The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in English language arts. The lowest is 40% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lewis & Clark School
Lewis & Clark School serves a narrow, specific purpose in Lewistown, Montana: it holds only fifth and sixth graders. That two-year span makes it an unusual sort of intermediary step, a standalone intermediate school between the elementary grades and the middle school that follows. The enrollment is mid-sized for a school that covers just two grade levels, and the student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic share and a very small American Indian presence. Just over half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals a moderate level of economic need in the community.
Lewistown itself is a small regional hub at the geographic center of Montana. It has a traditional small-town Main Street, a handful of annual festivals like the Chokecherry Festival and Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and outdoor infrastructure including parks, trails, and Big Spring Creek. Housing values in the area come in well below the state average, which is reflected in the wider gap between local home prices and national benchmarks. The district, Lewistown Elem, covers the elementary and middle grades for the town; high school students attend Fergus High School through a separate district arrangement. Publicly reported information about recent district-level changes is limited, so parents looking for concrete plans around programming or facilities may want to ask the district office directly.
On state assessments, the picture is mixed. In English language arts, a solid majority of Lewis & Clark students scored at the proficient level or above, which is a clear relative strength. In math, however, the share reaching proficiency was markedly lower, with fewer than half of students meeting that bar. Science scores, tested at only one of the two grade levels, fell between the math and ELA results. The proficiency index used to compare schools across Fergus County places Lewis & Clark in the top quartile among the county’s districts, though it is worth noting that the county comparison set is small and the index is a composite that averages across tested subjects. The gap between the school’s stronger ELA performance and its weaker math performance is something a parent may want to explore further with the school.
No data was available for chronic absenteeism or for the share of students receiving special education services or English learner support. Without those figures, it is not possible to say how the school’s support systems or attendance challenges compare to others. The grade band explains the absence of a graduation rate, since Lewis & Clark ends at sixth grade.
The school is not a charter and does not carry a magnet designation. There is no publicly reported information on course access, staffing ratios, or discipline rates. These gaps are not unusual for a school of this size and grade span, but they do leave open questions about class sizes, enrichment offerings, and school climate that a parent would want to raise directly.
Lewis & Clark School occupies a defined niche in Lewistown’s educational pipeline. It offers a two-year stop for students in the middle of elementary and middle school. The academic data shows a solid performance in reading and a softer spot in math. For a family trying to understand whether this school fits, the main considerations are the grade configuration, the economic context of the town, and the uneven proficiency results across subjects.
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