Total enrollment
484
-42 (-8%) vs SY 2017-18
Sweet Grass County
Montana · Public K-12
Sweet Grass County sits inside Montana and runs 6 public K-12 schools, enrolling about 484 students. Big Timber Elem alone accounts for 291 of those students. By grade band, the county runs 4 elementary, 1 middle, and 1 high schools.
7-year change in Sweet Grass County
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
6
0 (0%) vs SY 2017-18
% White
90%
was 92%
% Hispanic
6%
was 4%
% Black
1%
was 1%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
Schools
6
5 districts
Enrollment
484
NCES CCD
Median income
$77,000
Above Montana avg
Free/reduced lunch
34.3%
Below Montana avg
Elementary
4
254 students
Middle
1
69 students
High
1
161 students
Combined / other
0
schools
LARGEST DISTRICT
Big Timber Elem
291 students · 5 districts in Sweet Grass County
County vs. school enrollment demographics
Left bar is the racial makeup of Sweet Grass 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+
24.4%
adults 25+
Poverty rate
4.6%
ACS 5-year
Unemployment
1.8%
civilian labor
Median age
47
20.1% under 18
Test scores in Sweet Grass County
Latest 2020-21 ELA proficiency, 3 schools ranked. Montana state average: 47.2%.
Top 3 schools (ELA)
- Big Timber 7-8· 47.0%
- Sweet Grass Co High Schl· 44.5%
- Big Timber School· 42.0%
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Timber School | Big Timber | Elementary | PK-06 | 222 | · |
| Sweet Grass Co High Schl | Big Timber | High | 09-12 | 161 | · |
| Big Timber 7-8 | Big Timber | Middle | 07-08 | 69 | · |
| Melville School | Melville | Elementary | PK-08 | 20 | · |
| McLeod School | Mcleod | Elementary | PK-08 | 8 | · |
| Greycliff School | Greycliff | Elementary | PK-08 | 4 | · |
Cities in Sweet Grass County
About Sweet Grass County
Sweet Grass County is a compact Montana county of about 3,720 residents, home to 6 public schools and roughly 484 students.
Looking at the wider area, census numbers show median household income runs near $77,000, about 24% of adults have a bachelor's degree or above, and the federal-poverty share is near 5%. That income level is 18% meaningfully above the Montana median.
For a sense of the school types, Sweet Grass County comprises 4 elementary schools (254 students), 1 middle school (69), and 1 high school (161).
Big Timber Elem dominates the local landscape, accounting for roughly 291 students on its own.
Five-year track record. Across the same 7-year window, public-school enrollment decreased 8%: 526 students in SY 2017-18 versus 484 in SY 2024-25.
On allk12, the community for Sweet Grass County discusses open enrollment windows, redistricting talk, and busing logistics. Discussions cut across districts, schools, and grade levels.
Frequently asked questions
DATA · Census ACS 5-year · NCES Common Core of Data