The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Baker High School
Baker High School serves grades nine through twelve in the town of Baker, a small county seat in far eastern Montana, roughly ten miles from the North Dakota border. The school is part of the Baker K-12 Schools district. The town’s economy rests on two pillars: agriculture, primarily cattle ranching and dryland farming, and the oil and gas industry tied to the Williston Basin. Baker has experienced repeated boom-bust cycles, and the high school sits within a compact, car-dependent town where the energy sector is the dominant employer.
The student body is small, as one would expect in a town of this size. The enrollment is predominantly white, with a very small share of students identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native, and a similarly small share identifying as Hispanic. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that is modest relative to many rural districts. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source material.
State testing data for the 2023-24 school year shows a proficiency rate of zero percent in math, English language arts, and science. This is an unusual result that a parent will want to understand. The school serves only high school grades, and the state assessments reported here are for grades three through eight, which do not apply to Baker High School’s students. The school’s grade band explains the gap: the reported tests are not administered at the high school level, so the zero percent figure reflects the absence of tested students rather than a measure of student performance. A parent looking for academic performance data for this school will need to look elsewhere, as the state’s high school assessments are not captured in this dataset.
The school’s graduation rate was not available in the data provided, so a parent may want to ask the district directly about this metric.
Baker High School is a small high school, with an enrollment that is modest for a four-year high school. The grade-level breakdown shows a smaller freshman class and a larger sophomore class, with the senior class being the second smallest. This kind of variation is common in small rural schools and may reflect the town’s economic cycles, as families move in and out with the oil and gas industry.
The school is part of the Baker K-12 Schools district, which serves the entire town. The district brief turned up no recent major changes or initiatives that would affect a family’s decision, so a parent should feel comfortable asking the school directly about any current developments.
The town of Baker itself is a small county seat whose character is shaped by agriculture and the energy sector. It has experienced repeated boom-bust cycles tied to oil prices, and the housing market reflects that volatility. Median home values have risen recently, and the vacancy rate is high, which is typical of a town with oil-field worker housing turnover. The town is car-dependent, with a traditional small-town grid and a few recreational amenities like Lake Baker and Iron Horse Park. The school is located within the town’s compact footprint, not on a distant campus.
In the context of the three districts in Fallon County, Baker High School’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile. However, because the proficiency data comes from tests that are not administered at the high school level, this comparison is not meaningful for understanding the school’s actual academic performance. A parent should seek out the school’s own assessment results, such as ACT scores or end-of-course exams, to get a clearer picture.
The school’s small size means students are likely to receive more individual attention than they would in a larger high school. The town’s economy and housing market are tied to oil and gas cycles, which can bring both opportunity and instability. For a family considering Baker High School, the most important step is to ask the school directly about its high school assessment results, graduation rate, and course offerings, as the available data does not provide a clear academic picture.
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