Big Sky Elementary

Q: Is Big Sky Elementary a good school?

Big Sky Elementary ranks 217 th of 332 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Big Sky Elementary is a public elementary school in Billings, Montana, serving 328 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Billings Elementary School District, which is ranked 169 out of 300 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating.

Compared to nearby schools, Big Sky Elementary has a more diverse student population, with 64.33% White, 10.37% Hispanic, 12.8% Native American, and 9.15% two or more races. Academically, the school's performance is generally on par with the district average but below the state average, with 40.27% of students proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 36.42% for the district and 36.59% for the state. Big Sky's statewide ranking has fluctuated over the years, ranging from 102 out of 123 Montana elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 217 out of 332 in 2022-2023, indicating a decline in performance relative to other schools.

When comparing Big Sky Elementary to nearby schools, Arrowhead School and Meadowlark School consistently outperform it in academic measures, while Washington School and Miles Avenue School perform worse. The nearby schools also vary in their levels of racial diversity, with some being predominantly White and others having a more diverse student population.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

3231 Granger Avenue East
Billings, MT 59102

(406) 281-6204

District: Billings Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
217^th of 332 Montana Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,017

Students who attend Big Sky Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Riverside Middle School
High:	Billings West High School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.6

Number of students: 328

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.3%

American Indian:

12.8%

Hispanic:

10.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 54.6%

See top rated Montana elementary schools

Compare Big Sky Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Big Sky Elementary ranks worse than 65.4% of elementary schools in Montana. It also ranks 14^th among 22 ranked elementary schools in the Billings Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 42.29. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (64.3%), American Indian (12.8%), Hispanic (10.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Big Sky Elementary is 15.6. 12 elementary schools in the Billings Elementary School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Big Sky Elementary employs 20.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Big Sky Elementary is $12,017, which is the 7^th highest among 22 elementary schools in the Billings Elementary School District.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Big Sky Elementary was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Billings Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Billings Elementary 169^th of 300 Montana school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Big Sky Elementary

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MT State Percentile
2004	24.38	175^th	217	19.4%
2005	49.09	130^th	218	40.4%
2006	49.60	138^th	234	41.0%
2007	47.34	140^th	230	39.1%
2008	57.12	88^th	194	54.6%
2009	60.81	83^rd	190	56.3%
2010	65.68	76^th	241	68.5%
2011	57.41	122^nd	247	50.6%
2012	57.61	114^th	244	53.3%
2013	64.56	79^th	246	67.9%
2015	43.83	174^th	287	39.4%
2016	23.97	154^th	191	19.4%
2017	26.59	90^th	109	17.4%
2018	14.74	110^th	116	5.2%
2019	21.21	102^nd	123	17.1%
2021	53.28	197^th	356	44.7%
2022	55.53	172^nd	329	47.7%
2023	42.29	217^th	332	34.6%

See the entire list of Montana Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Montana Office of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Montana Office of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Big Sky Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1990	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	502	502
1991	506	5	4	7	17	n/a	n/a	0	539
1992	527	6	7	5	11	n/a	n/a	0	556
1993	464	2	6	2	11	n/a	n/a	0	485
1994	457	1	4	2	11	n/a	n/a	0	475
1995	445	1	6	4	8	n/a	n/a	0	464
1996	445	1	6	4	8	n/a	n/a	0	464
1997	455	0	8	9	20	n/a	n/a	0	492
1998	433	4	7	16	21	n/a	n/a	0	481
1999	417	0	6	19	20	n/a	n/a	0	462
2000	415	2	6	14	29	n/a	n/a	0	466
2001	413	4	8	15	28	n/a	n/a	0	468
2002	411	2	12	16	28	n/a	n/a	0	469
2003	411	2	12	16	28	n/a	n/a	0	469
2004	431	2	12	17	22	n/a	n/a	0	484
2005	407	4	6	17	29	n/a	n/a	0	463
2006	390	7	9	17	21	n/a	n/a	0	444
2007	380	3	8	16	20	n/a	n/a	0	427
2008	350	4	11	24	23	n/a	n/a	0	412
2009	363	4	7	27	21	n/a	n/a	0	422
2010	370	6	7	22	19	n/a	n/a	0	424
2011	342	1	3	25	19	1	9	0	400
2012	366	1	7	27	24	2	16	0	443
2013	372	7	9	32	22	3	23	0	468
2014	392	4	7	28	27	2	32	0	492
2015	339	5	9	28	29	3	31	0	444
2016	332	3	4	30	26	5	40	0	440
2017	346	5	2	28	38	6	51	0	476
2018	299	2	2	27	35	4	38	0	407
2019	290	4	3	26	36	6	46	0	411
2020	279	4	2	27	48	1	40	0	401
2021	251	2	2	23	51	2	26	0	357
2022	240	6	1	30	61	2	28	0	368
2023	211	5	5	34	42	1	30	0	328

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Big Sky Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	502	22.3	22.5	18.1
1991	539	21.7	24.8	18.7
1992	556	22.0	25.2	15.1
1993	485	22.3	21.7	8.7
1994	475	23.5	20.2	6.5
1995	464	22.4	20.7	7.8
1996	464	22.4	20.7	7.8
1997	492	23.4	21.0	10.6
1998	481	21.2	22.7	12.1
1999	462	23.1	20.0	17.1
2000	466	23.1	20.2	18.5
2001	468	23.8	19.7	15.8
2002	469	26.9	17.4	19.4
2003	469	26.9	17.4	19.4
2004	484	26.4	18.3	18.8
2005	463	26.0	17.8	17.3
2006	444	26.7	16.6	16.7
2007	427	24.3	17.6	17.3
2008	412	24.7	16.7	22.3
2009	422	25.7	16.4	21.6
2010	424	23.5	18.0	24.1
2011	400	23.3	17.1	27
2012	443	26.4	16.7	28.7
2013	468	25.9	18.0	31.6
2014	492	27.1	18.1	31.5
2015	444	28.0	15.8	34.7
2016	440	26.0	16.9	38.6
2017	476	26.9	17.6	41
2018	407	25.3	16.0	38.8
2019	411	24.8	16.5	46.5
2020	401	25.4	15.7	54.6
2021	357	21.1	16.9	n/a
2022	368	23.9	15.3	n/a
2023	328	20.9	15.6	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Big Sky Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	502	22.3	22.5	18.1
1991	539	21.7	24.8	18.7
1992	556	22.0	25.2	15.1
1993	485	22.3	21.7	8.7
1994	475	23.5	20.2	6.5
1995	464	22.4	20.7	7.8
1996	464	22.4	20.7	7.8
1997	492	23.4	21.0	10.6
1998	481	21.2	22.7	12.1
1999	462	23.1	20.0	17.1
2000	466	23.1	20.2	18.5
2001	468	23.8	19.7	15.8
2002	469	26.9	17.4	19.4
2003	469	26.9	17.4	19.4
2004	484	26.4	18.3	18.8
2005	463	26.0	17.8	17.3
2006	444	26.7	16.6	16.7
2007	427	24.3	17.6	17.3
2008	412	24.7	16.7	22.3
2009	422	25.7	16.4	21.6
2010	424	23.5	18.0	24.1
2011	400	23.3	17.1	27
2012	443	26.4	16.7	28.7
2013	468	25.9	18.0	31.6
2014	492	27.1	18.1	31.5
2015	444	28.0	15.8	34.7
2016	440	26.0	16.9	38.6
2017	476	26.9	17.6	41
2018	407	25.3	16.0	38.8
2019	411	24.8	16.5	46.5
2020	401	25.4	15.7	54.6
2021	357	21.1	16.9	n/a
2022	368	23.9	15.3	n/a
2023	328	20.9	15.6	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Big Sky Elementary

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2021	$12,153
2022	$12,327
2023	$12,017

Data source: Montana Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Big Sky Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 102^nd of 123 Elementary schools	Ranks 217^th of 332 Elementary schools	17.6%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	411	328	20.2%
African American	4	5	25%
American Indian	36	42	16.7%
Asian	3	5	66.7%
Hispanic	26	34	30.8%
Pacific Islander	6	1	83.3%
White	290	211	27.2%
Two or More Races	46	30	34.8%

Schools Near Big Sky Elementary

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
Big Sky Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3231 Granger Avenue East	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6204	328	21	15.6		211 (64.3%)	5 (1.5%)	34 (10.4%)	5 (1.5%)	42 (12.8%)	1 (0.3%)	30 (9.1%)	42.3	217^th of 332 public elementary schools	34.6%		55.5	172^nd of 329 public elementary schools	47.7%	45	40.3	29.9	33.3	$12,017
Meadowlark School	Public	PK, KG-5	221 29th Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6213	562	37	15.2		470 (83.6%)	2 (0.4%)	21 (3.7%)	15 (2.7%)	16 (2.8%)	3 (0.5%)	35 (6.2%)	89	37^th of 332 public elementary schools	88.9%		83.4	67^th of 329 public elementary schools	79.6%	30	66.1	61.1	55.8	$10,489
Central Heights School	Public	PK, KG-5	120 Lexington	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6209	291	20	14.6		183 (62.9%)	3 (1.0%)	44 (15.1%)	9 (3.1%)	31 (10.7%)	2 (0.7%)	19 (6.5%)	60.5	139^th of 332 public elementary schools	58.1%		72.7	103^rd of 329 public elementary schools	68.7%	36	56.2	43.2	34.1	$12,030
Elysian School	Public	PK, KG-5	6416 Elysian Road	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Elysian Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 656-4101	307	21	14.7		245 (79.8%)	3 (1.0%)	23 (7.5%)	1 (0.3%)	26 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.9%)	78.8	69^th of 332 public elementary schools	79.2%		79.1	78^th of 329 public elementary schools	76.3%	9	48.8	57.9	50.0	$10,349
Burlington School	Public	PK, KG-5	2135 Lewis Avenue	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6208	277	20	14.0		199 (71.8%)	4 (1.4%)	25 (9.0%)	4 (1.4%)	14 (5.1%)	4 (1.4%)	27 (9.7%)	59.7	145^th of 332 public elementary schools	56.3%		43.5	223^rd of 329 public elementary schools	32.2%	78	46.1	39.1	43.2	$11,903
Boulder School	Public	PK, KG-5	2202 32nd Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6206	507	28	17.9		434 (85.6%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (5.9%)	3 (0.6%)	5 (1.0%)	3 (0.6%)	31 (6.1%)	73.3	90^th of 332 public elementary schools	72.9%		75	93^rd of 329 public elementary schools	71.7%	3	62.1	52.7	39.3	$11,015
Miles Avenue School	Public	PK, KG-5	1601 Miles Avenue	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 281-6214	252	21	11.7		180 (71.4%)	6 (2.4%)	32 (12.7%)	1 (0.4%)	18 (7.1%)	2 (0.8%)	13 (5.2%)	37.1	235^th of 332 public elementary schools	29.2%		27.5	271^st of 329 public elementary schools	17.6%	36	37.1	25.9	32.3	$12,926
Arrowhead School	Public	PK, KG-5	2510 38th Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6201	433	25	17.3		380 (87.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.2%)	3 (0.7%)	13 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.3%)	90.1	28^th of 332 public elementary schools	91.6%		91.8	23^rd of 329 public elementary schools	93.0%	5	61.5	61.1	62.3	$11,052
Rose Park School	Public	PK, KG-5	1812 19th Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6219	253	16	15.5		180 (71.1%)	5 (2.0%)	23 (9.1%)	2 (0.8%)	17 (6.7%)	2 (0.8%)	24 (9.5%)	50.4	191^st of 332 public elementary schools	42.5%		34	254^th of 329 public elementary schools	22.8%	63	36.5	40.5	38.5	$11,280
Poly Drive School	Public	PK, KG-5	2410 Poly Drive	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6217	305	19	16.3		239 (78.4%)	3 (1.0%)	17 (5.6%)	2 (0.7%)	20 (6.6%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (7.5%)	61.7	134^th of 332 public elementary schools	59.6%		74.5	97^th of 329 public elementary schools	70.5%	37	49.4	46.2	36.5	$11,264

Frequently Asked Questions about Big Sky Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Big Sky Elementary?

Students at Big Sky Elementary are 64% White, 13% American Indian, 10% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Big Sky Elementary attend?

Students who attend Big Sky Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Riverside Middle School
High : Billings West High School

Is Big Sky Elementary a good school?

Big Sky Elementary ranks 217^th of 332 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Big Sky Elementary in?

Billings Elementary

How many students attend Big Sky Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 328 students attended Big Sky Elementary.

Rate Big Sky Elementary!

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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.