Best Elementary Schools in Missoula, MT

Summary:

The city of Missoula, Montana is home to 13 elementary schools, serving students from kindergarten through 6th grade, with a mix of public schools within the Missoula Elementary District, the Target Range Elementary District, and one public school in the DeSmet Elementary District. These schools vary in size, with student populations ranging from 88 students at DeSmet School to 463 students at Paxson School.

Among the standout schools in Missoula are Paxson School, ranked 10th out of 332 Montana elementary schools, with the highest proficiency rates in mathematics, reading, and science compared to the Missoula Elementary district and the state of Montana. Jeannette Rankin Elementary and Rattlesnake Elementary School also stand out, ranking 20th and 6th respectively, with exceptional proficiency rates in various subjects. Chief Charlo School is another high-performing school, ranked 23rd in the state.

While the majority of the schools in Missoula are part of the Missoula Elementary District, which is ranked 54th out of 300 districts in Montana, the performance of the individual schools within the district varies significantly. The data also reveals that the schools have diverse student populations, with representation from various racial groups, and that there is no clear correlation between spending per student and academic performance, as some of the highest-performing schools have relatively lower spending compared to others.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				Montana State Tests Mathematics (2023)	Montana State Tests Reading (2023)	Montana State Tests Science (2023)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Montana State Tests Mathematics All Grades	Montana State Tests Reading All Grades	Montana State Tests Science All Grades	Total
DeSmet School	Public	PK, KG-5	6355 Padre Lane	Missoula	59802	Missoula County	DeSmet Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 549-4994	88	11	8.2		72 (81.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.5%)	4 (4.5%)	2 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (6.8%)	67.7	110^th of 332 public elementary schools	66.9%		86.8	54^th of 329 public elementary schools	83.6%	56	68.4	55.3	28.6	$20,376
Hellgate Elementary Lower Grades	Public	2-3	2365 Flynn Lane	Missoula	59808	Missoula County	Hellgate Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 721-2160	338	20	16.5		277 (82.0%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (6.5%)	5 (1.5%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.0%)	80.9	61^st of 332 public elementary schools	81.6%		80.3	77^th of 329 public elementary schools	76.6%	16	50.6	59.3		$11,096
Hellgate Elementary Primary Grades	Public	PK, KG-1	2365 Flynne Lane	Missoula	59808	Missoula County	Hellgate Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 721-2452	311	24	12.7		245 (78.8%)	1 (0.3%)	26 (8.4%)	7 (2.3%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.0%)								(n/a)				$13,407
Chief Charlo School	Public	PK, KG-5	5600 Longview Dr	Missoula	59803	Missoula County	Missoula Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 542-4005	429	29	14.6		362 (84.4%)	11 (2.6%)	22 (5.1%)	5 (1.2%)	12 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.0%)	91	23^rd of 332 public elementary schools	93.1%		87.8	42^nd of 329 public elementary schools	87.2%	19	62.8	71.9	53.1	$13,616
Jeannette Rankin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5150 Bigfork Rd.	Missoula	59803	Missoula County	Missoula Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 542-4010	461	28	16.2		411 (89.2%)	5 (1.1%)	15 (3.3%)	13 (2.8%)	9 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.7%)	92.9	20^th of 332 public elementary schools	94.0%		93.7	19^th of 329 public elementary schools	94.2%	1	69.3	65.1	61.3	$12,786
Franklin School	Public	PK, KG-5	1910 S. 11th St	Missoula	59801	Missoula County	Missoula Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 542-4020	289	25	11.6		218 (75.4%)	19 (6.6%)	25 (8.7%)	7 (2.4%)	13 (4.5%)	2 (0.7%)	5 (1.7%)	56.8	157^th of 332 public elementary schools	52.7%		50.5	193^rd of 329 public elementary schools	41.3%	36	30.3	44.7	50.0	$15,100
Hawthorne School	Public	PK, KG-5	550 Hiberta St.	Missoula	59804	Missoula County	Missoula Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 542-4025	387	31	12.6		303 (78.3%)	7 (1.8%)	23 (5.9%)	8 (2.1%)	32 (8.3%)	2 (0.5%)	12 (3.1%)	84.5	50^th of 332 public elementary schools	84.9%		84.9	59^th of 329 public elementary schools	82.1%	9	50.5	55.4	72.7	$14,756
Lewis & Clark School	Public	PK, KG-5	2901 Park	Missoula	59801	Missoula County	Missoula Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 542-4035	440	32	13.8		382 (86.8%)	3 (0.7%)	20 (4.5%)	9 (2.0%)	19 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.4%)	89.2	33^rd of 332 public elementary schools	90.1%		87	51^st of 329 public elementary schools	84.5%	18	54.3	65.3	60.5	$12,616
Lowell School	Public	PK, KG-5	1215 Phillips St	Missoula	59802	Missoula County	Missoula Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 542-4040	285	24	11.9		232 (81.4%)	10 (3.5%)	16 (5.6%)	2 (0.7%)	20 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.8%)	63.6	126^th of 332 public elementary schools	62.0%		56	167^th of 329 public elementary schools	49.2%	41	43.9	48.5	40.9	$16,905
Paxson School	Public	PK, KG-5	101 Evans	Missoula	59801	Missoula County	Missoula Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 542-4055	463	27	16.9		362 (78.2%)	12 (2.6%)	37 (8.0%)	4 (0.9%)	42 (9.1%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.1%)	95.2	10^th of 332 public elementary schools	97.0%		92.7	20^th of 329 public elementary schools	93.9%	10	61.6	71.9	70.3	$11,703
Rattlesnake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1220 Pineview Drive	Missoula	59802	Missoula County	Missoula Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 542-4050	445	35	12.5		400 (89.9%)	2 (0.4%)	22 (4.9%)	5 (1.1%)	11 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	96.9	6^th of 332 public elementary schools	98.2%		97.5	8^th of 329 public elementary schools	97.6%	2	68.3	73.0	73.6	$11,630
Russell School	Public	PK, KG-5	3216 Russell Street	Missoula	59801	Missoula County	Missoula Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 542-4080	367	28	13.1		283 (77.1%)	8 (2.2%)	24 (6.5%)	9 (2.5%)	26 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.6%)	74.3	85^th of 332 public elementary schools	74.4%		76.3	85^th of 329 public elementary schools	74.2%		51.4	59.1	40.4	$14,214
Target Range School	Public	PK, KG-6	4095 South Avenue West	Missoula	59804	Missoula County	Target Range Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 549-9239	437	25	17.4		372 (85.1%)	4 (0.9%)	17 (3.9%)	7 (1.6%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.9%)	72.1	94^th of 332 public elementary schools	71.7%		81.4	72^nd of 329 public elementary schools	78.1%	22	43.8	57.5	44.6	$10,248

Cities Near Missoula

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Lolo	6.97 mi	4	109^th
Bonner	7.95 mi	4	61^st
Frenchtown	13.77 mi	4	68^th
Florence	15.16 mi	3	86^th
Clinton	16.52 mi	2	41^st

See the top MT Montana cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Montana Office of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.