The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Math. The lowest is 46% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Warren School
Warren School is an elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Helena, Montana, as part of the Helena Elem district. It sits in a residential area of Montana's state capital, a city with a slow-growing, stable economy anchored by state government, education, and healthcare. The school draws from a city known for its gold-rush-era Victorian architecture and a downtown pedestrian mall along Last Chance Gulch, with a texture that is more car-dependent than dense-urban outside of that core. Many families who live here work for the state, at Carroll College or Helena College, or in the medical sector.
The school itself enrolls a student body that is overwhelmingly white, with small shares of American Indian or Alaska Native and Hispanic students and very small numbers from other racial or ethnic groups. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that suggests a mix of middle-income and lower-income households among the families who send their children here. The school is not a charter or magnet school.
On state assessments, Warren School's students show a mixed picture. In math, a majority of students scored proficient or above. Science results, which come from a smaller test-taking group, also show a majority reaching the proficient bar. In English language arts, proficiency dipped below half. Together, these results place the school's overall academic performance above the midpoint relative to other districts in Lewis and Clark County, a comparison set that is limited to the handful of districts where comparable testing data is available. For a family weighing academic expectations at the elementary level, this suggests a school where math and science outcomes are relatively strong, while reading and writing skills may need more attention from some students, and it would be reasonable to ask the school how it supports literacy growth for those not yet at the proficient mark.
Because Warren School serves only early grades, there is no graduation rate to report and no chronic absenteeism data available in the data examined. The school's size is moderate for an elementary school serving these grade levels, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across kindergarten through fifth grade, and a very small pre-kindergarten program. No information was available on class sizes, teacher staffing levels, course access, discipline rates, or the share of students receiving special education services or identified as English learners. A parent with a child who has an Individualized Education Program or who is an English learner would want to contact the school directly to understand the support structures in place.
The housing context around the school reflects Helena's modestly priced market relative to state and national benchmarks. Home values in the zip code have risen a bit over the past year, and rents are elevated relative to a typical mortgage payment, which can make the rental market tight. The area's unemployment rate is low, and median household income nationally has held fairly steady, supporting the broad stability of the community.
Families who live here are likely choosing this school for its location within the capital city, its elementary-only setting, and its position within the Helena Elem district. The school's academic performance in math and science is a clear draw, while the lower English language arts proficiency is something a parent would want to follow up on. The lack of available data on staffing, discipline, and special programs means that understanding the day-to-day experience at the school will depend on a visit or conversation with the school office.
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