The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Swan Valley 7-8
Swan Valley 7-8 is a very small school serving only seventh and eighth graders in the unincorporated mountain community of Condon, Montana, within the Swan Valley Elementary District. The school enrolled a total of three students for the 2023-24 school year, with two in seventh grade and one in eighth grade. All three students were identified as white. Data on the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities, and English learners was not available in the record. Because the school serves only two grades, there is no graduation rate to report.
State assessment results for 2023-24 show that zero students scored at or above the proficient level on the Smarter Balanced math and English language arts tests. That result represents all students who took the tests. For science, the proficiency rate was suppressed by the state, likely due to the very small number of test takers. It is common for states to withhold results when student counts are below a certain threshold to protect student privacy. When the entire tested group has the same outcome, a parent may want to ask the school or district directly about the academic experience these students receive, including curriculum, instruction, and how progress is measured beyond state tests. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects placed it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Missoula County.
No program offerings were reported in the data, so this narrative cannot describe what electives, career pathways, or enrichment opportunities are available to students in these two grades. The school’s staffing, course access, discipline, and attendance records were also absent from the record.
Condon sits along Montana Highway 83 in the Swan Valley, between the Swan Range and the Mission Mountains. It is a low-density rural settlement with a small year-round population—recent census estimates show a slight decline over the past several years. The community has a grocery store, restaurants, gas, and lodging, but is explicitly not a resort town; it is described as “real Montana” where the nearest stoplight is many miles away. There is no public transportation serving the valley. Daily life is vehicle-dependent, and the built environment is scattered homes and small businesses along the highway rather than a walkable grid. Major employers are limited; the U.S. Forest Service operates a work center and a small airport here, and the rest of the local economy consists of small businesses and likely seasonal tourism and outfitting services. Civic anchors include a Missoula Public Library branch, the Swan Valley Historical Society museum open seasonally, and direct access to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and Mission Mountains Wilderness. Housing values in the zip code are above the national median, and the typical home price has risen moderately over the past year. The national 30-year mortgage rate at the time of this analysis was just under six and a half percent, and the national unemployment rate was moderately above typical lows.
For the tiny middle-school population of Swan Valley 7-8, the record does not provide a full picture of day-to-day academic life. A parent or guardian considering this school for their child would want to speak directly with the Swan Valley Elementary District to understand how instruction is organized, what curricula are used, and how the school supports students’ readiness for high school given that the tested cohort scored uniformly below the proficient threshold on state assessments. The school is embedded in a remote, rural community with limited services and no public transit, which shapes the daily experience of school attendance.
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