The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Clinton 7-8
Clinton 7-8 serves only seventh and eighth graders in the small bedroom community of Clinton, which sits in the Clark Fork River valley east of Missoula. The area has a history tied to mining and timber, but today most residents commute to Missoula for work. The population grew noticeably in earlier decades and has since seen a slight decline, leaving the community with a stable but modest size. Beavertail Hill State Park lies nearby.
This is a very small school. The enrollment, spread across just two grade levels, means that students learn in an environment where the cohort is small enough that teachers and staff likely know each student individually. The student body is predominantly white, with a handful of students from other racial backgrounds. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a meaningful portion of families have lower household incomes. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how those populations are served.
State testing results for math and English language arts were not available for the most recent school year; the records show no students tested in those subjects. For science, a small number of students took the assessment, and their results were suppressed because the group was too small to report publicly. That leaves little objective information about academic performance from state exams. In a comparison across school districts within Missoula County, the overall proficiency index at Clinton 7-8 placed it in the bottom quartile, but that comparison is based on a limited set of data and may not fully reflect what happens in the classroom. A family interested in this school would want to ask the principal or teachers directly about how students are performing in core subjects and how the school tracks academic growth.
The school has no high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to evaluate, and no data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staff qualifications were available. This school, like many small rural middle schools, may rely heavily on a small faculty and may share some resources with the district’s elementary school.
Housing in Clinton is above the typical values seen across Montana and the nation, reflecting the area’s proximity to Missoula and its desirability as a commuter community. Mortgage costs are high relative to rents, making renting a more attainable option for many families. The district itself, Clinton Elem, which oversees this middle school, did not have recent curriculum changes, referendums, or property-tax shifts rising to a level that would affect families in the near term, based on publicly available information.
Clinton 7-8 fits a family looking for a very small middle school setting where a student is not anonymous and the community is close-knit. The academic picture is largely opaque from the outside, so a closer inquiry with the school is necessary to understand instruction, support services, and how students progress toward high school readiness. The town offers a quiet, rural lifestyle within commuting distance of Missoula’s amenities.
See more original research from School Decision →