The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Science. The lowest is 33% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Absarokee School
Absarokee School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the small, unincorporated community of Absarokee, Montana, situated in the Stillwater Valley in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains. The school is part of the Absarokee Elem district, and its grade band means it does not have a graduation rate. The school’s enrollment is modest, which is typical for a rural elementary school serving a community of this size. The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of American Indian or Alaska Native and Hispanic students, and more than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school does not operate as a charter or magnet school.
State assessment results for the 2023-24 school year are available for math, English language arts, and science, tested at the grades 3-8 level. On the Smarter Balanced Assessment, the share of students scoring proficient or above was below the midpoint for math and for English language arts. On the Montana Science Assessment, half of the tested students scored proficient or above. The school’s overall proficiency index across these subjects places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Stillwater County. Parents may want to discuss these results with the school to understand the academic support and curricula in place.
Absarokee itself is a rural census-designated place that began as a trading post and ranching settlement at the confluence of the Stillwater and East Rosebud Rivers. Its economy has long been rooted in ranching and agriculture, with the Stillwater Mine, a palladium and platinum mining operation, as a major employer. Mining families are described as more transient than the farming community, which is a practical distinction for a parent considering the stability of the peer group. The town is also a gateway for outdoor recreation in the Beartooth Mountains and Absarokee-Beartooth Wilderness, so families who value that access will find it nearby.
Housing values in the area are in a range that, while not among the state’s most expensive, are above the national typical level and have been rising. This context matters because a parent moving into the area should weigh housing costs against income expectations, especially since the local median household income is in line with the national figure. The town itself spans roughly two square miles along Highway 78, with Woodard Avenue as the main street. The built environment is small-town rural Montana, and street life is minimal, consistent with a place of this size and character. Population has been declining, and no major new housing developments or commercial expansion were identified in the available sources. The 2022 Montana floods affected the area, which may be a consideration for any family looking at property near the rivers.
The district brief yielded no recent changes such as levies, bonds, or curriculum shifts that were reported in search results, so the picture is one of a stable, if not growing, district with no major upheavals to note.
Absarokee School is a small rural elementary school where the community’s economic base is a mix of agriculture and mining, and where state assessment results are below the county median. A parent considering this school will want to understand how the school addresses those academic results, especially in reading and math, and how the school’s size and rural setting fit their family’s expectations for class size, peer group, and extracurricular options. The absence of high school grades means a parent will also need to plan for where their child will attend middle and high school, as the school’s scope ends at fifth grade.
See more original research from School Decision →