The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in Science. The lowest is 0% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Joliet Middle School
Joliet Middle School serves grades six through eight in the small, rural town of Joliet, Montana, a compact community of roughly a few hundred residents situated about thirty miles west of Billings. The school is part of the Joliet Elementary School District, which encompasses the town’s elementary and middle grades. The school’s enrollment is small, reflecting the size of the community it serves. The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and a handful of Black and multiracial students. About two-fifths of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, giving the school a moderate level of economic diversity.
Academically, the picture is mixed and incomplete. State testing data from the most recent school year shows that science proficiency among students who took the state science assessment was at a level that a parent could consider a relative bright spot—roughly two-fifths of tested students met or exceeded the state standard. However, no test results were reported for mathematics or English language arts in the same year; the data indicate that zero students were tested in those subjects. This gap may be due to a school-specific circumstance, such as a testing anomaly or a very small number of students that did not meet reporting thresholds, but the available records do not explain it. Overall, the school’s composite proficiency index, which averages across tested subjects, places it below the midpoint relative to other districts in Carbon County. A parent looking for a clear academic picture of this school may want to ask the school or district directly about what assessments were administered and how recent cohorts have performed in math and reading, as the public data leaves that question unanswered.
The school’s environment is shaped by the character of Joliet itself. The town covers a very small land area, with a grid that puts homes, the school, town hall, and the public library within walking distance. There is no public transit, and the nearest commercial services and healthcare are in Red Lodge or Billings, a short drive away. The town’s population has been stable over the long term, with a modest recent uptick in estimates. Housing values have risen and are now above both the state and national averages, a factor a family moving into the area may want to weigh against the limited local job market. Most residents likely commute to Billings or Red Lodge for work; the school district and town government are among the largest local employers. The district itself does not appear to have undertaken any recent major changes such as a bond, levy, or curriculum overhaul, based on publicly available information.
For a family, the question is fit. Joliet Middle School offers a small, close-knit setting where the school is literally part of the town’s daily life. The science results suggest some academic strength, but the missing math and reading data means a parent cannot gauge core academic performance from public sources alone. The moderate share of students receiving lunch assistance indicates some economic range, though the population is not highly diverse. This is not a school with extensive program offerings or extracurricular breadth—there is no data on course access, staffing, or discipline—so families who prioritize a wide array of electives or specialized academic tracks may find the profile limited. A family that values a low-key, rural, and integrated community school where the middle school is within the same town fabric as home and civic life, and where they are comfortable engaging directly with the school to understand its instructional reality, may find Joliet Middle School a reasonable fit. The missing data points are not red flags by themselves, but they are gaps worth exploring.
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