The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Harrison School
Harrison School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the small ranching community of Harrison, Montana, at the foot of the Tobacco Root Mountains in the Willow Creek Valley. The school is part of the Harrison K-12 Schools district, which covers the full K-12 span, but the elementary building itself houses only the younger grades. The town, an unincorporated census-designated place, has seen its population decline over recent decades and remains sparsely populated, with a single street and a cluster of houses. There are no major employers or new housing developments in the immediate area, and the local economy continues to center on agriculture. The built environment is rural, with no pedestrian infrastructure or downtown core, and the school functions as a central community institution.
The student body at Harrison School is small, reflecting the size of the community it serves. The enrollment is heavily white, with a very small number of students identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the provided records.
On the Montana state assessments, the school's academic proficiency rates on the Smarter Balanced tests in math and English language arts for grades three through eight place it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Madison County. In math, slightly fewer than one in five students scored at the proficient level or above. In English language arts, the proportion reaching that benchmark was higher, with roughly two out of every five students meeting the standard. Science assessment results for the tested grades were suppressed due to a very small number of test-takers, so no performance conclusion can be drawn there. The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate applies. Parents looking for more detail on instructional approaches and academic support may want to ask the school directly about how it addresses these proficiency levels, especially given the small class sizes that often allow for individualized attention in a setting like this.
Because Harrison School serves only through sixth grade, families who remain in the district past that point will need to plan for the transition to the upper grades elsewhere within the same district or consider options in neighboring towns. The district itself is very small, and publicly reported records did not show recent changes to curriculum, programming, or facilities. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not provided.
For a family considering this school, the main considerations are its rural, small-town setting and the academic performance picture that emerged from the most recent state testing. The town offers limited commercial or recreational infrastructure on its own, though outdoor amenities such as Lewis and Clark Caverns, Norris Hot Springs, and national forest access are within a short drive. The school may fit best for families who value a close-knit, low-density community environment and who are prepared to supplement academic support at home or work closely with teachers in a small school where each student's progress is readily visible. The declining population of the town and the absence of major development suggest a stable but not growing context, which may matter to families planning for the long term.
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