The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in Science. The lowest is 75% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Big Horn Elementary
Big Horn Elementary sits at the eastern base of the Bighorn Mountains, about ten miles south of Sheridan, in a small unincorporated community that reads more like a rural residential enclave than a town with a center. The community has no formal downtown. A mercantile, a couple of bars, some bed-and-breakfasts, and museums are scattered along local roads. What anchors civic life here is the consolidated K-12 school campus itself, and Big Horn Elementary sits on that campus alongside newer middle and high school buildings that were publicly reported as completed in recent years. For a family moving to the area, the school is not just where children go to learn. It is where the community gathers, particularly from autumn through spring when football season and school events structure social life.
The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade with a total enrollment that is modest for its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a small number of students identifying as Hispanic, Asian, or two or more races. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals is quite low, which aligns with what the surrounding community looks like. Big Horn is described as upper-middle-class and residential, with large ranches preserved through conservation easements along the mountain front and mid-size ranch properties under pressure from rising land prices. Some pastures that once served dairy farms have been subdivided. The area has a distinctive polo culture that dates back to the 1890s, and in summer the equestrian center and polo clubs draw visitors from around the world. None of this is tourist-brochure texture for its own sake. It tells a parent something about who lives here and what the peer environment looks like.
Academically, Big Horn Elementary is strong. On the WY-TOPP state assessment, proficiency rates across third, fourth, and fifth grade in math and English language arts sit comfortably above what one might consider middle-of-the-pack, with fifth grade results particularly high in both subjects. Fourth grade science proficiency is also strong. Participation rates are near full across all tested grades. Placed relative to districts in Sheridan County, the school's overall proficiency stands in the top quartile, above the median and the highest comparison value in the cohort. This is a school where most students are meeting or exceeding state expectations in the core subjects, and the consistency across grades and subjects suggests a stable instructional program rather than a single strong cohort passing through.
Some data a parent might look for is absent. IEP and English learner counts were not reported, so the picture of how the school serves students with disabilities or multilingual learners is incomplete. The school does not have a graduation rate because it serves only elementary grades. Chronic absenteeism data was not available. Civil rights and discipline data was not provided. Program offerings were not listed, so a parent wanting to know about gifted services, counseling, extracurriculars, or specialized interventions would need to ask the school directly. Title I status was also not reported, though the very low free-and-reduced-price rate suggests the school likely does not operate a schoolwide Title I model.
The housing market here is expensive. The typical home value in the school's zip code sits well above both the Wyoming state benchmark and the national benchmark, and the price-to-income ratio is high. Rental data was not available. With no major employers based in Big Horn, many families likely have at least one commuter driving to Sheridan for work. The community is car-dependent with no public transit. For a family considering this area, the cost of living is part of the picture alongside the academic strength.
What Big Horn Elementary appears to offer is a small, academically solid elementary program in a close-knit, affluent rural community where the school functions as the social center. A family looking for strong proficiency outcomes, a homogeneous peer group, and a setting where school and community life are tightly intertwined would find a fit here. A family needing detailed information about special education services, English learner support, or before- and after-school programs would want to have that conversation with the school before deciding.
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