The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson High School
Jefferson High School serves grades nine through twelve and is the sole high school within the Jefferson H S district, which covers a broad swath of northern Jefferson County and draws students from the towns of Basin, Clancy, Jefferson City, and Montana City, though the school itself sits in Boulder. The student body is small for a high school, and its demographic makeup is predominantly white, with a very small number of Black and Hispanic students enrolled. Roughly one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a modest share relative to many public schools. Data on the number of students receiving special education services or who are English learners was not available.
State testing data for math, English language arts, and science is reported, but shows no students scoring at the proficient or above level in any subject. Because the school serves only high school grades and the state test results in the record are for grades three through eight, these reported figures are not applicable to Jefferson High School’s actual students. The school is not evaluated on those assessments for its grade band, so the proficiency rates in the data are not a reflection of how its students performed. A parent looking for academic performance measures should be aware that no state testing results for high school level assessments were included in the available information for this school.
There is no reported graduation rate, which is an important gap for a high school. The data does not indicate why it is missing, and a family considering this school may want to ask the school or district directly about its graduation and completion rates.
The school is not a charter school, and there is no information about whether it is a magnet school or receives Title I funding. Course access, staffing ratios, and discipline data were also not available, so there is little to share about the range of academic pathways or student support structures within the school.
Jefferson High School is located in Boulder, a small county-seat town in a mountain valley at the intersection of Interstate 15 and Montana Highway 69, about a half-hour drive south of Helena. The town has a traditional small-town grid centered on Main Street, with the Jefferson County Courthouse as a civic anchor. The economy is dominated by state institutions, including the Montana Developmental Center and facilities for troubled youth, which employ a substantial number of residents. Tourism from historic hot springs and commercial health mines that offer radon exposure for autoimmune conditions also contributes to the local economy. The town has seen modest population growth since the 2020 census, and housing values are below the state average for Montana, making the area relatively more affordable than the state as a whole.
When compared to other school districts within Jefferson County, the school’s overall proficiency index, which averages proficiency rates across tested subjects and grade levels, places it in the bottom quartile. However, because the index is based on the available testing data that does not apply to the school’s grade band, this comparison is not meaningful for understanding Jefferson High School’s actual academic standing. No chronic absenteeism rate or graduation rate was available to include in the comparison.
A parent or resident considering this school should recognize that the available data provides an incomplete picture. The most significant missing pieces for a high school are graduation rates and high school level assessment results. Families will want to seek that information directly from the school or district to understand how students perform academically and how many complete high school on time. The school serves a wide geographic area, so transportation logistics and the experience of commuting from outlying towns may also be relevant considerations.
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