Chief Joseph School

Chief Joseph School is a K-5 school of heavily attended scale in Great Falls, Montana, overseen by Great Falls Elem, instructing 260 students in grades pre-K through 6. Enrollment runs roughly 56% bigger than the state mean of about 167.

Chief Joseph School is one of 18 schools operated by Great Falls Elem, a district that educates 7,094 students overall.

Looking at the student body, Chief Joseph School lists that the largest single group is White, at 73% of enrollment; the rest is composed of 12% multiracial, 9% Hispanic, 5% Native American. That is noticeably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 84%.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.2:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 11.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 56% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy.

In the area at large, census data for Cascade County shows median household income runs about $67,690, roughly 28% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Cascade County's 45 public schools (combined enrollment of about 11,577 students), Chief Joseph School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Loy School, around 0.6 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Chief Joseph School.

The campus sits in a metropolitan setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 14%: 302 students in 2018 compared to 260 in 2025.

On this page, members of the Chief Joseph School community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.