Personnel
Mike Tatsey Returns to Lead Heart Butte's Next Chapter
Heart Butte K-12 Schools' returning superintendent is pairing institutional memory with a rebuilding agenda after a sharp enrollment contraction.
Montana
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Montana, grounded in Montana Department of Education data.
Johanna Osborn Says a New Activities Agreement Is Built for Arrowhead's Middle Grades
Montana published 55 students at Arrowhead in 2025-26, and eight of them were in grades 6 through 8. Its superintendent, who also serves as principal, says an activities agreement with Livingston and Gardiner is aimed at that stretch.
Michael Gard Ties Hardin's Youngest Grades to Its Graduation Goals
Hardin's new superintendent wants early literacy and career pathways treated as one connected path, and the district's grade record shows why the entry point matters.
How Montana Gained 4 Points in 4 Years -- and Why It Stopped
Montana's graduation rate climbed from 82.2% to 86.0% between 2011 and 2015 -- then flattened for four years and started declining. What happened?
Montana's English Learners Improved Fastest Through 2020, but One in Three Still Did Not Graduate on Time
English Learner students gained 8.9 percentage points in graduation rate from 2011 to 2020, outpacing every other subgroup in Montana, and still finished the series at 65.4%.
More Coverage
Graduation Rate
Montana's Graduation Rate Has Never Reached 90%. Four Subgroup Gaps Account for the Distance
In 14 years of four-year cohort data, Montana's statewide graduation rate has never reached 90%. Four groups of students graduating 13 to 25 points below the threshold account for the distance.
Covid Impact
The Native American Graduation Reversal: Montana's Post-2021 Slide Erases Six Years of Progress
Montana's Native American graduation rate peaked at 69.2% in 2021, then dropped 3.1 points to 66.1% by 2023, its steepest slide on record.
Special Populations
Special Education in Montana: A Decade Stuck at 75%
Montana's special education graduation rate has bounced between 69% and 81% for a decade without sustained improvement, stuck at what amounts to a 75% ceiling.
Demographics
Montana's Graduation Gender Gap: Boys Have Trailed Girls for 13 Straight Years
Montana's female students have outperformed males in graduation rates every year since 2011, with an average gap of 3.6 percentage points.
Grade Shift
Montana Reported More Twelfth Graders Than First Graders in 2026
Montana enrolled 10,036 first graders and 10,421 twelfth graders in 2026, the first such crossover in the complete 2018-2026 state-grade panel.
Equity
Montana's 2020 Graduation Gap by Economic Status Was 17.2 Points
Montana's economically disadvantaged students graduated at 76.8% in 2020, compared with 94.0% for non-disadvantaged students, a 17.2-point gap.
Equity
Montana's White-Native Graduation Gap Was 20.4 Points in 2020
Montana's White-Native American four-year graduation-rate gap ranged from 20.4 to 25.7 percentage points across the package's complete 2011-2020 race data.
Graduation Rate
Montana's Graduation Rate Is Sliding Backward -- Below 2014 Levels for the First Time
Montana's four-year graduation rate has posted three consecutive annual declines, falling to 85.0% in 2024 -- below where it stood a decade ago.
District Spotlight
East Helena Grew 54% in Seven Years
East Helena K-12 added 681 students since 2019, growing 54% as housing on a former Superfund site draws families priced out of Helena.
District Spotlight
Helena HS Lost More Students Than Any Montana High School
Helena's high school district shed 451 students since 2018 while East Helena, five miles away, surged 54%. The capital city's suburban donut is reshaping school funding.
