Glacier Gateway Elementary

Summary:

Glacier Gateway Elementary is a public elementary school located in Columbia Falls, Montana, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 473 students. The school is part of the Columbia Falls Elementary School District, which is ranked 161 out of 300 districts in Montana and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Glacier Gateway Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom half of Montana elementary schools, with proficiency rates in mathematics, reading, and science that are lower than the state and district averages. In 2022-2023, the school's proficiency rates were 29.8% in mathematics, 36.33% in reading, and 25% in science, compared to the state averages of 36.59%, 46.03%, and 37.03%, respectively. The school's student population is predominantly white, with relatively low percentages of Hispanic and Native American students compared to the state's demographics. However, the school's low student-teacher ratio of 13.5 to 14.7 students per teacher does not seem to translate into higher academic achievement.

When compared to nearby schools, West Glacier School and Edgerton School consistently outperform Glacier Gateway Elementary in academic measures, while Fair-Mont-Egan School and Ruder Elementary also demonstrate higher academic achievement. The relatively low percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients at Glacier Gateway Elementary may suggest a higher socioeconomic status of the student population, but this does not seem to be a significant factor in the school's academic performance. Overall, Glacier Gateway Elementary faces challenges in improving its academic outcomes, and a deeper examination of its educational practices and resources may be necessary to identify areas for improvement.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

440 4th Avenue West
Columbia Falls, MT 59912

(406) 892-6540

District: Columbia Falls Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
250^th of 332 Montana Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,615

Students who attend Glacier Gateway Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Columbia Falls Junior High School
High:	Columbia Falls High School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.8

Number of students: 496

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.9%

Two or more races:

8.3%

Hispanic:

6.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 69.4%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Glacier Gateway Elementary ranks worse than 75.3% of elementary schools in Montana. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 32.39. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (83.9%), two or more races (8.3%), Hispanic (6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 69.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Glacier Gateway Elementary is 14.8. (See more...)

Compare Glacier Gateway Elementary employs 33.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Glacier Gateway Elementary is $12,615.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Glacier Gateway Elementary was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Columbia Falls Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Columbia Falls Elementary 161^st of 300 Montana school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Glacier Gateway Elementary

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MT State Percentile
2004	41.67	141^st	217	35.0%
2005	19.52	192^nd	218	11.9%
2006	32.51	195^th	234	16.7%
2007	39.44	175^th	230	23.9%
2008	37.54	153^rd	194	21.1%
2009	41.53	139^th	190	26.8%
2010	42.85	171^st	241	29.0%
2011	42.63	169^th	247	31.6%
2012	42.02	177^th	244	27.5%
2013	37.95	181^st	246	26.4%
2015	32.27	208^th	287	27.5%
2016	33.97	137^th	191	28.3%
2017	32.20	76^th	109	30.3%
2018	20.01	101^st	116	12.9%
2019	23.76	99^th	123	19.5%
2021	35.12	261^st	356	26.7%
2022	33.33	257^th	329	21.9%
2023	32.39	250^th	332	24.7%

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 Glacier Gateway 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	453	453
1991	286	0	3	2	19	n/a	n/a	0	310
1992	315	1	2	4	11	n/a	n/a	0	333
1993	305	3	3	5	15	n/a	n/a	0	331
1994	278	2	1	4	8	n/a	n/a	0	293
1995	262	1	1	4	9	n/a	n/a	0	277
1996	262	1	1	4	9	n/a	n/a	0	277
1997	214	1	2	3	8	n/a	n/a	0	228
1998	381	4	9	10	12	n/a	n/a	0	416
1999	397	1	10	8	11	n/a	n/a	0	427
2000	387	3	6	4	21	n/a	n/a	0	421
2001	374	0	2	17	13	n/a	n/a	0	406
2002	375	2	2	14	19	n/a	n/a	0	412
2003	375	2	2	14	19	n/a	n/a	0	412
2004	372	2	3	13	18	n/a	n/a	0	408
2005	372	4	2	17	19	n/a	n/a	0	414
2006	365	3	4	14	27	n/a	n/a	0	413
2007	380	2	8	13	19	n/a	n/a	0	422
2008	413	4	9	17	17	n/a	n/a	0	460
2009	399	9	8	14	20	n/a	n/a	0	450
2010	395	8	10	16	12	n/a	n/a	0	441
2011	399	3	4	18	8	1	12	0	445
2012	416	2	4	16	9	1	14	0	462
2013	411	1	4	18	9	1	22	0	466
2014	408	1	4	25	11	1	29	0	479
2015	414	2	6	18	12	1	28	0	481
2016	424	0	4	15	13	1	24	0	481
2017	452	0	1	17	10	1	21	0	502
2018	449	0	1	21	10	2	30	0	513
2019	417	0	1	28	9	1	30	0	486
2020	425	0	0	29	5	3	31	0	493
2021	409	0	0	30	5	0	22	0	466
2022	439	0	0	26	5	1	31	0	502
2023	406	0	0	27	7	1	32	0	473
2024	416	0	0	30	9	0	41	0	496

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 Glacier Gateway Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	453	24.2	18.7	20.3
1991	310	13.4	23.1	6.5
1992	333	12.0	27.7	n/a
1993	331	17.3	19.1	29.6
1994	293	14.0	20.9	32.1
1995	277	14.0	19.8	32.5
1996	277	14.0	19.8	32.5
1997	228	10.9	20.9	29.8
1998	416	19.5	21.3	26.7
1999	427	19.5	21.9	41.7
2000	421	21.5	19.6	37.8
2001	406	22.5	18.0	37.2
2002	412	21.5	19.2	36.2
2003	412	21.5	19.2	36.2
2004	408	23.0	17.7	43.1
2005	414	23.0	18.0	43.2
2006	413	26.5	15.6	47.5
2007	422	25.0	16.9	41.2
2008	460	29.3	15.7	47.2
2009	450	29.6	15.2	48.7
2010	441	29.7	14.8	57.1
2011	445	28.4	15.6	60
2012	462	28.3	16.3	53.9
2013	466	29.7	15.6	61.8
2014	479	30.5	15.7	57.2
2015	481	29.0	16.5	61.5
2016	481	32.0	15.0	56.3
2017	502	30.7	16.3	50.8
2018	513	31.1	16.4	56.7
2019	486	30.5	15.9	60.5
2020	493	32.5	15.1	56.2
2021	466	34.5	13.5	n/a
2022	502	34.0	14.7	n/a
2023	473	34.5	13.7	n/a
2024	496	33.5	14.8	69.4

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 Glacier Gateway Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	453	24.2	18.7	20.3
1991	310	13.4	23.1	6.5
1992	333	12.0	27.7	n/a
1993	331	17.3	19.1	29.6
1994	293	14.0	20.9	32.1
1995	277	14.0	19.8	32.5
1996	277	14.0	19.8	32.5
1997	228	10.9	20.9	29.8
1998	416	19.5	21.3	26.7
1999	427	19.5	21.9	41.7
2000	421	21.5	19.6	37.8
2001	406	22.5	18.0	37.2
2002	412	21.5	19.2	36.2
2003	412	21.5	19.2	36.2
2004	408	23.0	17.7	43.1
2005	414	23.0	18.0	43.2
2006	413	26.5	15.6	47.5
2007	422	25.0	16.9	41.2
2008	460	29.3	15.7	47.2
2009	450	29.6	15.2	48.7
2010	441	29.7	14.8	57.1
2011	445	28.4	15.6	60
2012	462	28.3	16.3	53.9
2013	466	29.7	15.6	61.8
2014	479	30.5	15.7	57.2
2015	481	29.0	16.5	61.5
2016	481	32.0	15.0	56.3
2017	502	30.7	16.3	50.8
2018	513	31.1	16.4	56.7
2019	486	30.5	15.9	60.5
2020	493	32.5	15.1	56.2
2021	466	34.5	13.5	n/a
2022	502	34.0	14.7	n/a
2023	473	34.5	13.7	n/a
2024	496	33.5	14.8	69.4

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 Glacier Gateway Elementary

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2021	$11,992
2022	$11,985
2023	$12,615

Data source: Montana Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Glacier Gateway 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 99^th of 123 Elementary schools	Ranks 250^th of 332 Elementary schools	5.2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	486	473	2.7%
African American	0	0
American Indian	9	7	22.2%
Asian	1	0	100%
Hispanic	28	27	3.6%
Pacific Islander	1	1
White	417	406	2.6%
Two or More Races	30	32	6.7%

Schools Near Glacier Gateway 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
Glacier Gateway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	440 4th Avenue West	Columbia Falls	59912	Flathead County	Columbia Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 892-6540	496	34	14.8	69.4%	416 (83.9%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (8.3%)	32.4	250^th of 332 public elementary schools	24.7%		33.3	257^th of 329 public elementary schools	21.9%	7	29.8	36.3	25.0	$12,615
Ruder Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 12th Avenue West	Columbia Falls	59912	Flathead County	Columbia Falls Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 892-6570	546	37	14.7	62.5%	461 (84.4%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (9.2%)	61.5	135^th of 332 public elementary schools	59.3%		57.7	160^th of 329 public elementary schools	51.4%	25	43.7	46.4	40.4	$11,107
Deer Park School	Public	PK, KG-5	2105 Middle Road	Columbia Falls	59912	Flathead County	Deer Park Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 892-5388	125	10	13.1	2.4%	119 (95.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	85.6	45^th of 332 public elementary schools	86.4%		94.4	18^th of 329 public elementary schools	94.5%	27	52.9	64.7	52.9	$9,286
L A Muldown School	Public	PK, KG-4	1300 East 7th St.	Whitefish	59937	Flathead County	Whitefish Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 862-8620	672	48	14.1	28.7%	602 (89.6%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (5.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.1%)	94.3	15^th of 332 public elementary schools	95.5%		81.4	73^rd of 329 public elementary schools	77.8%	58	68.9	68.3		$12,426
Helena Flats School	Public	PK, KG-6	1000 Helena Flats Road	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Helena Flats Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 257-2301	240	16	15.2	18.8%	221 (92.1%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.5%)	5 (2.1%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)	54.4	169^th of 332 public elementary schools	49.1%		35.5	250^th of 329 public elementary schools	24.0%	81	30.0	50.0	40.9	$8,998
Cayuse Prairie School	Public	PK, KG-6	897 Lake Blaine Road	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Cayuse Prairie Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 756-4560	259	17	15.0	36.3%	244 (94.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.2%)	78.6	71^st of 332 public elementary schools	78.6%		50.2	195^th of 329 public elementary schools	40.7%	124	45.6	59.6	51.4	$10,921
East Evergreen School	Public	PK, KG-4	585 E. Evergreen	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Evergreen Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 751-1121	351	27	13.2	100.0%	289 (82.3%)	2 (0.6%)	32 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	23 (6.6%)	38.3	230^th of 332 public elementary schools	30.7%		57.8	158^th of 329 public elementary schools	52.0%	72	35.9	31.7		$14,696
Edgerton School	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 Whitefish Stage	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Kalispell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(406) 751-4040	509	29	17.5	30.5%	443 (87.0%)	5 (1.0%)	23 (4.5%)	5 (1.0%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.3%)	81.7	57^th of 332 public elementary schools	82.8%		88.8	36^th of 329 public elementary schools	89.1%	21	56.1	54.0	53.9	$10,761
Fair-Mont-Egan School	Public	PK, KG-5	797 Fairmont Road	Kalispell	59901	Flathead County	Fair-Mont-Egan Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 755-7072	101	10	10.6	25.7%	92 (91.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	1 (1.0%)	4 (4.0%)	73.3	89^th of 332 public elementary schools	73.2%		67	129^th of 329 public elementary schools	60.8%	40	48.9	46.7	53.9	$18,681
Bissell School	Public	PK, KG-6	5955 Farm To Market Road	Whitefish	59937	Flathead County	Olney-Bissell Elementary	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 862-2828	74	9	8.4	52.7%	66 (89.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.1%)	3 (4.1%)	70.2	100^th of 332 public elementary schools	69.9%		70.9	114^th of 329 public elementary schools	65.3%	14	45.7	52.2		$11,509

Frequently Asked Questions about Glacier Gateway Elementary

Is Glacier Gateway Elementary a good school?

Glacier Gateway Elementary ranks in the bottom 24.7% of Montana elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Glacier Gateway Elementary attend?

Students who attend Glacier Gateway Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Columbia Falls Junior High School
High : Columbia Falls High School

How many students attend Glacier Gateway Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 496 students attended Glacier Gateway Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Glacier Gateway Elementary?

Students at Glacier Gateway Elementary are 84% White, 8% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 2% American Indian.

What district is Glacier Gateway Elementary in?

Columbia Falls 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.