The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 41% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Highland School
Highland School serves kindergarten through fifth grade and is part of the Billings Elem district in Billings, Montana. It is a neighborhood elementary school drawing from a residential area of the city. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a notable share of students identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native and a smaller Hispanic population. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that falls around the middle of the range for an elementary school in this region. The school is not a charter or magnet school.
On state assessments, Highland’s performance sits near the top among its peers districtwide in Yellowstone County. Student proficiency in English language arts and math each came in above the midpoint for elementary schools in the county, with math a touch stronger relative to the county’s range. Science proficiency, which is tested only in certain grades at the elementary level, was lower but still competitive within the same county comparison. Taken together, the school’s overall academic profile is a clear strength for a family looking at options in Billings. Achievement gaps between student subgroups are not detailed in the available data, so a parent may want to ask the school how different groups are performing and whether interventions are targeted to specific students.
No information was available on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or staffing ratios, so a fuller picture of school climate would need to come from a school visit or conversation with the principal.
Highland is a mid-sized elementary school by enrollment. Class sections are spread evenly across the grades, with the largest group in fifth grade. The school does not serve preschool in its own building, despite being listed as PK through 05, suggesting the pre-kindergarten program may be off-site or not currently active. Because the school ends at fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and there are no advanced placement or dual-credit offerings, which are typical only at the high school level. For families considering a pathway through the Billings Elem district, feeder patterns into middle and high school will matter.
Housing in the surrounding area has a typical cost for Billings: home values are moderately above the national median, and rents are also a bit above average. The local housing market shows a slight cooling in listing prices year over year, but demand remains solid. The county sees a typical number of homes for sale, and properties sit on the market just over a month, which is a moderate pace. For a family moving to the area, Highland’s attendance zone is a stable, established part of Billings.
The city of Billings itself functions as a regional trade and service hub for a large area of the northern Plains. It has a strong economy, driven by healthcare, finance, retail, and energy services, and has grown steadily for decades. Cultural amenities include a zoo, an art museum, and a historic mansion, and the Yellowstone River and the sandstone bluffs known as the Rims define the local landscape. No major recent changes within the Billings Elem district were reported in publicly available information, so the district appears to have been operating without significant disruption or restructuring.
For a family looking at this school, the main takeaway is a solidly performing elementary school with a slightly above-average academic profile for its county, set in a familiar residential part of a growing regional city. The peer environment is predominantly white, with modest economic diversity. A parent interested in the full student experience beyond test scores may want to inquire about enrichment programs, class size, and the school’s approach to supporting students who are not meeting benchmarks.
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