Columbia Falls H S, MT - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Columbia Falls H S

Columbia Falls H S is a public high school district serving grades nine through twelve in Flathead County, Montana. It operates a single high school, Columbia Falls High School. The district is a high-school-only entity, which means it does not serve elementary or middle grades and therefore has no state testing data in the grades typically assessed for school accountability in Montana, and no graduation rate that can be compared using the same metrics as K-12 districts. The absence of those common benchmarks is a function of the district's grade configuration, not a reflection of performance. A parent looking for test-score or graduation-rate comparisons will need to look at the high school's individual school-level reporting, which was not part of the data provided.

The student body is small for a high school, with enrollment in the mid-hundreds. The student population is predominantly white, with a modest share of students identifying as Hispanic and a smaller presence of American Indian or Alaska Native students. The district does not report data on students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities, or English learners, so it is not possible to assess the level of economic diversity or the extent of special education and language support programs available.

The district's chronic absenteeism rate places it below the midpoint among Flathead County's districts, meaning it has a higher rate of chronic absence than many of its neighbors. This is a soft spot that a parent may want to look into further with the school. On the financial side, per-pupil current spending is in the upper range among Flathead County's districts, which may reflect the smaller scale of a single high school or specific cost structures.

The district serves a wide geographic area spanning multiple zip codes and communities, including Columbia Falls, Bigfork, Kalispell, Whitefish, and smaller towns such as Essex, Hungry Horse, and West Glacier. The housing market across these communities shows a wide range of home values, from more modest levels in some areas to much higher prices in places like Whitefish and West Glacier. Countywide, the housing market is tight, with active listings down year over year and median listing prices remaining elevated. Rents are also high relative to national averages, and the cost of buying a home substantially exceeds the cost of renting, which suggests that for many families renting may be the more accessible option. The area has seen a modest increase in homes listed for sale and pending sales, but supply remains limited, and demand continues to be strong.

The district's small size and single-high-school structure means students attend one campus, which can foster a close-knit environment. However, the lack of publicly reported data on academic outcomes, student support services, and program offerings makes it difficult to evaluate the academic pathway or peer environment in detail. The district brief turned up no recent changes of lasting impact, so there is no visible narrative of recent restructuring, leadership turnover, or program expansion.

For a family considering this district, the key takeaway is that it serves a broad rural and exurban region with a tight and expensive housing market, and the high school is a standalone entity whose performance data is not captured in the typical district-level state testing or graduation metrics used for broader K-12 comparisons. A parent should seek school-level information directly from Columbia Falls High School to fill in the gaps on academics, college and career readiness, and the specific support systems in place. The chronic absenteeism rate is an area worth asking about. The district spends more per student than many others in the county, which could translate to smaller class sizes or stronger program funding, but without course-access or staffing data, that remains a question to explore with the school.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

688

Grades

09–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 5%

White 86%

Asian 0%

Two+ 6%

Am. Indian / AK Native 2%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

1 schools are officially reported under this district.

Columbia Falls High Schl

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$689,579

Year-over-year change+1.5%

Range across 10 ZIP codes$350K to $878K

vs. state typical1.47x

vs. national typical1.87x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (10 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
59936	West Glacier	$788K	+4.1%	55.0%
59928		$581K	-2.4%	31.0%
59912	Columbia Falls	$606K	-0.6%	6.2%
59916	Essex	$422K	-1.5%	4.5%
59913	Columbia Falls	$560K	+3.5%	1.9%
59911	Bigfork	$796K	+0.3%	0.6%
59926	Martin City	$500K	+2.3%	0.4%
59901	Kalispell	$553K	-0.1%	0.3%
59919	Hungry Horse	$350K	-1.0%	0.1%
59937	Whitefish	$878K	-0.8%	0.1%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,851/mo

Year-over-year change+1.8%

Range across 3 ZIP codes$1,700 to $2,629/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (3 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
59911	Bigfork	$1,700	—	0.6%
59901	Kalispell	$1,972	+1.9%	0.3%
59937	Whitefish	$2,629	+1.6%	0.1%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$3,480/mo

Home price / national median income8.2x

Annual rent / national median income26.5%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$1,629/mo

Market Activity: Flathead County

Median listing price$895,000

Median listing price YoY-0.4%

Median price per sq ft$429

Median price per sq ft YoY-2.7%

Median days on market66.3 days

Median days on market YoY-3.3%

Active listings781

Active listings YoY-10.7%

New listings288

New listings YoY-5.3%

Pending listings242

Pending listings YoY+7.6%

Hotness: median listing price$880,625

Hotness: median listing price YoY+2.0%

Supply score20.3

Supply score YoY+39.6%

Demand score47.1

Demand score YoY+16.7%

Median listing price (12 months)

Median price per sq ft (12 months)

Median days on market (12 months)

Active listings (12 months)

New listings (12 months)

Pending listings (12 months)

Hotness: median listing price (12 months)

Supply score (12 months)

Demand score (12 months)

Comparison

State typical home value$467,919 (+1.3% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Academic Performance
Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.