The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in Science. The lowest is 47% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Rocky Mountain Elementary
Rocky Mountain Elementary sits in Cowley, a small town in Big Horn County, Wyoming, at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains near the Shoshone River. The town was settled by Mormon pioneers and retains a pioneer-heritage identity that surfaces most visibly each July during Cowley Pioneer Day, a community celebration with a parade, rodeo, dance, and barbecue. Daily life here is car-oriented, though distances within town are short. The built environment is low-density residential with a town park, pool, and community center. Agriculture shapes the surrounding economy, and the school district itself is a likely major employer. No large private employers are prominently documented. The town is small and stable, with no rapid growth trajectory or major housing developments evident in available sources.
The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and is part of Big Horn County School District #1. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet. Enrollment is moderate for an elementary school serving this grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up the next largest share. A portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a working-community profile rather than deep concentrated poverty. Data on individualized education programs and English learner services was not available, so those dimensions of student support cannot be characterized here.
On state assessments, Rocky Mountain Elementary's results tell a mixed story. In math, roughly half of third graders reached proficiency, while fourth and fifth grades landed somewhat lower. English language arts followed a similar pattern, with third and fifth grades near the midpoint and fourth grade below. Science, tested only in fourth grade, came in just under half of students proficient. Full participation across every tested grade and subject is a positive sign; every student sat for the exam. When positioned relative to districts in Big Horn County, the school's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile, below the county median and below the lowest-performing peer district. This is a soft spot worth naming plainly. A parent considering this school may want to ask administrators what instructional supports and interventions are in place for students performing below grade level, particularly in fourth grade where results dipped across both math and reading.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent a decline, an improvement, or a steady state. The comparison framework also relies on county-level district averages, and with only four districts in the cohort, the positioning should be read as indicative rather than definitive.
Because Rocky Mountain Elementary does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and that absence reflects the grade band rather than a gap in performance. Chronic absenteeism data was not available. Title I status, staffing levels, discipline data, and course access information were also absent from the available records, so those aspects of school environment cannot be described.
Housing in Cowley is relatively affordable compared with state and national benchmarks. Typical home values sit below both the Wyoming and national medians, and the price-to-income ratio is moderate. Rent data was not available for this area. Mortgage rates at the time of this data were elevated by recent historical standards, which affects affordability for families looking to buy. The community context is one of stability rather than expansion, and the most recent development of note was the construction of a new high school in Cowley, which consolidated the high school from nearby Byron.
For a family weighing this school, the picture is of a small, rural community school with full assessment participation, moderate economic diversity, and proficiency results that sit below county peers. The town offers a quiet, heritage-rooted lifestyle with strong outdoor recreation access and short local distances. The academic results are the area where a parent would most want to engage directly with the school to understand what is being done to move more students to proficiency.
See more original research from School Decision →