schoolsbycounty

State district guide

Montana public school districts

Compare district systems across Montana by enrollment scale, school count, county context, generated guide coverage, and the parent checks that matter before choosing where to live.

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Direct answer for parents

What this district ranking can and cannot tell you

If you are searching for the best school districts in Montana, start with the largest and most data-rich district systems below, then verify the specific school assigned to each address. SchoolsByCounty orders districts by reported enrollment and school count because those fields are consistent in NCES. It does not convert district size into a quality rating.

Start with scale

Billings Elem

10,988 reported students

Check county context

Treasure County

98/100 county score

Verify locally

Address fit

Attendance boundaries and transfers are not in NCES

District table

Largest public school districts in Montana

The first 60 rows show the largest district systems by reported enrollment. Open district guides where available, or use the county profile when a detailed district page is not generated yet.

398 districts in state file

Montana public school districts ranked by reported enrollment.
RankDistrictStudents
1
Billings Elem

LEA ID 3003870

Yellowstone County28 schools
10,988
2
Great Falls Elem

LEA ID 3013040

Cascade County17 schools
7,032
3
Billings H S

LEA ID 3003900

Yellowstone County3 schools
5,610
4
Missoula Elem

LEA ID 3018570

Missoula County12 schools
5,280
5
Helena Elem

LEA ID 3000005

Lewis and Clark County13 schools
5,225
6
Bozeman Elem

LEA ID 3004560

Gallatin County11 schools
4,651
7
Missoula H S

LEA ID 3018540

Missoula County4 schools
3,966
8
Flathead H S

LEA ID 3015420

Flathead County2 schools
3,101
9
Kalispell Elem

LEA ID 3015450

Flathead County7 schools
3,095
10
Great Falls H S

LEA ID 3013050

Cascade County2 schools
3,095
11
Butte Elem

LEA ID 3005280

Silver Bow County7 schools
2,966
12
Bozeman H S

LEA ID 3004590

Gallatin County2 schools
2,631
13
Helena H S

LEA ID 3013830

Lewis and Clark County2 schools
2,514
14
Belgrade Elem

LEA ID 3003290

Gallatin County4 schools
2,374
15
East Helena K-12

LEA ID 3000655

Lewis and Clark County5 schools
1,952
16
Lockwood K-12

LEA ID 3000656

Yellowstone County4 schools
1,718
17
Hamilton K-12 Schools

LEA ID 3013260

Ravalli County4 schools
1,666
18
Columbia Falls Elem

LEA ID 3007110

Flathead County3 schools
1,562
19
Hellgate Elem

LEA ID 3013860

Missoula County4 schools
1,498
20
Frenchtown K-12 Schools

LEA ID 3011520

Missoula County4 schools
1,443
21
Corvallis K-12 Schools

LEA ID 3007410

Ravalli County4 schools
1,342
22
Butte H S

LEA ID 3005310

Silver Bow County1 school
1,317
23
Whitefish Elem

LEA ID 3027740

Flathead County2 schools
1,313
24
Hardin Elem

LEA ID 3013310

Big Horn County5 schools
1,284
25
Laurel Elem

LEA ID 3016200

Yellowstone County4 schools
1,272
26
Browning Elem

LEA ID 3005140

Glacier County7 schools
1,266
27
Havre Elem

LEA ID 3013560

Hill County4 schools
1,199
28
Polson Elem

LEA ID 3021060

Lake County3 schools
1,173
29
Libby K-12 Schools

LEA ID 3016530

Lincoln County3 schools
1,164
30
Ronan Elem

LEA ID 3022790

Lake County3 schools
1,105
31
Belgrade H S

LEA ID 3003330

Gallatin County1 school
994
32
Miles City Elem

LEA ID 3018410

Custer County5 schools
953
33
Lewistown Elem

LEA ID 3016490

Fergus County4 schools
888
34
Sidney Elem

LEA ID 3024200

Richland County3 schools
856
35
Livingston Elem

LEA ID 3016880

Park County3 schools
837
36
Florence-Carlton K-12 Schls

LEA ID 3011100

Ravalli County3 schools
790
37
Glendive Elem

LEA ID 3012510

Dawson County3 schools
782
38
Dillon Elem

LEA ID 3008910

Beaverhead County2 schools
780
39
Huntley Project K-12 Schools

LEA ID 3014700

Yellowstone County3 schools
773
40
Glasgow K-12 Schools

LEA ID 3012420

Valley County3 schools
769
41
West Valley Elem

LEA ID 3027570

Flathead County2 schools
762
42
Anaconda Elem

LEA ID 3002010

Deer Lodge County3 schools
740
43
Townsend K-12 Schools

LEA ID 3004980

Broadwater County3 schools
706
44
Elder Grove Elem

LEA ID 3009720

Yellowstone County2 schools
689
45
Columbia Falls H S

LEA ID 3007140

Flathead County1 school
687
46
Monforton Elem

LEA ID 3018750

Gallatin County3 schools
669
47
Stevensville Elem

LEA ID 3025020

Ravalli County2 schools
656
48
Evergreen Elem

LEA ID 3010920

Flathead County2 schools
651
49
Laurel H S

LEA ID 3016230

Yellowstone County1 school
619
50
Bigfork Elem

LEA ID 3003820

Flathead County2 schools
610
51
Poplar Elem

LEA ID 3021240

Roosevelt County3 schools
596
52
Whitefish H S

LEA ID 3027790

Flathead County1 school
581
53
Target Range Elem

LEA ID 3025890

Missoula County2 schools
574
54
Browning H S

LEA ID 3005190

Glacier County1 school
563
55
Shepherd Elem

LEA ID 3023940

Yellowstone County2 schools
562
56
Somers Elem

LEA ID 3000002

Flathead County2 schools
555
57
Cut Bank Elem

LEA ID 3000003

Glacier County7 schools
551
58
Havre H S

LEA ID 3013590

Hill County1 school
531
59
Polson H S

LEA ID 3021090

Lake County1 school
524
60
Three Forks Elem

LEA ID 3026160

Gallatin County2 schools
523

— = enrollment not reported in the district record. District rows are informational and must be paired with local assignment tools before a housing decision.

Methodology

How to use district rankings without overreading them

District-level data is useful because it shows the operating system around a public school search: how many schools exist, which county record anchors the district, how much enrollment is reported, and whether a detailed district guide is available. It is not enough to decide where a student should enroll.

Ranking basis

Rows are ordered by reported enrollment, then school count. The method favors broad, data-rich systems because those are the districts parents most often need to research before relocation.

County context

Each district is attached to a primary county record when available. County school scores are context signals, not district ratings, and nearby counties can still matter for commute and housing decisions.

Grade pathway

Elementary, middle, and high school counts help parents spot whether a district looks like a full K-12 pathway or a narrower operating unit. Feeder patterns still require local verification.

Address verification

The final decision happens at the address level. Confirm attendance zones, open-enrollment rules, magnet admissions, charter lotteries, and transfer windows with official district sources.

County context

Districts anchored in higher-scoring county contexts

These rows pair district records with the county-level SchoolsByCounty score. Treat this as a shortlist for deeper research, not a district quality ranking.

Hysham K-12 Schools

Treasure County

98

Students
79
Schools
3

Winnett K-12 Schools

Petroleum County

97

Students
60
Schools
3

Lavina K-12 Schools

Golden Valley County

97

Students
81
Schools
3

Ryegate K-12 Schools

Golden Valley County

97

Students
44
Schools
3

Baker K-12 Schools

Fallon County

91

Students
451
Schools
4

Plevna K-12 Schools

Fallon County

91

Students
95
Schools
3

Parent checklist before relying on a district ranking

Use this page to narrow the field, then answer these local questions before treating any district as a fit for a specific home.

Which school does this address actually feed into?

Use the district address lookup and confirm edge cases near attendance-zone borders.

What happens at transition grades?

A strong elementary fit can split into several middle or high school paths.

Are choice programs realistic for this student?

Magnet, charter, virtual, and transfer options can involve lotteries, applications, or deadlines.

Is the county context aligned with housing tradeoffs?

Pair school research with taxes, commute, home prices, and safety before choosing where to live.

Frequently Asked Questions About Montana School Districts

What are the best school districts in Montana?
Billings Elem, Great Falls Elem, Billings H S are the largest Montana district systems by reported enrollment in the NCES file. SchoolsByCounty does not call them the best districts; use this page to find data-rich district systems, then verify assigned schools, program rules, and local fit.
How are Montana districts ranked here?
Districts are ordered by reported student enrollment, then school count, using NCES public school district records. This is a research-priority ranking, not a quality rating.
Why do only 7 Montana districts have district guide links?
SchoolsByCounty statically generates detailed district guides for the largest district systems nationally so the pages stay fast and substantive. Districts without guide links remain represented through county and state context pages.
Do these district pages show attendance boundaries?
No. Attendance zones, transfer rules, magnet eligibility, charter admission, transportation, and program availability must be verified with official district or local assignment tools before choosing a home.
Does a large district mean better schools?
No. Larger districts usually have more school options and more public data, but enrollment size is not a school-quality measure. Compare school-level records and official local sources before treating a district as a fit.
How many districts are included for Montana?
This page includes 398 Montana public school districts from the current NCES district file, alongside county context and generated district-guide availability where available.
By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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