The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Fairfield 7-8
Fairfield 7-8 is a small school serving only seventh and eighth graders in the agricultural community of Fairfield, Montana. It is part of the Fairfield Elementary School District, which covers kindergarten through eighth grade. With a student body of about that size for a two-grade middle school, the school offers an intimate academic setting where students move through these two years in a single cohort.
State testing data for math and English language arts shows no recorded student participation, meaning that no results were reported for those subjects. Science assessment results were suppressed due to small group size. This absence of test data makes it difficult to gauge academic performance through the standard measures used by many families. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how student progress is assessed and what recent outcomes look like. When compared to other districts in Teton County, the school’s overall proficiency across the subjects that were tested placed it in the bottom quartile. Because the comparison is against entire districts, not individual schools, this should be interpreted cautiously, but it does suggest that performance levels in this building face headwinds relative to broader county benchmarks.
The student body is predominantly white, with a small number of Asian and Hispanic students and a small number of students identifying as two or more races. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced‑price lunch, reflecting a moderate level of economic diversity. No data was available on special education services, English learner programs, discipline rates, or staffing, so families should expect to seek that information directly from the school.
Fairfield itself is a compact agricultural trade center, known as the “Malting Barley Capital of the World.” It sits on the Fairfield Bench, where irrigated barley and grain fields dominate the landscape. Busch Agricultural Resources operates a malting barley facility in town, and other major employers include rural cooperatives. The town is small, with a central park, a public library, a golf course, and seasonal community events. Housing values in the area are above the national median but somewhat below the Montana median, making the market moderately priced for the state.
The town has experienced slow, steady population growth in recent years. However, a more pressing story concerns water. Prolonged drought has caused the irrigation district to reduce water deliveries from Gibson Dam, leading to record low water levels at nearby Freezeout Lake. Many homeowners have seen their wells go dry, and the town has imposed water limits. An attempt to dig a new well was unsuccessful. These infrastructure and environmental challenges are a real consideration for anyone moving to the area.
No significant district‑level changes were reported in recent years, and the school itself appears to be a stable fixture in the community.
Fairfield 7‑8 fits families who are looking for a small, rural middle school where a child would be part of a close‑knit peer group for two years. The limited academic data means that a parent should investigate instruction and assessment practices further. The community offers a quiet agricultural lifestyle with modest housing costs relative to the state, but water availability is an open concern that deserves attention from prospective residents.
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