The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in Science. The lowest is 0% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Bench School
Bench School is an elementary school in Billings, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Billings Elem district, which oversees the city’s public elementary schools. The school sits within a city that functions as Montana’s largest urban center, a regional trade and service hub drawing from a multi-state area. Billings has grown rapidly since its railroad origins and continues to expand, driven by its role in healthcare, finance, retail, and energy services. The city’s landscape is defined by the sandstone bluffs known as the Rims and the Yellowstone River, and it offers cultural anchors such as ZooMontana and the Yellowstone Art Museum.
The school itself enrolls a moderate number of students for the elementary grade band. The student body is diverse, with a majority who are white, and notable shares who are American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic, and of two or more races. A substantial portion of students come from low-income households, as reflected in the free and reduced-price lunch qualification rate. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
State testing results present a mixed picture. For math and English language arts, the reported proficiency rate was zero percent, but the data also showed that no students were recorded as tested in those subjects for the grades tested. This makes the reported rate difficult to interpret, and it is something a parent would likely want to discuss with the school to understand assessment participation and any alternative measures of achievement. In science, the only subject with a clear tested count, a modest share of students met the proficiency standard. Overall, the school’s performance on state assessments places it in a lower tier relative to other districts in Yellowstone County, based on a combined proficiency index. Because the school does not serve grades beyond fifth, there is no graduation rate data.
The surrounding housing market is active, with home values above the national median and rents that are moderate relative to local incomes. The county shows strong demand and a limited supply of homes, consistent with the region’s growth. For families moving to Billings, the school sits in a neighborhood that is residential in character, part of a city that combines commercial corridors with suburban-style streets.
No major recent changes to the Billings Elem district were found in available records. Bench School does not appear to offer specialized magnet or charter programs, based on the data provided. For a family looking at this school, the key factors are its elementary-only span, its relatively high share of students from low-income backgrounds, and the unclear state testing picture for core subjects, which may warrant a direct conversation with the school about classroom instruction and how progress is measured. The school serves as a neighborhood option within a growing city that provides regional amenities.
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