The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Science. The lowest is 14% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Philipsburg School
Philipsburg School serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade in the small western Montana town of the same name. It is one school within the Philipsburg K-12 Schools district, which also operates the district’s high school in town. The school’s enrollment is small and overwhelmingly white, with a very small share of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic challenges many families face.
State test results from the most recent year available show that the school’s proficiency rates were low in math and English language arts and modest in science. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency was in the low teens, and in English it was roughly a quarter of test-takers. Science results were higher, with over a third of tested students scoring proficient, though the cohort tested was smaller because science is not assessed at every grade. There is no high school graduation rate to report because the school ends at sixth grade, and the district’s high school is a separate entity. The school does not yet serve testing grades for which chronic absenteeism data is tracked at this level.
Given the small size of the school and the rural setting, class sizes are likely modest, though specific staffing ratios were not available in the data. The school is a traditional public school and is not a charter or magnet. No Title I status was listed, though the free-lunch rate suggests it may qualify for federal support.
Philipsburg itself is a historic mining town that has reinvented itself around tourism and outdoor recreation. Its compact downtown, with restored nineteenth-century buildings, a brewery, and sapphire-hunting shops, draws visitors. The school sits within this fabric, close to the town’s library, museum, and government buildings. The local economy is anchored by a luxury guest ranch, a ski area, a medical center, and the school district. The town has seen modest population growth in recent years, driven by tourism and remote workers, but remains tiny. Home values in the area are somewhat above the national median but slightly below the typical Montana home, making the housing market relatively expensive for a small town. Renters face a tight market as well, though no specific rental index was available for the zip code.
No recent district-level changes or strategic initiatives were found in public information, so what is described here reflects the school’s current condition as reported in state and federal data.
For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a small, rural elementary that serves a predominantly white, lower-income student body. Academic proficiency is low in core subjects, which a parent may want to look into further with the school to understand the instruction, supports, and trajectory. The community is close-knit and rooted in a tourism economy that offers recreation and amenities unusual for a town of its size. The school itself is likely a central part of that community, but its academic performance gives a family a clear point of inquiry.
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