The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Science. The lowest is 33% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Red Lodge Elem
Red Lodge Elem is a small, PK-through-8 district in Carbon County, Montana, serving just over three hundred students. Its two schools are Mountain View School and Roosevelt Junior High. The district stops at eighth grade, so there is no high school on site; families living in the district who want a public high school option would look to neighboring districts or a county-wide high school arrangement. Because the grade band tops out at eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report.
Student demographics are fairly homogeneous. The vast majority of students are white, with a small Hispanic share and tiny representations of American Indian, Black, and multiracial students. Information on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, how many receive special education services, and how many are English learners was not available. That data gap matters for any family trying to gauge the district’s socioeconomic and support profile.
On the 2024-25 state assessments, just under a third of students in grades three through eight scored proficient or above in math. In English language arts, roughly forty-five percent reached that bar. The science results, from the prior year, show a higher rate, with well over half of tested students meeting proficiency. These proficiency rates reflect a new state test, the MAST, which replaced an earlier assessment, and the cut scores in both math and English language arts changed for this testing cycle. That makes direct comparisons with prior years unreliable. Across all tested subjects and grades, the district’s overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint of the nine districts in Carbon County.
The district keeps a low rate of chronic absenteeism relative to its county peers, landing in the top quartile. That suggests students in Red Lodge Elem tend to show up regularly. Per-pupil spending is in the lower range of Carbon County’s districts, which may be relevant for families wondering about class size or program depth.
State testing data for the district’s eighth graders is included in the grades three through eight results, but after that, the district has no tested grades. The district does not administer its own high school assessments or report a graduation rate because it does not operate a high school.
The housing market in the area is concentrated on the town of Red Lodge, with smaller contributions from Belfry, Bridger, and Roberts. Home values in the district are above the state median. The typical mortgage payment, at current interest rates, would be a substantial share of the median national household income, running close to three thousand dollars a month before taxes and insurance. Incomes have been rising slowly across the country, but housing costs in this part of Montana have risen faster than the national average, and the gap between wages and home prices is wide. Rent data was not available, so the rental picture is unclear.
A search for recent district changes—bond referenda, curriculum shifts, property-tax adjustments, or other parent-relevant developments—found nothing on the record. There may have been changes, but they were not publicly reported in a way that surfaced. The district’s own priorities or recent initiatives are not described in the available data.
For a family considering this district, the academic picture is one of middling test performance in math, somewhat stronger results in English and science, and a peer group that is predominantly white and small enough that individual attention is plausible. The district stops at eighth grade, which means any student continuing to high school will enter a new system. The surrounding housing market is expensive relative to county and state averages, and the district’s spending is on the low side for the county. Without information on poverty rates, special education services, or English learner supports, a parent would want to ask the district directly about those resources before making a decision.
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