The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Math. The lowest is 50% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Westby School
Westby School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in a single building that anchors the tiny agricultural community of Westby, Montana. Located in the extreme northeastern corner of the state, a short distance from the Canadian border, the school is a central civic institution in a town defined by wheat farming, a grain elevator, and a sparse rural setting. The community is experiencing a slow population decline, and the school's enrollment reflects that reality: it is very small, even for a rural elementary school.
The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of Hispanic students. A substantial portion of families qualify for free or reduced-price meals, consistent with the area's agricultural economy. The grade-level distribution is uneven, with some grades having no students at all in the most recent data, which is typical in a school this size and likely means combined or multi-age classrooms.
On state assessments, the school's test-takers were few in number, so the results should be interpreted with that context in mind. In math, a majority of tested students met the state's proficiency benchmarks. In English language arts, half of the tested students reached that level. Science results were suppressed due to the small number of test-takers, so no reliable picture is available for that subject. A parent considering the school may want to ask how instruction is differentiated across grades and whether the school provides targeted support in literacy, given the split in ELA outcomes.
Because the school only serves through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate, no high school course access data, and no postsecondary readiness metrics to report. The district, Westby K-12 Schools, continues into a combined secondary program for older students, but that falls outside this school's grade band. Similarly, data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing were not available, so a parent may wish to ask the school directly about class sizes, teacher retention, and how the school supports attendance in a setting where long distances and weather can be factors.
No information was reported on specific programs such as gifted education, special education services, or English learner supports, though the school's small size suggests that such services, if they exist, are likely provided in an integrated, resource-constrained environment. The district's parent-relevant changes are also undocumented; no recent property tax shifts, curriculum overhauls, or policy referendums were found in available sources.
Compared to other districts in Sheridan County, the school's data cannot be reliably positioned because the cohort of comparable entities is too small for meaningful comparison. That is less a reflection on Westby School and more a recognition that remote rural schools like this one exist in a very different context from more populated districts.
A family considering Westby School should understand it as a deeply local, small-scale educational environment where the school and the town are nearly inseparable. The peer group is small, the setting is quiet and agricultural, and the academic pathway is straightforward: foundational elementary instruction in a setting where every adult knows every child. For a family already rooted in the area or drawn to the self-sufficiency of a remote prairie community, this school offers a predictable, contained experience. For families accustomed to larger schools with more programs and more data transparency, this school will require a higher degree of proactive inquiry to understand its full picture.
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