The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 33%.
Original Research by School Decision on Miami School
Miami School is a small rural school in Conrad, Montana, serving students from prekindergarten through eighth grade. It sits within the Miami Elem district, a single-school district that is among the smallest in the area. The school has a student body of a modest size, and every student enrolled identifies as white. Data on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, receive special education services, or are learning English was not available, which leaves an incomplete picture of the school's support needs.
The school's academic results are limited and mixed. In English language arts, roughly one in three students scored at a proficient or above level on the state's Smarter Balanced assessment. Performance in math and science was suppressed in the available data, meaning the state did not release those figures, likely due to the very small number of test-takers. Positioning this school against other districts in Pondera County places its overall proficiency index in the bottom quartile among the handful of districts that had reported results. A parent considering this school may want to ask the district directly for more detail on math and science achievement, as well as any trend data across recent years.
There is no graduation rate to report because the school does not serve high school grades. The district brief turned up no recent news of curriculum changes, referendums, or property tax shifts, which is consistent with a very small, stable district that operates below the radar of public attention.
Conrad, the town where Miami School is located, is the county seat of Pondera County and serves as an agricultural hub within Montana's Golden Triangle wheat region. The town has a historic downtown with unique shops and the restored Orpheum Theater, and it is anchored by the Pondera County Courthouse. Major employers include a local health system, county government, the public schools, and agricultural businesses. The town is largely car-dependent, though the core area offers some walkability. It has remained a stable small agricultural community, with no major new housing developments reported.
Because Miami School is the only school in a single-school district, the experience is tied directly to that building. The setting is rural, the enrollment is small, and the academic results on the state assessment are below the county median in the subjects where data could be released. For a family, this is a school that fits a very small, homogeneous community context, where personal relationships with staff are likely, but where broader academic programs, electives, and peer variety that larger schools offer are absent by design. The missing data on special populations and the suppressed test scores in two subjects mean a parent may need to have a direct conversation with the school to fully understand how instruction and support are structured for all students.
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