The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Science. The lowest is 32% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Castle Rock Middle School
Castle Rock Middle School serves grades six through eight in Billings, Montana, as part of the Billings Elem district. Billings itself is a regional hub, the largest city in Montana and the primary trade, retail, medical, and cultural center for a vast area covering much of the state east of the Continental Divide as well as parts of Wyoming and the Dakotas. It has experienced sustained, rapid growth since its railroad-town founding, earning the nickname “Magic City,” and continues to see the largest population growth of any city in Montana. The economy is bolstered by its role as a service hub for regional oil development.
The school enrolls a large middle-school student body that is predominantly white, with the next-largest groups being students who identify as two or more races, Hispanic, and American Indian or Alaska Native. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a common measure of economic need. Data on English learner and special education populations was not available.
The student body is large enough to support a range of peer dynamics common to a big middle school, and the regional role of Billings means families arrive from a wide area, bringing a mix of professional, retail, healthcare, and energy-sector backgrounds. Housing in the relevant zip code has a typical value above the national benchmark, though below the state benchmark, suggesting a moderately priced market relative to the rest of Montana. Rents are moderate relative to national median household income, with typical monthly mortgage costs exceeding typical rents, which is a common dynamic in many markets.
On state assessments, reading and math proficiency rates were well below the midpoint among Yellowstone County’s districts, falling into the bottom quartile. Science proficiency was higher than both math and reading but still placed in the same comparative range. These are the most recent state test results available and reflect how students performed on the Smarter Balanced Assessment in math and English language arts and on the Montana Science Assessment. A parent considering Castle Rock will want to ask the school about its academic support and intervention strategies, especially in math and reading, given that the share of students reaching proficiency in those subjects was notably low relative to other schools in the county.
No information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, course access, or staffing ratios was available in the data. The district did not report any recent major changes that would be relevant to parents. Because Castle Rock is a middle school, it does not have a graduation rate, a feature that applies only to high schools. The school operates as a regular public school with no charter or magnet status, and its Title I status was not reported.
The overall picture is of a large middle school in a growing regional city, serving a predominantly white student body with a substantial economic-need segment. Its academic proficiency numbers, particularly in math and English, are an area where families will want to dig deeper with the school to understand the support systems in place. The school’s size and the city’s role as a trade and employment hub create a busy, diverse-in-background peer environment, even if the demographic makeup is not highly diverse. A parent moving to Billings or within the city would be choosing this school knowing its academic profile and the resources a large district and a growing city can provide.
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