Original Research by School Decision on Davey Elem
Davey Elementary School District is one of the smallest public school districts in Montana, serving a tiny group of students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in a single school building. The district lies within Hill County, and because there is no public reporting of the city or town it directly serves, a family considering this district would need to locate it precisely on a map and confirm its attendance boundaries with the county.
The student body is very small, with an enrollment that reflects the extreme rural nature of the district. The composition is overwhelmingly white, with a single Black student, and the district serves kindergarten through fourth grade in the reported year, with no students in grades five through eight. Pre-kindergarten enrollment was also zero, meaning the district is effectively serving a narrow band of early elementary grades in practice. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as the number of students with disabilities or English learners, was not available, so a parent cannot assess the level of economic or educational support needs from public figures alone.
State testing results in math and English language arts for the most recent year were suppressed, and no results were available for science. The state of Montana changed the name of its test and the cut scores that define proficiency, making year-to-year comparisons impossible. Because the district serves so few students and only through fourth grade in practice, a parent will not find the kinds of statewide assessment data that larger districts report. The district does not serve high school, so there is no graduation rate.
Data on chronic absenteeism places the district below the midpoint among Hill County’s districts, meaning a higher share of students missed substantial school time compared to the typical district in the county. Per-pupil current spending falls in the middle range, toward the lower half of the county’s districts. No information was available on discipline rates, course access, staffing ratios, or attendance patterns beyond the absenteeism figure.
The housing context for families in this district is tied to the 59501 zip code, which corresponds to Havre. Home values in that area are well below the state median and also below the national median, and they have been rising at a pace that exceeds the national year-over-year change. The typical mortgage payment and income-to-price ratio suggest that homeownership is relatively accessible compared to much of the country, though a family would want to check actual commute distances and road conditions, as the district may be located some distance from Havre itself.
Publicly reported information did not turn up any recent curriculum changes, referendums, property tax shifts, or other parent-relevant developments with lasting impact. The district is so small that formal announcements of policy changes may not appear in broader search results.
This is a district for a family that wants an extremely small setting, where one teacher likely serves multiple grades in one room, and where the academic measures that apply in larger districts simply do not produce public data. A parent who values a tight-knit rural school and is comfortable investigating the school’s academic approach directly should contact the school to learn about its curriculum and supports. A parent who relies on published test scores or wants the program breadth of a larger elementary may find this district too limited for their needs.
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