The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hot Springs 7-8
Hot Springs 7-8 is a very small public middle school serving seventh and eighth graders in the Hot Springs K-12 district, which covers the town of Hot Springs on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Sanders County, Montana. The school is essentially a single-grade band within a three-school district that educates students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, all within the town’s compact footprint.
The student body is tiny, and the available data shows that about two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a substantial share that signals significant economic need in this remote community. Demographically, the school is majority white, with about one-third of students identifying as two or more races and a smaller share identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native. No information was available on the share of students with disabilities or English learner status, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the supports offered for those populations.
State assessment results for math and English language arts were reported as zero percent proficient, but with no students actually tested—the tested count is also zero. This means that for the 2023–24 school year, no seventh or eighth graders at this school took the Smarter Balanced Assessment in those subjects. The reason is not stated in the data, but in a school this small, such gaps often reflect very low enrollment, alternative assessment arrangements, or other local circumstances rather than a typical testing picture. In science, a very small number of students (fewer than a handful) were tested, and the proficiency rate was suppressed to protect student privacy. The neighbor comparison places the school’s overall proficiency index—which here is zero, reflecting the absence of tested students—in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Sanders County. This comparison is based on only two districts with data, so it is a shallow benchmark. A parent would want to ask the school directly about how academic progress is measured and what the typical classroom experience looks like.
No information was available on program offerings, course access, staffing, or disciplinary climate. The district brief turned up little in the way of recent strategic changes or initiatives, so there is no major reform or program expansion to report. The town of Hot Springs itself is a quiet, off-the-beaten-path place that has seen a modest recovery from historical population decline. The school is embedded in the town center, not on a separate campus, and the district’s schools are within walking distance of the community’s main commercial and civic anchors, including the Symes Hotel, library, and museum.
For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is that it is a very small middle school in an isolated rural town. The academic data is essentially a blank slate for the grade levels served, and the school’s position among county peers is hard to interpret given how few students were tested. A parent should expect close relationships among staff and students, limited course variety compared to larger schools, and a setting where the school is a central part of a small, tourism-leaning community. The district does not have high school graduation data at this school level, but the elementary and high schools in the same district may give a fuller picture of student outcomes over time.
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