The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Rocky Boy High School
Rocky Boy High School sits in Box Elder, a very small unincorporated community on the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation, home of the Chippewa-Cree Tribe. The town is sparse and rural: a post office, a tribal government center, a school, a casino, and a grain elevator line U.S. Route 87. There is no downtown grid, no sidewalks to speak of, and no public transit. The population is a few dozen people, almost entirely Native American, and the median household income falls well below state and national averages. The economy revolves around tribal government, the casino, the school itself, and agriculture. The high school is part of the K–12 Box Elder Public Schools system, and it shares the same small campus that serves the entire community.
The school serves grades nine through twelve and enrolls a modest number of students. The student body is overwhelmingly American Indian or Alaska Native, with a tiny number of students from other racial backgrounds. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a reflection of the economic conditions of the reservation and surrounding area. This is a high-poverty school by any measure, and the community context matters for understanding what the school can offer and what challenges it faces.
What the data does not provide is just as important as what it does. State testing results are reported in the available data only for grades three through eight, not for high school grades, so there is no proficiency information for Rocky Boy High School’s own students. The school’s graduation rate is also missing from the data we reviewed. A comparison of overall proficiency across Hill County districts places this school in the bottom quartile, but that ranking is based on the elementary and middle school tests, not on any high school assessment. It tells a reader little about academic outcomes for upperclassmen here. For a family or resident trying to gauge the school’s academic strength, the most honest answer is that the standard public metrics do not cover this school’s grade band in a usable way. A parent may want to ask the school directly about its state testing participation at the high school level, its graduation rate, and its post-graduation plans for students.
We looked for details on course offerings, Advanced Placement, dual credit, career and technical programs, and staffing ratios, but none were available in the data we received. The district brief turned up no recent major changes such as a curriculum overhaul, bond referendum, or facility upgrade. It is possible that the school offers tribal or reservation-specific programming, but we cannot confirm that from the provided information.
What is clear is that Rocky Boy High School is deeply embedded in its community. It serves a population that is almost entirely Native American and economically disadvantaged, and it operates in a setting that lacks many of the resources and amenities of a suburban or urban district. The school likely plays a central role in the life of Box Elder and the Rocky Boy Reservation, but the available data does not allow a confident judgment about academic performance or college and career readiness. Anyone considering this school for their child would be wise to visit, talk to the principal and teachers, and ask about graduation rates, college enrollment, and the specific supports available for students on the reservation. The numbers on the page do not tell the full story, and in this case, they tell almost none of it for the high school itself.
See more original research from School Decision →