spends significantly more per student, at $58,145 in 2018-2019, compared to $6,641 to $8,386 at the nearby Arrowhead School and Meadowlark School, which have much higher test scores and better overall rankings.

The stark contrast in performance between Yellowstone Academy Elementary and the surrounding schools suggests that the school faces unique challenges that will require targeted and sustained efforts to address. While the small school size and high poverty level may be contributing factors, the school's significant investment of resources does not appear to be translating into improved student outcomes. However, this also presents an opportunity for improvement if the right strategies can be implemented to support the students and help them reach their full potential.

Students ?

6.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$119,416

Per pupil spending ?

77.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1750 Ray of Hope Lane
Billings, MT 59106

(406) 656-2198

District: Yellowstone Academy Elementary

Students who attend Yellowstone Academy Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Yellowstone Academy 7-8
High:	Billings West High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.8%

American Indian:

16.7%

Hispanic:

5.6%

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Compare Yellowstone Academy Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2006 → 6th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2006

✓Small classes — about 7 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Montana average (9% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Science scores 38 pts below the Montana average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school9%

District avg9%

Montana avg40%

375^th of 401

Montana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▲ up 3 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of Montana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

361^st of 387Yellowstone Academy 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	8.4	375 of 401	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.3	198 of 212	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.6	320 of 332	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.1	317 of 329	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.8	343 of 356	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	0.2	232 of 234	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Montana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts14%-29 vs state

Mathematics7%-30 vs state

Science0%-38 vs state

★

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Schools Near Yellowstone Academy Elementary

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
Yellowstone Academy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1750 Ray of Hope Lane	Billings	59106	Yellowstone County	Yellowstone Academy Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 656-2198	36	5	6.7	77.8%	28 (77.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8.4	375^th of 401 public elementary schools	6.5%		5.3	198^th of 212 public elementary schools	6.6%	177	13.8	6.7	$119,416
Elder Grove School	Public	PK, KG-5	1532 South 64 Street W	Billings	59106	Yellowstone County	Elder Grove Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 656-2893	465	25	18.6	19.8%	391 (84.1%)	5 (1.1%)	32 (6.9%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.2%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.3%)	45.1	230^th of 401 public elementary schools	42.6%		45.1	132^nd of 212 public elementary schools	37.7%	98	37.7	33.1	$8,998
Canyon Creek School	Public	PK, KG-5	3139 Duck Creek Road	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Canyon Creek Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 656-4471	147	13	11.6	40.1%	127 (86.4%)	1 (0.7%)	11 (7.5%)	1 (0.7%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.1%)	13.5	361^st of 401 public elementary schools	10.0%		26.9	172^nd of 212 public elementary schools	18.9%	189	12.5	7.8	$13,547
Big Sky Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3231 Granger Avenue East	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6204	373	24	15.6	59.2%	227 (60.9%)	12 (3.2%)	51 (13.7%)	6 (1.6%)	44 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (8.8%)	31.5	295^th of 401 public elementary schools	26.4%					(n/a)	28.2	26.4	$11,887
Fred W Graff School	Public	3-4	417 East Sixth St	Laurel	59044	Yellowstone County	Laurel Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 628-6916	245	15	16.2	87.3%	212 (86.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.3%)	68.1	115^th of 401 public elementary schools	71.3%		54.5	111^th of 212 public elementary schools	47.6%	4	53.1	46.1	$12,178
Arrowhead School	Public	PK, KG-5	2510 38th Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6201	434	24	18.1	18.4%	370 (85.3%)	2 (0.5%)	22 (5.1%)	2 (0.5%)	16 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.1%)	73	83^rd of 401 public elementary schools	79.3%		85.9	26^th of 212 public elementary schools	87.7%	57	55.7	50.5	$11,781
West School	Public	1-2	502 Eighth Avenue	Laurel	59044	Yellowstone County	Laurel Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 628-6914	248	18	13.8	79.8%	211 (85.1%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (8.1%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.2%)								(n/a)			$11,819
Meadowlark School	Public	PK, KG-5	221 29th Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6213	691	38	18.3	23.6%	547 (79.2%)	10 (1.4%)	38 (5.5%)	7 (1.0%)	38 (5.5%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (7.2%)	81	48^th of 401 public elementary schools	88.0%					(n/a)	59.6	57.4	$10,996
Elysian School	Public	PK, KG-5	6416 Elysian Road	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Elysian Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 656-4101	302	19	16.3	27.5%	241 (79.8%)	1 (0.3%)	21 (7.0%)	6 (2.0%)	18 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.0%)	58.6	162^nd of 401 public elementary schools	59.6%		75.6	58^th of 212 public elementary schools	72.6%	104	50.7	42.6	$11,721
Boulder School	Public	PK, KG-5	2202 32nd Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6206	495	27	18.6	23.6%	415 (83.8%)	6 (1.2%)	32 (6.5%)	4 (0.8%)	8 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (5.9%)	81.7	46^th of 401 public elementary schools	88.5%		81.2	39^th of 212 public elementary schools	81.6%	7	60.0	59.0	$11,331

Frequently Asked Questions about Yellowstone Academy Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Yellowstone Academy Elementary?

Students at Yellowstone Academy Elementary are 78% White, 17% American Indian, 6% Hispanic.

How many students attend Yellowstone Academy Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 36 students attended Yellowstone Academy Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Yellowstone Academy Elementary attend?

Students who attend Yellowstone Academy Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Yellowstone Academy 7-8
High : Billings West High School

Is Yellowstone Academy Elementary a good school?

Yellowstone Academy Elementary ranks in the bottom 6.5% of Montana elementary schools.

What district is Yellowstone Academy Elementary in?

Yellowstone Academy Elementary

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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.