The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in English language arts. The lowest is 63% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Morning Star School
Morning Star School is a Bozeman elementary school in the Bozeman Elem district, serving grades PK through 05. For a parent or resident sizing this school up, the first thing to know is that it produces strong academic results that put it among the higher-performing schools in its county context, within a district that is itself in the middle of significant growth and change.
On the state assessments administered for grades three through five, Morning Star’s students posted proficiency rates that, taken together across math, English language arts, and science, place the school in the top quartile of elementary schools relative to districts across Gallatin County. The school’s overall proficiency index sits well above the county median. In math and ELA specifically, roughly seven in ten students scored at the proficient or advanced level. In science, that figure was closer to six in ten. Those are the numbers that give the school a clear profile: a strong, steady performer academically, with no single subject area dragging the overall picture down. A parent looking at these results would see a school where the core academic program is delivering at a high level.
The school serves just over four hundred students, a size that is common for an elementary school in a growing city. The student body is predominantly white. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school’s demographic data does not report counts for students with IEPs or English learners, which a parent may want to ask the school about directly. The peer environment, based on the limited data available, is one of relative economic homogeneity, something that families with different expectations may want to explore further with the school community.
The housing context around Morning Star is layered. The school sits within Bozeman, a fast-growing city that has seen substantial population gains and a tight housing market. Home values in the school’s ZIP code are well above the national benchmark, and rents are elevated relative to incomes. A family moving into the area should be prepared for a high-cost housing environment, consistent with Bozeman’s profile as a mountain-west city with strong demand. The county market shows a median listing price well above national figures, though the rate of price growth has moderated recently. It is a market where the sticker price is high, but the number of homes for sale and the pace of sales suggest a market that is active rather than frozen.
The district context is critical here. The Bozeman Elem district is building a new elementary school on the west side of Bozeman, scheduled to open soon, funded by a property tax levy that the school board approved. That levy represents a lasting increase for property owners in the district. The district also redrew attendance boundaries for several existing schools to relieve overcrowding. Any family moving into the district should be aware that attendance zones have recently changed and that next year’s boundaries may differ from past ones. Morning Star’s own attendance zone was not indicated in the available data, but the district boundary process may have affected it. The district is responding to sustained enrollment pressure, and that means Morning Star may see changes in its own enrollment or zone in future years.
The school has no available data on discipline, chronic absenteeism, staffing, or course access beyond core academics. For an elementary school that offers standard classroom instruction, much of that is less relevant than it would be for a secondary school, but a parent who wants to know about class sizes, specialist offerings, or the school’s approach to behavior and attendance would need to ask the school or district directly. The school’s website is not referenced in the data, so that information would need to come from district communications or a visit.
Morning Star is not a charter or magnet school. It is a standard public elementary school in a district that is building and adjusting to growth. Academically, it delivers results that are strong by county standards. A family that can navigate the high housing costs and is attuned to the district’s shifting attendance boundaries will find a school that is performing well on the basics. The missing pieces around special populations and school climate are gaps the school itself would need to fill in a conversation.
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