North Star Elementary

The North Star Elementary district in Montana is home to two schools - North Star School, an elementary school, and North Star 7-8, a middle school. While the elementary school has had inconsistent state-wide rankings, the middle school has consistently ranked in the top 25-69 middle schools in Montana, earning a 4-out-of-5-star rating from SchoolDigger in the most recent year.

Both schools have a majority white student population, with the elementary school having a higher percentage of Hispanic students. The data does not provide the free/reduced lunch rates for either school, but the per-student spending is the same at $9,860 for the 2018-2019 school year. The elementary school has a lower student-teacher ratio of 10.9, compared to 12.6 at the middle school, which may contribute to its stronger performance.

Overall, the significant difference in state-wide ranking and rating between the North Star Elementary schools suggests that the middle school is outperforming the elementary school in terms of academic achievement and other key metrics. The lack of free/reduced lunch rate data is a notable gap, and the similar per-student spending levels despite the performance differences raise questions about the efficient allocation of resources and the factors that contribute to academic success.