Independent Elem, MT - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Independent Elem

Independent Elem serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade in Yellowstone County. It is a single-school district that is not part of a larger system, which makes it a relatively compact entity for a family to understand. The district enrolls a small student body and most of those students are White, with a modest share who are Hispanic, and very small numbers of students who are Native American, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or of two or more races. The grade configuration ends at sixth grade, so families will need to plan for where their child will attend middle school and high school beyond this district.

The district has a clear profile among Yellowstone County’s districts. On overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, it falls in the top quartile of the county, which is a strong position. The most recent state assessment results show that in both math and English language arts, roughly two out of five students scored proficient or above. In science, just over half of the tested students reached that bar. There are two important flags on the assessment data. The state changed the name of the test and also changed the cut scores that define proficiency in both math and ELA, effective in the most recent testing year. That makes it impossible to compare these results with prior years. A family should treat the current proficiency figures as a new baseline rather than a trend they can track yet.

The chronic absenteeism rate stands at a level that is below the midpoint among the county’s districts. That is a soft spot. A parent may want to ask the school what supports are in place to address absenteeism, particularly because the rate is higher than many neighboring districts. Per-pupil current spending is in the lower range for Yellowstone County, which could affect the depth of programming and staffing. The district does not appear to offer programs like a formal career pathway, dual credit, or widespread advanced coursework, but that is also consistent with a small elementary-only district where those offerings are less common.

The housing context for the district is shaped by two ZIP codes. The larger share of homes falls in a Billings address, with a smaller portion in Shepherd. Home values sit around the state benchmark average and ahead of the national benchmark. Rental costs in the Billings portion are moderate relative to income. The county’s housing market shows a declining number of active and new listings, a rising number of pending sales, and homes sitting on the market a bit longer than a year ago. Demand remains elevated, and supply has tightened, which means competition for available homes is strong.

The search for recent district-level changes found nothing that would indicate a major shift, a leadership change, a boundary alteration, a new building, or a significant program launch in the last four years. The district appears stable and steady, with no large disruptions or sudden pivots for a family to weigh.

Independent Elem fits a family looking for a small, elementary-grade district with a strong proficiency record by county standards, set in a tight housing market near Billings. The absenteeism rate is worth a closer conversation with the school. The district has no high school, so a family must be comfortable with the idea of a school transition after sixth grade.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

299

Grades

PK–06

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 6%

Black 1%

White 84%

Two+ 5%

Am. Indian / AK Native 2%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 2%

Schools in this District

1 schools are officially reported under this district.

Independent School

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

1 grade reported

39%

Grades 3-8

English Language Arts

1 grade reported

39%

Grades 3-8

Science

1 grade reported

54%

Grades 3-8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$421,978

Year-over-year change+2.8%

Range across 2 ZIP codes$416K to $464K

vs. state typical0.90x

vs. national typical1.15x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (2 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
59105	Billings	$416K	+2.8%	87.8%
59079	Shepherd	$464K	+3.1%	12.2%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,290/mo

Year-over-year change+3.8%

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (1 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
59105	Billings	$1,290	+3.8%	87.8%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$2,129/mo

Home price / national median income5.0x

Annual rent / national median income18.5%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$839/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.