The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Alberton High School
Alberton High School serves grades nine through twelve in the small town of Alberton, Montana, a community of modest size in Mineral County along I-90 and the Clark Fork River, roughly a half-hour drive west of Missoula. The town itself is compact, with most destinations within walking distance, and its identity is rooted in railroad heritage. The high school building sits close to the elementary building, connected by a tunnel, and the historic Milwaukee Railroad Depot now serves as the community center, housing the public library and senior center. The town has a volunteer-run food bank, a summer farmers' market, and an annual Railroad Day festival. No major private employers are documented locally; the school district itself is a significant public-sector employer, and many residents likely commute to Missoula for work.
Alberton High School is a very small school, with an enrollment that is modest for a high school serving grades nine through twelve. The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of students identifying as two or more races. Every student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a reflection of the economic context of the community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source materials.
State testing data for the 2023-24 school year shows that no students in the tested grades at Alberton High School scored at the proficient or above level in math, English language arts, or science. The number of students tested in each subject was reported as zero, which means the school did not have any test-takers in the grade bands that the state assesses. Because the school serves only high school grades, and Montana administers its general state assessments in grades three through eight, the absence of test-takers is consistent with the grade band the school serves. High school students in Montana typically take end-of-course exams or other assessments, but those results were not part of the data provided. A parent should confirm with the school or district what assessments, if any, are administered at the high school level and what the results show.
The school is part of the Alberton K-12 Schools district, which serves the town and surrounding area. The district brief turned up no recent major changes or initiatives that would be of note to a parent.
When compared to other districts in Mineral County, Alberton High School's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile. This comparison is based on a small cohort of districts in the county, and the index reflects the mean of reported proficiency rates. Because the school had no test-takers in the state's general assessments for grades three through eight, this comparison may not capture the full picture of high school academic performance. A graduation rate was not available in the data, so that metric could not be included in the comparison.
The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of students identifying as two or more races. The school is not a charter school, and its Title I status was not specified in the data. No information on discipline rates, course access, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism was provided, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about these areas.
Housing in the Alberton area, based on the ZIP code data, shows home values that are above the state benchmark for Montana and above the national benchmark. The typical home in the area is priced at a level that, with a conventional mortgage at prevailing rates, would require a monthly payment that is substantial relative to national median household income. This suggests that the housing market in Alberton is not inexpensive, even though the town itself is small and rural. The county-level unemployment rate and national median household income figures provide general economic context, but local income data for Alberton specifically was not available.
For a family considering Alberton High School, the picture is one of a very small, rural high school where every student qualifies for meal assistance, and where state testing data is absent because the school's grade band falls outside the grades the state tests. The school's size means that class sections are small and students are likely to receive a lot of individual attention, but the range of course offerings and extracurriculars may be limited compared to a larger high school. The town itself is quiet, with a strong sense of local heritage and a handful of community amenities, but no major employers or recent development pressure. Families who value a tight-knit, small-town school environment and are comfortable with a limited set of academic data points may find this a suitable fit. Those who want to see a track record of high school academic performance or a graduation rate will need to seek that information directly from the school or district.
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