The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hawthorne School
Hawthorne School is a public elementary school in Helena, Montana, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Helena Elem district, which covers the city’s elementary-age population. The school is located on Madison Avenue in a residential area of the state capital.
Helena itself is a city shaped by its role as Montana’s seat of government. Its economy is anchored by state agencies, education, and healthcare, and it retains a historic downtown built around the original gold-rush discovery at Last Chance Gulch. The city’s growth is slow and stable, and its housing market reflects that stability. Home values in the area are above the national median, and rents are similarly elevated, making Helena a relatively expensive place to live by Montana standards. The city’s character is a mix of government employment, outdoor recreation, and a walkable historic core, though most residents commute by car.
Hawthorne School serves a student body that is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, and multiracial students. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is modest, well below the state average, which suggests the school draws from a relatively higher-income attendance zone within Helena. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not reported.
Academically, Hawthorne’s students perform above the midpoint among elementary schools in Lewis and Clark County when looking at overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. In math, a majority of students scored at or above the proficient level on the Smarter Balanced assessment. In English language arts, the share reaching proficiency was also a majority. Science results, from the Montana Science Assessment, were lower, with fewer than a third of students scoring proficient. Because the school serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism was not available.
The student body is small for an elementary school, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across kindergarten through fifth grade and a very small pre-kindergarten program. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is low, which aligns with the school’s location in a neighborhood where housing values are above the national median. The student population is overwhelmingly white, with small numbers of Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, and multiracial students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported.
The school sits within the Helena Elem district, which serves the city’s elementary-age population. The district brief turned up no recent major changes or initiatives that would alter a family’s understanding of the school’s current operations.
For a family considering Hawthorne, the picture is of a small, stable elementary school in a capital city with a slow-growing economy and a relatively expensive housing market. Academic proficiency in math and reading is solid, while science scores are an area where a parent may want to look into this further with the school. The student body is not economically diverse, and the school’s racial composition reflects the broader demographics of Helena. The school’s size and grade span mean it offers a contained elementary experience without the complications of a middle or high school transition on site. Families who value a traditional public elementary school in a stable, government-anchored city with outdoor recreation nearby will find Hawthorne a straightforward option. Those looking for data on special education services, English learner support, or chronic absenteeism will need to ask the school directly, as those figures were not available in the public record.
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