Total enrollment
820
-104 (-11%) vs SY 2017-18
Pondera County
Montana · Public K-12
Pondera County, Montana comes in at 15 public K-12 schools on the latest counts, totaling roughly 820 students, with a county median household income near $52,338. The level mix is 8 elementary, 4 middle, and 3 high schools.
7-year change in Pondera County
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
14
-1 (-7%) vs SY 2017-18
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
Schools
15
8 districts
Enrollment
820
NCES CCD
Median income
$52,338
Below Montana avg
Free/reduced lunch
60.8%
Above Montana avg
Elementary
8
390 students
Middle
4
226 students
High
3
204 students
Combined / other
0
schools
LARGEST DISTRICT
Conrad Elem
340 students · 8 districts in Pondera County
County vs. school enrollment demographics
Left bar is the racial makeup of Pondera County residents (Census ACS 5-year). Right bar is the enrollment-weighted makeup of public schools in the county (NCES CCD). NCES systematically under-reports Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native American enrollment for many schools; where the resident share is meaningful but the reported school share is zero, we mark the school bar "not reported".
County residents
School enrollment
Bachelor's+
20.1%
adults 25+
Poverty rate
13.6%
ACS 5-year
Unemployment
5.8%
civilian labor
Median age
42
23.8% under 18
Test scores in Pondera County
Latest 2020-21 ELA proficiency, 4 schools ranked. Montana state average: 47.2%.
Top 4 schools (ELA)
- Utterback 7-8· 52.0%
- Utterback 4-6· 42.0%
- Meadowlark School· 34.5%
- Valier School· 34.5%
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meadowlark School | Conrad | Elementary | PK-03 | 144 | · |
| Conrad High School | Conrad | High | 09-12 | 126 | · |
| Utterback 4-6 | Conrad | Middle | 04-06 | 115 | · |
| Utterback 7-8 | Conrad | Middle | 07-08 | 81 | · |
| Heart Butte Elementary | Heart Butte | Elementary | PK-06 | 60 | · |
| Valier School | Valier | Elementary | PK-06 | 58 | · |
| Dupuyer School | Dupuyer | Elementary | PK-08 | 47 | · |
| Heart Butte High School | Heart Butte | High | 09-12 | 41 | · |
| Miami School | Conrad | Elementary | PK-08 | 38 | · |
| Valier High School | Valier | High | 09-12 | 37 | · |
| Kingsbury Colony Attn Ctr | Valier | Elementary | PK-08 | 25 | · |
| Heart Butte 6-8 | Heart Butte | Middle | 06-08 | 18 | · |
| Midway Colony | Conrad | Elementary | PK-08 | 18 | · |
| Valier 7-8 | Valier | Middle | 07-08 | 12 | · |
| Pondera Colony School | Valier | Elementary | PK-08 | 0 | · |
Cities in Pondera County
About Pondera County
Pondera County is a low-population Montana county of about 6,035 residents, home to 15 public schools and roughly 820 students.
Zooming out, census numbers show the median household earns about $52,338 a year, 20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the federal-poverty share is near 14%. That income level is 20% noticeably below the Montana median.
On the level-by-level breakdown, Pondera County covers 8 elementary schools (390 students), 4 middle schools (226), and 3 high schools (204).
The largest single district in Pondera County is Conrad Elem, which alone enrolls about 340 students.
Five-year track record. Combined enrollment now sits at 820 students, decreased 11% from the 924 reported in SY 2017-18. Pondera County now counts 14 public schools, down from 15 in SY 2017-18.
Within the allk12 community for this area, the community for Pondera County discusses comparison threads between local schools and program reviews. Discussions cut across districts, schools, and grade levels.
Frequently asked questions
Pondera County school rankings
DATA · Census ACS 5-year · NCES Common Core of Data