The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Joliet High School
Joliet High School serves students in grades nine through twelve in the small, rural town of Joliet, Montana, set in Carbon County near the Beartooth Mountains. The school is the sole high school within the Joliet H S district, and its modest enrollment reflects the scale of the community it serves. The student body is small and leans heavily homogeneous: a large majority of students are white, with small shares of Native American, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students present. Roughly three in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a moderate proportion that indicates a notable share of households with lower incomes but not a majority.
Because the school only serves high school grades, the state assessment results available in this profile cover grade levels that Joliet does not offer. No high-school-level state testing data was provided, so the school’s academic performance on statewide exams cannot be characterized from this source. The graduation rate, a key metric for any high school, was also absent from the data. A comparison that placed the school among Carbon County districts used an overall proficiency index from those inapplicable lower-grade tests; that comparison is not a meaningful reflection of Joliet High School’s own instructional outcomes, and a parent interested in academic achievement would want to seek results directly from the school or the Montana Office of Public Instruction.
What can be described is the setting. Joliet is a compact town built around a Main Street grid, with town hall, the public library, and the high school all within its small footprint. Residents can walk between these anchors, but the town’s rural character means that most commercial services, healthcare, and employment are found in Red Lodge or Billings, about a half-hour drive away. No major employer is based in Joliet; the school and town government are likely among the largest local workplaces, and many residents commute to the larger Billings metro area.
The housing market in the area has seen meaningful appreciation. Home values in Joliet exceed both the Montana and national medians, a fact that prospective families should weigh against local income levels. The town’s population has been historically stable, though recent estimates suggest a small uptick. There is no public transit, and the nearest commercial airport is in Billings.
The school itself operates without charter or magnet status, and no information was available on program offerings such as Advanced Placement, dual credit, or career-technical education. The district brief turned up no recent changes of lasting impact to report.
This is a school that fits a family seeking a very small high school in a tight-knit rural community where students are known individually. The absence of published academic performance and graduation data is a significant gap; families who place a high priority on measurable outcomes will need to investigate further with the school to understand its academic record, course offerings, and postsecondary placement. The town’s high home values relative to the state and nation may also be a practical consideration for those looking to move into the district.
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