The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Riverview Elementary
Riverview Elementary is a closed school. The state of Montana lists it as no longer operating, and the building at 333 2100 Road S in Galata is not currently serving students. Because the school is closed, there is no enrollment data, no student demographics, no information on programs or staffing, and no graduation rate to report. The school served a grade band listed as M through M, which in Montana’s coding typically refers to a multi-grade or mixed-grade configuration, common in very small rural schools.
The academic performance data that exists is from the 2022-23 school year, the last year the school was active. In math, all students who took the Smarter Balanced Assessment scored below the proficient threshold. In English language arts, the same pattern held. In science, the two students tested also scored below proficient. Participation was full in all three subjects, meaning every enrolled student took the tests. The tested group was very small, with ten students in math, eleven in ELA, and two in science. These results represent the school’s final year of operation.
Riverview Elementary was part of the Liberty Elem district, a very small rural K-8 district in Toole County. The district itself has no documented recent changes, referenda, or curriculum shifts. The school’s closure means that any families who would have attended Riverview now look to other schools in the area, likely in Shelby, the county seat roughly a half-hour drive west on US Highway 2.
Galata, where the school was located, is a tiny unincorporated community along the Hi-Line. It was once a railroad station and agricultural shipping point, but today it is described as virtually a ghost town, with a handful of occupied homes, a post office, a church, and a motel with a convenience store and gas station. The surrounding land is open agricultural fields and rangeland. There is no functioning downtown, no library, and no public transit. The nearest concentration of services and schools is in Shelby, about a half-hour drive west. The community peaked during the homestead boom of the early 1900s and has been in decline since the 1920s. No new development is documented.
For a family considering this area, the key fact is that Riverview Elementary is closed. There is no active school in Galata. Any school-age child living in the area would need to attend a school in another community, most likely in Shelby. The district that once operated Riverview, Liberty Elem, is a very small rural K-8 district, but the school itself is no longer part of that picture. A parent looking at this location should understand that the school building is not an option and that the nearest schools require a substantial drive.
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