Fishtail School

Fishtail School, a very small elementary campus in Fishtail, Montana, run under Fishtail Elem, caters to 15 students, covering grades pre-K through 8. That puts it 91% smaller than the typical public school in Montana, which averages around 167 students.

Operationally, Fishtail School answers to Fishtail Elem, which sets policy, hires staff, and reports enrollment to the state.

Looking at the student body, Fishtail School logs that nearly all students (100%) are White.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 1 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 15.0:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 11.9:1 average. About 40% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Stillwater County runs at roughly 32%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Stillwater County) logs that the typical household earns roughly $84,732 per year, about 32% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Across Stillwater County's 18 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,336 students), Fishtail School is one campus in the mix.

Absarokee School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 5.1 miles from this campus. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint.

The campus sits in a countryside setting.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Fishtail School has grew 275%, going from 4 students in 2018 to 15 in 2025. Class-load math has loosened: from 4.0:1 in 2018 to 15.0:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.