Yellowstone County Schools & Education
Yellowstone County, Montana
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
34/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
82.5%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
82.5%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 83.7%
Per-Pupil Spending
$7,479
National avg $13,239
State avg $9,334
School Score
34/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 55/100
State Score Position
#51
of 56 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Yellowstone County
Measured School Summary
Yellowstone County faces educational challenges with a school score of 34/100 and a graduation rate of 82.5%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $7,479 per pupil, Yellowstone County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 39% below the Montana average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 1.2 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 20% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Yellowstone County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
64 public schools and 19 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
34/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #51 of 56 Montana counties with school score data.
Completion
82.5%
1.2 pts below the state average
Funding context
$7,479
$1,855 below the state average
School coverage
64
19 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Yellowstone County has 64 public schools across 19 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Yellowstone County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Large multi-district county
Yellowstone County has many school records across many districts. County averages are only the opening screen; neighborhood-level assignment and grade-band fit matter more here.
State position
#51
of 56 Montana counties with school score data. The county score is 21 points below the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Billings Elem
Elementary and middle visible
10,988 students
28 listed schools in this county slice.
Billings H S
High school only in this slice
5,610 students
3 listed schools in this county slice.
Lockwood K-12
Elementary to high school visible
1,718 students
4 listed schools in this county slice.
Laurel Elem
Elementary and middle visible
1,272 students
4 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Billings Elem is the largest listed district slice, with 28 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Yellowstone County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Yellowstone County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Yellowstone County Per-Pupil Spending Lower Than State and National Averages
Education data brief for Yellowstone County, Montana.
Yellowstone County reports a per-pupil expenditure of $7,479, which is approximately 20% lower than the Montana state average of $9,334 and significantly below the national average of $13,000. As the most populous county in this set, it serves 24,082 students across 64 schools and 19 districts. The largest district, Billings Elementary, manages 28 schools and nearly 11,000 students. The county’s composite school score is 33.6, which is lower than the state average of 55.0 and the national median of 50.0. The graduation rate is 82.5%, slightly below the state average of 83.7% and the national average of 87.0%. Yellowstone County features a diverse mix of school locales, including 31 city, 23 rural, five suburban, and five town schools. Billings West High School is the largest individual school, with an enrollment of 2,269 students. Compare district boundaries before drawing conclusions.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
64
in Yellowstone County
Reported Enrollment
24,082
64 schools reporting
School Districts
19
districts
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
19 School Districts in Yellowstone County
Billings Elem
GuideBillings H S
GuideLockwood K-12
Laurel Elem
Huntley Project K-12 Schools
Elder Grove Elem
Laurel H S
Shepherd Elem
Elysian Elem
Independent Elem
64 Public Schools in Yellowstone County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 3 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 20 of 64 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings West High School | Profile | Billings H S | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | 9–12 | High | 2,269 |
| Billings Sr High School | Profile | Billings H S | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | 9–12 | High | 1,739 |
| Skyview High School | Profile | Billings H S | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | 9–12 | High | 1,602 |
| Ben Steele Middle School | Record | Billings Elem | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | 6–8 | Middle | 747 |
| Castle Rock Middle School | Record | Billings Elem | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | 6–8 | Middle | 703 |
| Lewis & Clark Middle School | Record | Billings Elem | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | 6–8 | Middle | 667 |
| Laurel High School | Record | Laurel H S | Laurel, 59044Town: Fringe | 9–12 | High | 619 |
| Will James Middle School | Record | Billings Elem | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | 6–8 | Middle | 598 |
| Laurel Middle School | Record | Laurel Elem | Laurel, 59044Town: Fringe | 5–8 | Middle | 573 |
| Meadowlark School | Record | Billings Elem | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | PK–5 | Primary | 562 |
| Lockwood High School | Record | Lockwood K-12 | Lockwood, 59101Suburb: Midsize | 9–12 | High | 546 |
| Medicine Crow Middle School | Record | Billings Elem | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | 6–8 | Middle | 518 |
| Boulder School | Record | Billings Elem | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | PK–5 | Primary | 507 |
| Riverside Middle School | Record | Billings Elem | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | 6–8 | Middle | 492 |
| Elder Grove School | Record | Elder Grove Elem | Billings, 59106Rural: Fringe | PK–5 | Primary | 458 |
| Arrowhead School | Record | Billings Elem | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | PK–5 | Primary | 433 |
| Lockwood Middle School | Record | Lockwood K-12 | Lockwood, 59101Suburb: Midsize | 6–8 | Middle | 433 |
| Huntley Project Elem K-6 | Record | Huntley Project K-12 Schools | Worden, 59088Rural: Distant | PK–6 | Primary | 419 |
| Eagle Cliffs Elementary | Record | Billings Elem | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | PK–5 | Primary | 416 |
| Sandstone School | Record | Billings Elem | Billings, 59101City: Midsize | PK–5 | Primary | 416 |
Billings West High School
Billings H S
Billings, 59101 / City: Midsize
Billings Sr High School
Billings H S
Billings, 59101 / City: Midsize
Skyview High School
Billings H S
Billings, 59101 / City: Midsize
Huntley Project Elem K-6
Huntley Project K-12 Schools
Worden, 59088 / Rural: Distant
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$7,479
State avg $9,334
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Yellowstone County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
Open CompareBrowse Public Schools
See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
Which Montana counties have the highest graduation rates?
What is per-pupil spending like in Montana?
How should I read the school score in Yellowstone County?
What is the graduation rate in Yellowstone County?
How much does Yellowstone County spend per student?
Counties with Similar School Profile
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.