Laurel Elementary

The Laurel Elementary School District in Montana consists of 4 schools, including 3 elementary schools and 1 middle school, serving students from kindergarten through 8th grade. The district as a whole has a relatively low statewide ranking, but a closer look reveals some standout schools and areas for improvement.

Among the elementary schools, West School stands out as a historical high performer, ranking in the top 30-66 elementary schools in Montana between 2004-2007 and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. However, its current ranking has dropped significantly to 247th out of 332 elementary schools. In contrast, Laurel Middle School has shown improvement, moving from 156th out of 200 middle schools in 2020-2021 to 131st out of 187 in 2022-2023, and maintaining a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 16.4.

The district as a whole has a predominantly white student population, with the percentage of Hispanic and Native American students being relatively consistent across the schools. While the data does not provide the actual free/reduced lunch rates, the district's overall ranking of 225th out of 300 in Montana and a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger suggest that there may be equity concerns, as evidenced by the varying student-teacher ratios across the schools, with Fred W Graff School having the highest ratio of 17.4 and West School having the lowest at 12.9.