Public schools in Missoula, MT
Missoula has 23 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 3 high, 7 middle, 13 elementary, enrolling 11,100 students. They are run by 5 districts and agencies; Missoula Elementary runs 12 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 5 districts and agencies that run Missoula's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Missoula | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missoula Elementary | 12 | 5,280 | $13,401 |
| Hellgate Elementary School District | 4 | 1,498 | $11,166 |
| Missoula High School | 3 | 3,966 | $13,142 |
| Target Range School District | 2 | 574 | $10,371 |
| DeSmet Elementary | 2 | 127 | $19,614 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
3 high schools in Missoula, 3,775 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentinel High School | 1,365 | 16.5 | 30.8% | Missoula High School |
| Hellgate High School | 1,262 | 14.4 | 34.1% | Missoula High School |
| Big Sky High School | 1,148 | 15.0 | 33.1% | Missoula High School |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
7 middle schools in Missoula, 2,676 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Middle School | 669 | 16.4 | 27.8% | Missoula Elementary |
| Porter Middle School | 579 | 15.5 | 54.1% | Missoula Elementary |
| Hellgate El Intermediate | 517 | 18.9 | 29.0% | Hellgate Elementary |
| Meadow Hill Middle School | 414 | 15.1 | 37.0% | Missoula Elementary |
| Hellgate Middle School | 326 | 14.9 | 31.3% | Hellgate Elementary |
| Target Range 7-8 | 134 | 17.3 | 24.6% | Target Range |
| DeSmet 6-8 | 37 | 10.9 | 100.0% | DeSmet Elementary |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
13 elementary schools in Missoula, 4,649 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeannette Rankin Elementary | 457 | 17.6 | 24.1% | Missoula Elementary |
| Lewis & Clark School | 429 | 15.2 | 29.8% | Missoula Elementary |
| Hawthorne School | 417 | 14.2 | 47.5% | Missoula Elementary |
| Paxson School | 415 | 16.1 | 34.9% | Missoula Elementary |
| Chief Charlo School | 414 | 15.7 | 34.3% | Missoula Elementary |
| Target Range School | 410 | 15.3 | 30.7% | Target Range |
| Rattlesnake Elementary School | 393 | 15.8 | 30.3% | Missoula Elementary |
| Russell School | 375 | 13.5 | 49.6% | Missoula Elementary |
| Lowell School | 354 | 14.8 | 81.4% | Missoula Elementary |
| Hellgate El Primary Grades | 316 | 12.9 | 26.3% | Hellgate Elementary |
The other 3 elementary schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hellgate Elem Lower Grades | 305 | 15.0 | 29.5% | Hellgate Elementary |
| Franklin School | 274 | 11.9 | 73.0% | Missoula Elementary |
| DeSmet School | 90 | 12.2 | 100.0% | DeSmet Elementary |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Missoula's public schools compare with Montana's
The median Missoula school has 15.1 students per full-time teacher, more than the Montana median of 11.9. 35% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 36% across the state. Its median school enrolls 414 students (state 84).
| Missoula | Montana | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 15.1 | 11.9 |
| Median school size (students) | 414 | 84 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 35% | 36% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 17% | 29% |
| Charter schools | 0% | 0% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 23 Missoula schools and the 818 Montana schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Missoula
- Missoula ElementaryRuns 12 of Missoula's 23 public schools and spent $13,401 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,401
- Sentinel High School, the largest high school in Missoula1,365 students in 2024-25, 16.5 per teacher.1,365
- Compare Missoula Elementary with Hellgate Elementary School DistrictMissoula's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in MontanaMontana's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Missoula addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in Montana
- Billings42 schools
- Kalispell22 schools
- Bozeman21 schools
- Great Falls21 schools
- Helena15 schools
- Cut Bank11 schools
- Miles City11 schools
- Butte8 schools
Questions about schools in Missoula
How many public schools are in Missoula, MT?
23 public schools with an address in Missoula were open in 2024-25: 3 high, 7 middle, 13 elementary, enrolling 11,100 students.What is the largest high school in Missoula?
Sentinel High School, with 1,365 students in 2024-25 (Missoula High School).Which districts run Missoula's schools?
Missoula Elementary (12 schools), Hellgate Elementary School District (4 schools), Missoula High School (3 schools), Target Range School District (2 schools), and 1 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25