The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Great Falls High School
Great Falls High School is one of two comprehensive high schools serving the city of Great Falls, a community set along the Missouri River at the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. It is part of the Great Falls H S district. The city itself has a distinct identity as a cultural and commercial hub for central Montana, shaped by its history as an industrial and supply center and heavily influenced by two major military installations: Malmstrom Air Force Base, the community's largest employer, and the Montana Air National Guard. The school sits on 2nd Avenue South in this setting.
The student body is large for a high school, drawing from across the city and surrounding area. The demographic composition is predominantly white, with a substantial American Indian or Alaska Native student population, a smaller share of students who are Hispanic, and small numbers of students who are Asian, Black, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. A little over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a middle range for economic need among area high schools. Information on the share of students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the data reviewed.
State testing data, reported through Montana's Smarter Balanced assessments for math and English language arts and the Montana Science Assessment, showed no students counted as proficient for the school year examined. This is an unusual result that a parent should look into further with the school or district. It may reflect the nature of the tested population, a data collection or reporting issue, or the fact that many high school students take alternative assessments or are not tested in these grade-level exams; the data did not provide a specific reason. When the school is placed among the districts in Cascade County on an overall proficiency index, it falls into the bottom quartile of performers. A graduation rate was not available, so that key measure of high school completion could not be evaluated.
The school offers grades nine through twelve with roughly even enrollment across each grade level, suggesting a stable student population that does not experience large changes in size from year to year. Housing in the school's vicinity has a median home value that is modestly higher than the state's median and slightly higher than the national median, with home values and rents both rising at a steady clip. The estimated monthly cost of owning a home after a typical down payment runs a bit higher than the estimated rent for a comparable property, which is a dynamic families might weigh when deciding where to live.
The district brief did not surface any recent changes, such as boundary adjustments, program launches, or policy shifts, that would be immediately relevant to parents. That absence means no information on new initiatives or operational changes was available to shape the picture.
Great Falls High School sits in a city with a notable number of museums and cultural institutions, including the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and the C. M. Russell Museum. The military presence provides a steady economic base for the area. For a family considering this school, the central takeaway is that the academic proficiency picture as reported in state data is unclear and warrants direct inquiry. The school serves a large, diverse enrollment in terms of economic background, and the community it anchors offers a range of civic and cultural amenities.
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