The top reported proficiency rate is 86% in Science. The lowest is 0% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Ulm Junior High
Ulm Junior High serves about a few dozen students in grades six through eight, making it an unusually small school even by rural Montana standards. It sits in the unincorporated community of Ulm, a ranching and farming area in Cascade County, and is part of the Ulm Elem district, a small K-8 system with no recent parent-relevant changes publicly reported.
The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very small number of students identifying as two or more races. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that suggests some degree of economic diversity, though not extreme. The school is not a charter, and its Title I status is not on record.
State testing results are limited. In math and reading, the state reports a zero percent proficiency rate, but with no students tested in those subjects. A parent may want to ask the school directly whether testing was waived, whether students took alternate assessments, or how the school measures academic progress in those core areas. Science, for which a small handful of students were assessed, showed strong proficiency. When all three subjects are combined into a single index, the school’s overall proficiency falls in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Cascade County. Because the math and reading results are based on no test takers, that index should be interpreted with caution—it may not reflect actual student learning.
No information is available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, course access, or attendance patterns. The school does not offer high school grades, so there is no graduation rate.
Housing in the Ulm ZIP code is priced near the state average for Montana, and mortgage and rent costs remain elevated relative to national medians, in line with broader trends in the region.
For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is that it offers a very small, close-knit environment in a rural community. The academic picture is incomplete, and a parent would likely want to follow up with the school to understand how math and reading instruction is assessed and what supports are in place for students who may be below grade level. The science results are a clear bright spot, but they come from a tiny sample. The lack of publicly available data on discipline, staffing, and classroom access means a visit or conversation with the principal would be especially valuable.
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