The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Harrison High School
Harrison High School is a very small public high school in the ranching community of Harrison, Montana, serving grades nine through twelve. The school sits within the Harrison K-12 Schools district, which, as publicly reported, educates students from kindergarten through twelfth grade across three schools. The town itself is an unincorporated community at the foot of the Tobacco Root Mountains, described in public sources as a single street and a cluster of houses with a population that has been in decline. The built environment is sparse and rural, with no distinct downtown core, and the school, by nature of the town’s size, is integrated into the community itself; it even operates a low-power community radio station.
The student body is small, with enrollment evenly spread across the four high school grades. The student population is predominantly white, with a substantially smaller share of Hispanic students. Half of the students at the school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that places the school in a moderate range for economic need. No data was available on the proportion of students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how it serves those populations.
State testing data for the most recent school year reports that no students in the tested grades were proficient in math, English language arts, or science. However, this result comes with an important caveat. The school’s enrollment across all four grades is very small, and the state assessments used for this comparison are designed for grades three through eight. Because the high school assessment results are reported under the same grade-band label but with a tested count of zero, it is not clear from the data provided whether the school’s high school students actually took the relevant end-of-course exams in the reported year. The proficiency index, which places the school in the bottom quartile among the districts in Madison County, reflects that figure of zero. A parent looking for a clear picture of academic performance at this school should ask the administration directly about recent state testing participation and outcomes for high school grade levels.
The district has no reported recent changes in curriculum, referendums, or leadership that would affect a family’s decision. The town’s population decline suggests the school is operating in a community that is not growing, and no major new housing developments have been identified. The school does not appear to offer any specialized programs such as Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, or career and technical education pathways, though the absence of data means a family should verify what course options are available.
For a family considering this school, the context is everything. Harrison is a tiny, rural agricultural community with limited local employment and a school that is central to the town’s identity. A student here would be in a very small peer group, likely familiar with classmates across all grades. The lack of clear academic performance data is a real gap, and a parent should investigate that directly with the school. This setting would be a fit for a family seeking a close-knit, rural school environment and may be less suitable for those looking for broad course offerings, large extracurricular programs, or strong comparative academic benchmarks.
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