The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on C M Russell High School
C M Russell High School serves grades nine through twelve as part of the Great Falls H S district in Great Falls, Montana. The school is named for the celebrated Western artist Charles Marion Russell, and the city itself houses the C. M. Russell Museum, one of many museums that anchor its civic life. Great Falls is a mix of industrial, commercial, and residential areas, shaped heavily by the presence of Malmstrom Air Force Base east of the city and the Montana Air National Guard to the west. The Missouri River runs through town, and Interstate 15 provides north-south access. Once the largest city in Montana, Great Falls now ranks third in population after Billings and Missoula, but it remains a cultural and commercial center for central Montana.
The student body is sizable for a single high school and predominantly white, with a meaningful share of students who identify as Hispanic and as American Indian or Alaska Native. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a level that signals a moderate degree of economic diversity within the school. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so families interested in those support areas would need to seek information directly from the school.
State testing results for this high school were not reported in the available data. The assessment data that exists covers grades three through eight, so for a high school there are no reported proficiency rates for math, English language arts, or science. The comparison against other districts in Cascade County shows a proficiency index that is listed in the bottom quartile, but that index is based on a value of zero, reflecting the absence of test data rather than actual performance. In other words, that comparison is not informative. A parent seeking to understand academic outcomes at C M Russell should ask the school for its own test results, graduation rate, and any other measures it tracks internally. The school’s graduation rate was also not reported in this data set.
No information was available on discipline, chronic absenteeism, staffing, course access, or program offerings. The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes, such as boundary adjustments or major curriculum shifts. The school is a traditional public high school; its charter and magnet status are not indicated, and Title I status is not reported.
Housing in the school’s immediate area sits at a level that is somewhat below the statewide benchmark for Montana but above the national median. Rents have been rising at a pace notably faster than home values, and the gap between a typical mortgage payment and rent suggests that buying a home may be a slightly better monthly deal than renting, depending on a buyer’s down payment and financing. The broader economic climate shows a modest national unemployment rate and steady but moderate household income growth.
For a family considering Great Falls, C M Russell High School represents the standard public high school option in a city with a strong military presence, a compact downtown, and a concentration of museums and outdoor recreation along the Missouri River. The main gap that a parent would want to fill is academic performance data, because the usual state test results are not available here. The school’s size and demographic mix suggest it serves a wide range of students, and the community’s economic anchors provide some stability. Without more detailed information on programs, graduation outcomes, and student support, a family would be wise to arrange a visit and ask those questions directly.
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