The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Math. The lowest is 66% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Hawthorne School
Hawthorne School is an elementary school in central Bozeman serving students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It operates under Bozeman Elem, a district that has been growing fast enough to prompt a new elementary school, approved by voters in a 2024 levy, set to open in fall 2025 on the west side of town. That expansion is part of a broader pattern: Bozeman is one of the fastest-growing cities in Montana, driven by Montana State University, a regional healthcare sector, and a maturing high-tech economy anchored by Oracle. The city's housing market reflects that pressure. Home values and rents are high relative to national benchmarks and to the rest of the state. The school sits on East Mendenhall Street, near downtown's walkable Main Street corridor, though most of the city outside that core is car-dependent.
The student body is small enough that a parent likely recognizes faces in the pickup line. Its racial and ethnic composition is predominantly white. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a figure that stands far below typical rates in the district and county. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available; a parent wanting to understand special education or language support services would need to ask the school directly.
Academically, Hawthorne posted strong results on Montana's state assessments. On the Smarter Balanced tests for math and English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above was well above the median of districts in Gallatin County, placing Hawthorne in the top quartile of that comparison set. Science proficiency on the Montana Science Assessment came in at a similar high level. Overall, the school's proficiency index across tested subjects and grades puts it among the stronger performers in the county. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available.
The school's program offerings were not detailed in the available data, so this account does not describe any specialized academies or enrichment tracks. For an elementary school that serves a mostly white, low-poverty student population and produces high proficiency rates, the academic picture is clear. A parent considering this school should be aware of the district's boundary changes tied to the new elementary school opening in fall 2025, which may affect which school a given address feeds into. The property tax levy approved for that construction is a lasting change for district residents. The growth context matters: the city's infrastructure, housing supply, and school capacity are all under strain from rapid population gains.
Hawthorne is a well-regarded neighborhood school in a growing and expensive mountain-town market. Its student body is not economically diverse by the measure of meal-program eligibility, and its academic results sit comfortably above many peers in the county. For a family living in central Bozeman and looking for a strong elementary pathway within a district that is building to keep up with demand, this school fits that description.
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