Southwest Montana News

Philipsburg 7-8 had a total attendance of 30 students during the 2020-21 school year, according to the Montana Office of Public Instruction.

Attendance at the school saw a 42.9 percent increase over the previous school year.

According to data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, enrollment is projected to increase by seven percent in Montana from 2017 to 2029. The state expected to see the largest increase in enrollment is North Dakota, with a projected 16% increase. The state that is expected to see the largest decrease in enrollment is New Mexico, with a projected 12% decrease.

According to the findings of a study conducted by Montana Small Schools Alliance, student enrollment in Montana has a significant impact on a number of factors such as a decrease in school funding, elimination of faculty, and possible school consolidation or closure.

Ranking	School	Enrollment (2020-21)	Previous Year Enrollment (2019-20)
1	Flathead High School	1,607	1,516
2	Glacier High School	1,345	1,328
3	Butte High School	1,280	1,216
4	Sentinel High School	1,278	1,250
5	Hellgate High School	1,210	1,177
6	Big Sky High School	1,137	1,100
7	Belgrade Middle School	1,053	1,088
8	Kalispell Middle School	1,030	1,061
9	Belgrade High School	987	1,001
10	Sacajawea Middle School	830	862
11	East Middle School	809	831
12	North Middle School	759	787
13	Chief Joseph Middle School	742	760
14	Washington Middle School	668	666
15	East Middle School	647	650
16	Laurel High School	646	641
17	Browning High School	611	595
18	Porter Middle School	604	626
19	Laurel Middle School	590	636
20	Whitefish High School	588	579
…
337	Dodson High School	35	34
339	Chester-Joplin-Inverness 7-8	34	45
339	Hillcrest 7-8	34	38
339	Deer Park 7-8	34	35
339	Shields Valley 7-8	34	29
343	Swan River 7-8	33	40
343	Noxon 7-8	33	37
343	Lincoln High School	33	36
343	Nashua High School	33	31
343	Woodman School	33	30
348	Broadus 7-8	32	38
348	Babb School	32	30
348	Bridger 7-8	32	29
348	Valley View School	32	28
352	Power High School	31	33
352	Melville School	31	28
354	Dutton/Brady High School	30	31
354	Highwood Middle School	30	29
354	Marion 7-8	30	29
354	Alder School	30	25
354	Philipsburg 7-8	30	21
359	Washington School	29	211
359	Alberton 7-8	29	29
359	Highwood High School	29	28
359	Drummond 7-8	29	24
359	Barbara Gilligan 7-8	29	23
359	Trinity School	29	19
365	Potomac 7-8	28	29
365	Pleasant Valley School	28	28
365	North Star 7-8	28	25
368	Hot Springs 7-8	27	32
368	Big Sky School	27	28
370	Lambert High School	26	34
370	Richey High School	26	26
370	Liberty Elementary School	26	26
370	Lincoln 7-8	26	23
370	Plevna High School	26	20
370	Stanford 7-8	26	20
370	Broadview 7-8	26	19
377	Lima School	25	32
377	Terry High School	25	29
…
463	North Harlem Elementary	9	13
463	Dixon 7-8	9	11
463	Willow Creek 7-8	9	10
463	King Colony School	9	9
463	Winnett 7-8	9	8
463	Alzada School	9	8
463	Reed Point 7-8	9	6
463	Benton Lake School	9	6
472	Augusta 7-8	8	9
472	Zenith Elementary	8	8
472	Spring Creek School	8	6
475	Denton High School	7	15
475	Hysham High School	7	13
475	Saco 7-8	7	10
475	Hysham 7-8	7	9
475	Divide School	7	7
475	Greycliff School	7	6
475	Ayers School	7	6
482	Jackson School	6	5
483	Carter School	5	11