Original Research by School Decision on Hawks Home Elem
Hawks Home Elem is a small, rural elementary district in southeastern Montana, serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The district operates two schools: Hammond School and Hawks Home School. With a tiny enrollment, the student body is entirely white. Data on economic disadvantage, special education eligibility, and English learner status was not available.
The district’s most noteworthy attribute is a formal state recognition. According to local reporting, Hawks Home School District has been named to an official list of Montana’s most successful schools, following an evaluation by the state’s Decennial Study Commission. That designation is a lasting one and signals strong, consistent performance to families considering the area.
State testing results for the 2024-25 school year were suppressed, meaning no proficiency data was published for math or English language arts. The suppression is due to the small number of students tested. A parent wanting to understand academic performance would need to inquire directly with the school about local assessments and classroom progress.
The district’s chronic absenteeism rate sits below the midpoint among Carter County’s districts, though it remains a concern at roughly a third of students. This is an area where a family may want to ask the school what supports are in place for attendance.
Per-pupil current spending is in the middle range of the county’s districts, on the lower side of that middle. For a very small rural district, this suggests a lean operation.
Because Hawks Home serves only up to eighth grade, it has no high school graduation rate to report. Families with older children would need to plan for high school placement in another district.
The state recognition gives the district a clear strength to point to. Beyond that, the data is thin. Suppressed test scores, a very small student population, and limited publicly available context mean that much of what a parent might want to know about teaching quality, curriculum depth, and student support would come from a direct visit and conversation with the staff. This is a school where the experience is likely defined by its rural setting, small class sizes, and the relationships a small staff can build, but that character is not something the available records capture in detail.
See more original research from School Decision →