The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in English language arts. The lowest is 43% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Opheim School
Opheim School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in a community that time has largely passed by. The school sits in a tiny farming town on the northern Montana prairie, a place that once boasted banks, stores, a movie theater, and a bowling alley during the homestead boom, but whose population has dwindled to very few residents. The closure of a nearby Air Force Station decades ago accelerated a long economic decline, and the town now has no major source of income beyond wheat farming. The school itself is one of the few remaining civic anchors.
Academically, the school's state test results present a mixed picture. On math assessments, fewer than half of students scored at the proficient level. In English language arts, about half reached proficiency. These results come from a very small group of test-takers, so year-to-year swings can be large and a single cohort's performance may not reflect a stable pattern. Science results were suppressed due to a very small number of testers. Compared with other districts in Valley County, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint, but only a handful of districts in the county had enough tested students to be included in that comparison. Because Opheim School ends at sixth grade, there is no graduation rate or high school outcome data to consider.
The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a small share of Asian students. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the limited economic base of the surrounding area. The school is not a charter or magnet school. Data on special education identification and English learner status were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the supports available for those populations.
The community context is essential to understanding this school. Opheim is a very small town with very low housing values relative to the county median. The local economy depends on agriculture, and the nearest city of any size is a substantial drive south. There is no public transit and few remaining businesses. The district itself has no recent notable changes such as referendums, tax shifts, or curriculum overhauls to report. For a family considering this school, the appeal would be an extremely small, rural learning environment where a child is likely to receive close attention in a multi-grade classroom. The trade-offs include limited local amenities, a contracting community, and academic results that, while competitive within a very narrow county comparison, are modest in absolute terms.
See more original research from School Decision →