The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Math. The lowest is 56% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Belt School
Belt School serves the very small rural town of Belt, Montana, as a public elementary school for students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The town itself, founded as Montana’s first coal mining settlement, has experienced long-term population decline and now functions primarily as a residential and agricultural service center. A substantial share of local residents commute to Great Falls, a short drive away, for work, healthcare, and services, including to Malmstrom Air Force Base. The school building is integrated into the town’s small downtown core, alongside the historic commercial district, the Belt Museum, and city hall, reflecting a setting where civic and school life are tightly connected.
The student body is small and overwhelmingly white. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a notable share of families with lower household incomes. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. State testing data is available for grades three through eight, and Belt School’s performance across math, English language arts, and science places it above the midpoint among districts in Cascade County. Compared to its county peers, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects lands in the top quartile, a strong showing for a small rural school.
In math, roughly two-thirds of tested students scored at the proficient level or above. In English language arts, about three in five students reached that same benchmark. Science results, drawn from a smaller group of test-takers, show just over half of students scoring proficient or above. These numbers are solid for a school of this size and setting, though the science figure, while still above the county median, is a point where a parent may want to check in with the school for context on instruction in that subject. The district, Belt Elem, covers only the elementary grades and, based on publicly available information, has not undergone any major recent changes that would be of immediate consequence to families.
There is no information available on programs, course access, staffing, discipline, or attendance. Parents looking for details on after-school activities, class sizes, or specialized supports will need to contact the school directly. The school’s website is not listed in the available data, so finding current program information may require a call to the district office or a visit to the school’s building.
The housing market in the area shows a typical pattern for a small Montana town: home values are moderately below the state average, and renting is somewhat less expensive than paying a mortgage at prevailing interest rates. This may make Belt an affordable option for families who value a quiet, walkable town with a historic core and are willing to commute to Great Falls for shopping, medical care, and employment. The town’s population has been stable to declining, and there is no indication of new housing or commercial development, so the character of the community is likely to remain unchanged for the near future.
Belt School is a good fit for a family who wants a very small, rural elementary school with academic results that are strong relative to the surrounding county, a tight-knit community, and a setting where the school is literally at the center of town life. Families who need a wide array of program offerings, want a more diverse student body, or are looking for a growing community with new housing and amenities will find those absent here. The school’s academic record is a clear point in its favor; everything else is a matter of whether this kind of small-town, low-growth environment matches what a family is looking for.
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