The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kila School
Kila School serves a small rural community in northwestern Montana, drawing from the unincorporated area of Kila and the surrounding Flathead County landscape. It is a single-building elementary school within the Kila Elem district, enrolling students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The school sits on Kila Road, away from the U.S. Route 2 highway corridor that runs through this dispersed community, and the post office and nearby outdoor recreation at Smith Lake and Lone Pine State Park serve as the area’s civic and recreational anchors.
The student body is overwhelmingly white, reflecting the broader demographic character of the region. Nearly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that places this school in a mixed-income range for its area. Enrollment is concentrated in the early elementary grades, with the largest single grade in the data being second grade, and the school tapers gradually upward through sixth grade. With no high school grades served, Kila School does not produce a graduation rate, and its academic assessment results are reported only for the grades it tests.
On state assessments in math and English language arts, administered through the Smarter Balanced Assessment for grades three through eight, the school reported that none of its tested students scored at the proficient level. In science, the Montana Science Assessment result for the elementary grade band was suppressed, meaning the data was not released, likely due to a small number of test-takers. The school’s test participation information for math and ELA was missing, so it is not possible to determine how many students took those exams. The proficiency index, which combines all tested subjects and grades, places Kila School in the bottom quartile among districts in Flathead County. A parent considering this school will want to discuss these results directly with the school to understand what instructional supports and interventions are in place and how the school interprets its academic standing given its small size.
No data was available on the number of students with disabilities or English learners, on chronic absenteeism, or on discipline rates. The district did not report any recent strategic changes, nor were any program offerings such as art, music, or physical education detailed in the data available.
The community of Kila itself is car-dependent, with no downtown or sidewalks. Most families drive roughly a short distance to Kalispell for shopping, services, and employment. Housing values have risen sharply in the broader Flathead County market, and the school’s zip code reflects a home value well above the state benchmark, though the immediate area maintains a rural, low-density character with homes on large lots and ranch properties. The school itself is one of the few local employers, with a small teaching staff.
For a family, Kila School offers a small, community-rooted elementary setting in a rural part of the Flathead Valley. The academic performance data raises questions that would warrant a direct conversation with the school about curriculum, student support, and how proficiency is approached in a small-school context. Families whose children will eventually attend middle and high school will need to consider the options in nearby Kalispell or other Flathead County schools, as Kila School ends at sixth grade. The appeal here is tied to the character of the place: a quiet, sparsely populated area with outdoor access, a tight-knit school, and a straightforward academic program for the early years.
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