The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Garfield Co Dist Hs
Garfield County District High School serves about a small high school’s worth of students in grades nine through twelve in Jordan, Montana. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very small number of students identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native and an even smaller number identifying as Hispanic. The school is non-charter and operates under Garfield County High School district. State testing data was reported for the most recent year, but no students tested at the proficient or above level in math, English language arts, or science, and the tested count was zero; a parent may want to discuss assessment participation directly with the school to understand how academic progress is measured for enrolled students. Because the school serves only high school grades, a graduation rate would normally be a key metric, but it was not available in the data provided, so we cannot report one here.
Jordan itself is a tiny ranching town that functions as the county seat for Garfield County. It is described publicly as retaining an Old West flavor, cowboy country, and the most remote county seat in the contiguous United States. The nearest interstate is hours away, and the nearest movie theater is roughly eighty miles distant. The town covers a very small area, making it compact enough to walk across, but there is little street life and no public transit. The local economy is dominated by ranching and agriculture in the surrounding area, with the town acting as a service center for surrounding ranches and the dinosaur paleontology community. Public-sector employers include Garfield County government and Jordan Public Schools. Paleontology-related tourism and seasonal guided fossil digs provide some additional economic activity.
Civic life is concentrated in town, with the Garfield County Museum, Garfield County Library, and Jordan Airport all within or near the town. Jordan has experienced long-term population decline over the decades. No major new housing developments or growth projects were identified, and the town’s remoteness and declining ranching economy constrain development. The paleontology tourism sector, with new fossil specimens discovered annually in the Hell Creek Formation, represents the main area of ongoing activity.
A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that many families face economic challenges. Housing values in the area are below the national median, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a typical home is modest relative to national benchmarks. There is limited context for placing this school’s academic performance against others; the comparison set of districts in Garfield County is very small, and the proficiency index and graduation rate metrics were not applicable for comparison due to insufficient cohort size or missing data for this school. No recent parent-relevant changes at the district level were found in public sources.
For families considering this school, the peer environment is very small and rural, set in a community that is economically based on ranching and paleontology tourism. The school’s academic pathway, based on available data, is one where state testing participation appears to be very limited, which may reflect the challenge of measuring a very small high school population. A parent would want to learn directly from the school how student progress is tracked, what course offerings are available, and what postsecondary pathways students typically pursue. The setting offers an isolated, tight-knit community experience with limited commercial services and extreme remoteness, which may suit families seeking a low-density, rural lifestyle and who are comfortable with significant travel distances for amenities and cultural opportunities.
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