The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in Science. The lowest is 0% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Meadow Lark School
Meadow Lark School is a public elementary school in Great Falls, Montana, serving students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It is part of the Great Falls Elem district, which covers the city’s elementary grades. The school sits in a residential area on Fox Farm Road, part of a city that functions as a cultural and commercial hub for central Montana, with the Missouri River cutting through town and Interstate 15 providing north-south access. Great Falls is heavily shaped by Malmstrom Air Force Base, the area’s largest employer, and the Montana Air National Guard, giving the community a stable, institution-anchored economy.
The student body is moderate in size for an elementary school and is predominantly white, with much smaller shares of Hispanic students, students identifying with two or more races, and American Indian students. A relatively small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which suggests the school’s enrollment draws from families with middle or higher incomes compared to other public schools in the area. This economic profile is one of the school’s more distinctive features and shapes the peer environment.
On academics, the picture is incomplete. The state assessment data available covers only science, and on that measure a substantial majority of tested students met proficiency standards. No results were reported for math or English language arts, and no students appeared to have taken those assessments. The reason for this gap is not given in the data, but a parent who wants a full picture of the school’s academic performance should ask the school directly about its math and reading instruction and assessment practices. When the school is compared with other districts in Cascade County on an overall proficiency index that averages results across subjects, it falls in the bottom quartile. However, that index is built from three subjects, and the missing data for two of them makes that relative position hard to interpret. A parent should treat the comparative ranking with caution.
Because the school ends at sixth grade, there is no graduation rate. There is also no reported information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, or course access. Special education and English learner counts were not reported. The school is not a charter or a magnet, and its Title I status was not available. These gaps mean a prospective family may want to contact the school to understand how it supports students with different learning needs.
The housing market in the area around Meadow Lark reflects the broader Great Falls context. Home values sit roughly around the national average, and rents have been rising at a faster pace recently. A typical mortgage in the area is somewhat more expensive than renting, which may influence a family’s decision about where to live. The local unemployment rate has been steady at a moderate level, and median household income is near the national figure. Great Falls itself has a history of slow population growth relative to faster-growing Montana cities, and while the city remains a regional center, its growth trajectory is moderate rather than rapid.
For a family considering Meadow Lark, the school offers a mid-sized elementary setting with a mostly middle-income and largely white student population, in a city with a stable military-connected economy and a range of cultural amenities. The limited academic data, especially the absence of math and reading test results, means a parent will need to probe further to gauge classroom rigor and student progress. This school will likely fit families who value a conventional public elementary experience in a steady, smaller-city environment and who are comfortable following up directly with the school for the details that aren’t publicly available.
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