The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Ashland 7-8
Ashland 7-8 is a tiny public school in the Ashland Elem district, serving only seventh and eighth graders in the rural Rosebud County community of Ashland, Montana. The school sits in a small census-designated place immediately east of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, a low-density settlement where the St. Labre Indian School campus functions as the community center.
The student body is very small, composed of a handful of adolescents. It is predominantly American Indian, with a small number of white students and an even smaller number of students identifying as two or more races. Every single student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the high poverty rate that characterizes the surrounding area. The median household income in Ashland is low, and poverty runs deep. No data is available on the share of students with an Individualized Education Program or who are English learners.
State testing results for the most recent year paint an unclear picture. In math and English language arts, the school reported a proficiency rate of zero and a tested count of zero — meaning no students took those assessments. It is not clear whether the school opted out of testing, or whether the small enrollment fell below a minimum threshold. For science, a small number of students took the test, but results were suppressed for privacy. The available academic data is so thin that it offers little to judge student performance. Among districts in Rosebud County, the school’s overall proficiency index, based on whatever could be measured, fell at the bottom. A family considering this school would do well to speak directly with the staff about how academic progress is assessed and what support is available for students who need it.
No information is available on course access, staffing ratios, chronic absenteeism, or discipline. The school serves no grades beyond eighth, so there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on postsecondary readiness. The district itself, Ashland Elem, has no publicly reported recent changes or initiatives that would affect parents.
The community around the school is economically distressed with modest population growth. Most residents commute alone to work, and employment is dominated by educational services, largely tied to the St. Labre Indian School. Housing values are low, and homeownership rates are low as well. The town has no traditional downtown; civic life centers on the school campuses and the Ashland Ranger District of the Custer Gallatin National Forest. A planned latex glove factory backed by the Northern Cheyenne Tribe may bring jobs in the coming years, but the area remains deeply rural and isolated, with limited retail and no public transit.
Ashland 7-8 offers an environment that is very small, entirely free-lunch eligible, and deeply embedded in a Native American community. Parents seeking a school with a wide array of programs or strong measured academic outcomes will find little to go on. Those already connected to the Ashland area and looking for a close-knit, locally rooted middle school in a setting of high need may want to learn more by visiting the school directly.
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