The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in Science. The lowest is 43% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Power Elem
Power Elementary School District (Power Elem) serves students from pre-kindergarten through grade eight in Teton County, Montana. The district operates two schools, Power School and Power 7-8, both of which share a single campus in the small agricultural community of Power. Because the district ends at eighth grade, it has no high school and therefore no reported graduation rate.
This is a very small district, with an enrollment that places it among the more intimate educational settings in the county. The student body is predominantly white, with a modest Hispanic population and a small number of American Indian students. The district does not have its share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals on record, nor does it report its special education or English learner counts, so these are gaps a parent would need to ask the school about directly.
Academically, the story is mixed and shaped by the district's size. In math, about two out of every five students scored at the proficient level or above on the state's MAST assessment, a result that falls in the middle range for the county. The reading and English language arts proficiency rate was suppressed by the state, likely because the testing group was too small to report without risking student identification. In science, where the state does allow reporting for this district, a substantial majority of students met or exceeded the proficiency standard. When considering all tested subjects together, the district's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among Teton County's districts, placing it on the stronger side of the local academic landscape.
On the student environment side, the district's chronic absenteeism rate is more favorable than many of its county peers, also sitting above the midpoint in the better direction. This suggests that when students are enrolled, they tend to be in school with regularity, a positive marker for continuity of instruction.
Housing context is dominated by the town of Power, which accounts for nearly all of the district's home values. The weighted average home value across the district's ZIP codes is well above the national median, and values have been rising at a pace faster than the national average. For a prospective family, this means housing is not inexpensive by national standards, though it remains more affordable than some of the more inflated markets in western Montana. The estimated monthly mortgage payment for a median-priced home in the district, assuming a standard down payment, would be a significant household expense, and families should weigh this against the area's rural character and limited local employment base.
The district's per-pupil spending is in the middle to lower half of the county's range, which is typical for a small rural district without the high-cost special programs or extensive facilities that drive spending upward in larger systems.
A search for recent district changes or capital projects turned up little beyond routine annual levy notices, so parents or residents looking for information on upcoming construction, curriculum shifts, or staffing changes will need to contact the district office directly. The lack of a district strategic plan or improvement framework in public view means that much of the decision-making may happen informally, as it often does in very small systems.
This district fits a family looking for a small, rural, pre-high school educational setting in a tight-knit community where the school is likely the social and civic hub. The academic profile in math suggests room for growth, while science achievement is a clear strength. The absence of reported data on student support demographics and the suppressed reading scores are areas a prospective parent would want to explore with the school to understand what interventions and enrichment are available in a small-school context.
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