The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lockwood High School
Lockwood High School sits in a fast-growing, unincorporated suburb east of Billings along I-90. The community of Lockwood has been one of the fastest-growing places in Montana in recent years, a trend that has brought new residential development and a voter-approved high school that opened in August 2020. The building sits on a single K-12 campus that functions as the community’s main civic anchor, since Lockwood has no traditional downtown or incorporated city government. Most residents commute to Billings for work, and the area is car-dependent, with a suburban-rural feel and large-lot housing along major roads.
The school itself serves roughly a mid-sized high school population for its grade band, with enrollments distributed fairly evenly across the four grades. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population in the low double digits and smaller shares of American Indian or Alaska Native students and students of two or more races. Roughly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that gives a sense of the economic mix families bring to the school.
Because state testing in Montana is administered in grades three through eight, and Lockwood High School serves only grades nine through twelve, there are no state assessment results to report. This is a straightforward consequence of the grade band, not an absence of academic data. For a parent or resident looking at how this school compares with others, the available proficiency index from the state’s high school testing (which uses the ACT in Montana) was not provided here, so a reader cannot draw a direct comparison on test performance alone. The school’s overall proficiency index, based on the small set of tested grades that do not apply, places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Yellowstone County. That positioning, however, reflects data from grades the school does not serve, so it is best set aside as not meaningful for this high school.
The housing market in Lockwood and surrounding Yellowstone County has seen home values rise in recent years, consistent with the area’s growth, though the pace of appreciation has moderated. Rents have also increased. The county’s median household income is around the national figure, and the typical home price relative to income is slightly above the national ratio, indicating an area where housing is moderately expensive but not out of reach for many families. The local unemployment rate is in the low single digits, reflecting a healthy job market anchored by the Billings metro area.
Recent district-level decisions shape what a family can expect. In 2023, voters approved both a general fund levy and a building reserve levy, which increased property taxes to support operations and facility improvements across the entire Lockwood K-12 campus. The district also broke ground on a high school expansion project that adds classrooms and a secondary gymnasium, expected to be completed in the 2024-2025 school year. New English Language Arts and math curricula aligned with state standards were adopted for the 2023-2024 school year, a curriculum change that applies to all students in the district.
What a family considering Lockwood High School should weigh: it is a relatively new high school building (opened in 2020) in a growing suburban community without a downtown or much public transit. The school serves a broad economic mix. Academic performance data from state tests is not available for this grade level, so parents would need to look at other measures such as course offerings, graduation rates, or college-going statistics directly from the school or district. The district has been investing in both facilities and curriculum, reflecting the growth pressures and the community’s willingness to fund them. For a family that values a suburban setting, a single-campus K-12 feel, and a school that is part of a rapidly evolving community, Lockwood High School fits that description. For those who rely heavily on test-score comparisons or want a more urban or walkable high school environment, this place would not provide those characteristics.
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