Will James Middle School

Q: Is Will James Middle School a good school?

Will James Middle School ranks 133 rd of 187 Montana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Will James Middle School is a public middle school in Billings, Montana, serving 598 students in grades 6-8. 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.

While Will James Middle School has a higher percentage of White students (73.08%) compared to nearby schools, it also has a higher percentage of Native American students (7.69%). Academically, the school's performance is generally lower than the district and state averages, with proficiency rates of 26.72% in Mathematics, 40.34% in Reading, and 28.93% in Science, compared to the district's 36.42%, 39.27%, and 35.28%, respectively, and the state's 36.59%, 46.03%, and 37.03%. The school's statewide ranking has declined over the years, from being ranked 6th out of 159 Montana middle schools in 2012-2013 to 133rd out of 187 in 2022-2023.

Compared to nearby schools like Castle Rock Middle School and Ben Steele Middle School, Will James Middle School's academic performance is generally lower, with these schools having higher proficiency rates and statewide rankings. The factors contributing to Will James Middle School's declining performance, such as spending per student and student-teacher ratio, are within the range of the nearby schools, suggesting that other factors may be at play.

Detail:

Public 6-8

1200 30th Street West
Billings, MT 59102

(406) 281-6100

District: Billings Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
133^rd of 187 Montana Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,397

Students who attend Will James Middle School usually attend:

High:

Billings West High School

Feeder schools for Will James Middle School:

Elementary:	Arrowhead School
	Boulder School
	Burlington School
	Central Heights School
	More...
	Meadowlark School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.9

Number of students: 601

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.0%

American Indian:

9.5%

Hispanic:

9.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 36.8%

See top rated Montana middle schools

Compare Will James Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Will James Middle School ranks worse than 71.1% of middle schools in Montana. It also ranks 4^th among 6 ranked middle schools in the Billings Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 35.7. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (72%), American Indian (9.5%), Hispanic (9.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 36.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Will James Middle School is 16.9. 3 middle schools in the Billings Elementary School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Will James Middle School employs 35.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Will James Middle School is $11,397. 3 middle schools in the Billings Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Will James Middle School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Will James Middle School 133^rd of 187 Montana public middle schools. (See Will James Middle School in the ranking list.)

Billings Elementary:

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

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Rank History for Will James Middle School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MT State Percentile
2004	88.47	11^th	171	93.6%
2005	87.21	10^th	164	93.9%
2006	83.77	8^th	146	94.5%
2007	84.60	5^th	147	96.6%
2008	86.31	3^rd	149	98.0%
2009	77.48	15^th	147	89.8%
2010	79.67	11^th	156	92.9%
2011	73.84	24^th	161	85.1%
2012	70.59	35^th	156	77.6%
2013	83.35	6^th	159	96.2%
2015	53.67	58^th	156	62.8%
2016	36.60	55^th	81	32.1%
2017	59.10	22^nd	55	60.0%
2018	43.29	33^rd	58	43.1%
2019	48.38	33^rd	60	45.0%
2021	50.33	102^nd	200	49.0%
2022	45.85	117^th	190	38.4%
2023	35.70	133^rd	187	28.9%

See the entire list of Montana Middle 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 Will James Middle School

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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	499	499
1991	476	0	2	5	8	n/a	n/a	0	491
1992	494	0	3	6	13	n/a	n/a	0	516
1993	505	1	6	11	9	n/a	n/a	0	532
1994	494	0	8	9	7	n/a	n/a	0	518
1995	479	2	9	17	8	n/a	n/a	0	515
1996	479	2	9	17	8	n/a	n/a	0	515
1997	493	2	13	8	12	n/a	n/a	0	528
1998	523	2	12	4	11	n/a	n/a	0	552
1999	530	1	9	15	12	n/a	n/a	0	567
2000	499	5	7	11	12	n/a	n/a	0	534
2001	509	3	8	7	9	n/a	n/a	0	536
2002	526	6	4	13	21	n/a	n/a	0	570
2003	526	6	4	13	21	n/a	n/a	0	570
2004	521	2	6	12	20	n/a	n/a	0	561
2005	523	2	11	16	25	n/a	n/a	0	577
2006	525	2	13	14	19	n/a	n/a	0	573
2007	493	3	10	16	22	n/a	n/a	0	544
2008	494	4	11	16	16	n/a	n/a	0	541
2009	499	5	11	14	13	n/a	n/a	0	542
2010	477	4	7	18	12	n/a	n/a	0	518
2011	458	5	2	23	14	1	13	0	516
2012	458	6	5	14	15	1	8	0	507
2013	551	9	5	19	19	1	8	0	612
2014	593	8	6	31	12	2	16	0	668
2015	598	4	10	29	14	3	19	0	677
2016	580	1	14	32	19	2	25	0	673
2017	577	2	9	37	20	4	31	0	680
2018	410	3	7	49	25	7	21	0	522
2019	434	3	9	48	20	6	35	0	555
2020	453	3	5	54	23	6	52	0	596
2021	444	4	7	56	23	5	62	0	601
2022	463	6	4	55	27	3	60	0	618
2023	437	10	4	56	46	1	44	0	598
2024	433	8	8	56	57	3	36	0	601

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 Will James Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	499	25.7	19.4	18
1991	491	27.2	18.0	17.7
1992	516	27.4	18.8	9.9
1993	532	27.3	19.5	7
1994	518	28.9	17.9	10
1995	515	29.3	17.6	9.5
1996	515	29.3	17.6	9.5
1997	528	29.5	17.9	10.6
1998	552	30.0	18.4	8.9
1999	567	29.9	19.0	12.5
2000	534	31.9	16.7	11.6
2001	536	29.4	18.2	12.1
2002	570	33.6	17.0	14.7
2003	570	33.6	17.0	14.7
2004	561	33.2	16.9	14.3
2005	577	34.0	17.0	17.2
2006	573	36.5	15.7	13.3
2007	544	36.6	14.9	14.9
2008	541	35.2	15.4	11.6
2009	542	34.2	15.8	14.8
2010	518	34.2	15.1	18.9
2011	516	33.8	15.2	23.1
2012	507	32.1	15.7	21.9
2013	612	36.1	16.9	18.1
2014	668	39.3	16.9	17.7
2015	677	39.0	17.3	15.1
2016	673	36.0	18.6	22.4
2017	680	41.5	16.3	18.2
2018	522	31.9	16.3	35.2
2019	555	33.6	16.5	33.9
2020	596	35.0	17.0	47.5
2021	601	31.2	19.2	n/a
2022	618	35.1	17.6	n/a
2023	598	37.2	16.0	n/a
2024	601	35.4	16.9	36.8

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 Will James Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	499	25.7	19.4	18
1991	491	27.2	18.0	17.7
1992	516	27.4	18.8	9.9
1993	532	27.3	19.5	7
1994	518	28.9	17.9	10
1995	515	29.3	17.6	9.5
1996	515	29.3	17.6	9.5
1997	528	29.5	17.9	10.6
1998	552	30.0	18.4	8.9
1999	567	29.9	19.0	12.5
2000	534	31.9	16.7	11.6
2001	536	29.4	18.2	12.1
2002	570	33.6	17.0	14.7
2003	570	33.6	17.0	14.7
2004	561	33.2	16.9	14.3
2005	577	34.0	17.0	17.2
2006	573	36.5	15.7	13.3
2007	544	36.6	14.9	14.9
2008	541	35.2	15.4	11.6
2009	542	34.2	15.8	14.8
2010	518	34.2	15.1	18.9
2011	516	33.8	15.2	23.1
2012	507	32.1	15.7	21.9
2013	612	36.1	16.9	18.1
2014	668	39.3	16.9	17.7
2015	677	39.0	17.3	15.1
2016	673	36.0	18.6	22.4
2017	680	41.5	16.3	18.2
2018	522	31.9	16.3	35.2
2019	555	33.6	16.5	33.9
2020	596	35.0	17.0	47.5
2021	601	31.2	19.2	n/a
2022	618	35.1	17.6	n/a
2023	598	37.2	16.0	n/a
2024	601	35.4	16.9	36.8

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 Will James Middle School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$9,482
2021	$11,873
2022	$11,973
2023	$11,397

Data source: Montana Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Will James Middle School

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 33^rd of 60 Middle schools	Ranks 133^rd of 187 Middle schools	16.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	555	598	7.7%
African American	3	10	233.3%
American Indian	20	46	130%
Asian	9	4	55.6%
Hispanic	48	56	16.7%
Pacific Islander	6	1	83.3%
White	434	437	0.7%
Two or More Races	35	44	25.7%

Schools Near Will James Middle School

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
Will James Middle School	Public	6-8	1200 30th Street West	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-6100	601	35	16.9	36.8%	433 (72.0%)	8 (1.3%)	56 (9.3%)	8 (1.3%)	57 (9.5%)	3 (0.5%)	36 (6.0%)	35.7	133^rd of 187 public middle schools	28.9%		45.8	117^th of 190 public middle schools	38.4%	16	26.7	40.3	28.9	$11,397
Lewis & Clark Middle School	Public	6-8	1315 Lewis Avenue	Billings	59102	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-5900	727	45	16.0	48.1%	526 (72.4%)	13 (1.8%)	56 (7.7%)	1 (0.1%)	68 (9.4%)	4 (0.6%)	59 (8.1%)	42	115^th of 187 public middle schools	38.5%		41	127^th of 190 public middle schools	33.2%	12	24.3	38.7	40.6	$11,750
Elysian Middle School	Public	6-8	6416 Elysian Road	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Elysian Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 656-4101	130	10	13.6	26.9%	115 (88.5%)	2 (1.5%)	6 (4.6%)	1 (0.8%)	4 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.5%)	72.8	43^rd of 187 public middle schools	77.0%		86.5	20^th of 190 public middle schools	89.5%	23	47.0	56.0	44.0	$10,791
Ben Steele Middle School	Public	6-8	5640 Grand Avenue	Billings	59106	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 601-1600	738	42	17.5	18.2%	617 (83.6%)	3 (0.4%)	34 (4.6%)	11 (1.5%)	29 (3.9%)	2 (0.3%)	42 (5.7%)	69.4	52^nd of 187 public middle schools	72.2%		58.6	78^th of 190 public middle schools	58.9%	26	45.8	49.0	47.1	$11,075
Riverside Middle School	Public	6-8	3700 Madison Avenue	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 281-6000	460	37	12.3	68.7%	256 (55.7%)	10 (2.2%)	71 (15.4%)	4 (0.9%)	79 (17.2%)	3 (0.7%)	37 (8.0%)	9.9	168^th of 187 public middle schools	10.2%		16.2	162^nd of 190 public middle schools	14.7%	6	15.5	21.0	10.7	$13,736
Elder Grove 7-8	Public	6-8	1532 South 64 Street W	Billings	59106	Yellowstone County	Elder Grove Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 656-2893	226	13	17.3	19.5%	201 (88.9%)	2 (0.9%)	10 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	2 (0.9%)	8 (3.5%)	33.2	137^th of 187 public middle schools	26.7%		55	90^th of 190 public middle schools	52.6%	47	26.6	39.3	26.4	$10,006
Castle Rock Middle School	Public	6-8	1441 Governors Blvd	Billings	59105	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-5800	742	40	18.4	31.4%	596 (80.3%)	6 (0.8%)	51 (6.9%)	2 (0.3%)	32 (4.3%)	2 (0.3%)	53 (7.1%)	55.7	81^st of 187 public middle schools	56.7%		48.4	113^th of 190 public middle schools	40.5%	32	38.3	43.9	40.3	$10,786
Canyon Creek 6-8	Public	6-8	3139 Duck Creek Road	Billings	59101	Yellowstone County	Canyon Creek Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 656-4471	47	5	8.7	6.4%	37 (78.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (10.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (8.5%)	65.1	60^th of 187 public middle schools	67.9%		60.8	74^th of 190 public middle schools	61.1%	14	29.6	52.3	57.1	$17,487
Yellowstone Academy 7-8	Public	7-8	1750 Ray of Hope Lane	Billings	59106	Yellowstone County	Yellowstone Academy Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 656-2198	18	8	2.2	50.0%	13 (72.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.6%)	1 (5.6%)	1 (5.6%)	4.7	177^th of 187 public middle schools	5.3%		13.3	169^th of 190 public middle schools	11.1%	8	5.0	15.0		$126,387
Medicine Crow Middle School	Public	6-8	900 Barrett Road	Billings	59105	Yellowstone County	Billings Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 281-8600	468	30	15.7	54.3%	327 (69.9%)	2 (0.4%)	40 (8.5%)	1 (0.2%)	65 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.1%)	16.8	161^st of 187 public middle schools	13.9%		24.2	155^th of 190 public middle schools	18.4%	6	15.2	24.3	24.2	$12,569

Frequently Asked Questions about Will James Middle School

Is Will James Middle School a good school?

Will James Middle School ranks 133^rd of 187 Montana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Will James Middle School attend?

Students who attend Will James Middle School usually go on to attend Billings West High School

What is the racial makeup of Will James Middle School?

Students at Will James Middle School are 72% White, 9% American Indian, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Will James Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 601 students attended Will James Middle School.

What district is Will James Middle School in?

Billings 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.