Huntley Project K-12 Schools, MT

Original Research by School Decision on Huntley Project K-12 Schools

Huntley Project K-12 Schools is a single district serving a rural stretch of Yellowstone County, Montana. It operates three schools: an elementary school for kindergarten through sixth grade, a middle school for seventh and eighth graders, and a high school. The district enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic population and a modest share of students identifying as two or more races or as American Indian. The overall enrollment is small, and the grade-level counts are fairly even through middle school, with a slight dip at the upper high school grades.

The district’s academic results on Montana’s state assessments present a mixed picture. In math, a moderate share of students in grades three through eight met the proficiency bar. In English language arts, that share was lower. In science, for the most recent year data was available, about a third of tested students reached the proficient level. These proficiency rates place the district below the midpoint among Yellowstone County’s districts when averaged across tested subjects. The state introduced a new assessment in the most recent testing year, so comparisons to prior years are not straightforward. A parent may want to discuss with the school how the transition to the new test has affected instruction and expectations.

Chronic absenteeism is a significant concern. The district’s rate sits above the midpoint among county districts, meaning more students than at many nearby schools are missing enough school days to be flagged as chronically absent. This is a soft spot worth investigating further with the district administration, as attendance patterns can affect academic progress for the whole building.

The district spends above the median for Yellowstone County on a per-pupil basis. Its spending is in the upper range among the county’s twenty-two districts. Where that money goes—whether to smaller class sizes, staffing, facilities, or programming—is not detailed in the available data, but the spending level suggests the district is not under-resourced by local standards.

No graduation rate is reported in the data, so that benchmark is missing. The district does not appear to operate as an alternative or special-purpose school, so the absence of a graduation rate is an information gap a parent may want to fill by asking the high school directly.

A search for recent district changes, such as bond measures, boundary adjustments, or program expansions, turned up no material that crossed the bar for a lasting, parent-relevant shift. That does not mean the district is static; it means no major public change was found. Families moving into the area should ask about curriculum direction, facilities planning, and any upcoming initiatives during a school visit.

Housing in the district’s coverage area varies. Home values in the zip codes that feed the district range across a wide band, with higher values in areas like Huntley and Shepherd and lower values near parts of Billings. The weighted average puts home prices above the national median but below Montana’s statewide benchmark. Rents are limited: the rental market data is thin, covering only two Billings-area zip codes, so families looking to rent in the smaller towns like Worden or Ballantine may have a limited inventory. The county’s housing market is tight, with active listings down and pending listings up, and the median days on market has risen somewhat, suggesting a moderately slower pace than a year ago.

Affordability calculations show that buying a home at the district-weighted average price with a typical mortgage costs about the same as the rent estimates for the Billings area, while the national price-to-income ratio indicates that homes are significantly more expensive relative to household income than the historical norm. This matters for a family planning to move into the area and buy a home within the district boundaries.

There is no information on program offerings such as Advanced Placement, dual credit, career and technical education, or extracurriculars. Neither the school environment data, such as discipline rates or staffing ratios, nor civil rights outcomes are available. Families with specific needs around class size, counselor availability, or discipline climate will need to get those details from the district directly.

Huntley Project K-12 Schools fits a family looking for a single school system that covers the full K-12 arc in a rural, small-community setting. The academic numbers on state tests are modest relative to other Yellowstone County districts, and the attendance pattern is a clear concern. The district’s spending level is relatively high, which may reflect an investment in areas that do not show up in the test scores, but without additional data the reader cannot see what that spending produces. A parent who values strong test performance above other factors would likely look elsewhere in the county. A parent who values a small, self-contained district and is prepared to engage with the school on attendance and curriculum will find this a straightforward option in a largely agricultural part of the county.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

773

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 7%

Black 0%

White 87%

Asian 0%

Two+ 4%

Am. Indian / AK Native 2%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

3 schools are officially reported under this district.

Huntley Project Elem K-6

Huntley Project High Schl

Huntley Project 7-8

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

1 grade reported

46%

Grades 3-8

English Language Arts

1 grade reported

34%

Grades 3-8

Science

1 grade reported

30%

Grades 3-8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$414,876

Year-over-year change+2.0%

Range across 7 ZIP codes$329K to $486K

vs. state typical0.89x

vs. national typical1.13x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (7 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
59088	Worden	$399K	+1.3%	45.3%
59037	Huntley	$486K	+3.6%	15.1%
59079	Shepherd	$464K	+3.1%	14.0%
59006	Ballantine	$377K	+1.2%	8.2%
59101	Billings	$329K	+1.9%	8.1%
59024	Custer	$371K	-3.5%	0.7%
59105	Billings	$416K	+2.8%	0.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,230/mo

Year-over-year change+4.4%

Range across 2 ZIP codes$1,230 to $1,290/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (2 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
59101	Billings	$1,230	+4.4%	8.1%
59105	Billings	$1,290	+3.8%	0.0%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$2,093/mo

Home price / national median income5.0x

Annual rent / national median income17.6%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$864/mo

Market Activity: Yellowstone County

Median listing price$460,500

Median listing price YoY-3.9%

Median price per sq ft$214

Median price per sq ft YoY+2.4%

Median days on market44.5 days

Median days on market YoY+31.9%

Active listings539

Active listings YoY-5.8%

New listings280

New listings YoY-13.6%

Pending listings319

Pending listings YoY+5.6%

Hotness: median listing price$459,400

Hotness: median listing price YoY-1.2%

Supply score67.3

Supply score YoY-22.2%

Demand score79.3

Demand score YoY+5.2%

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

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.