1
Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Glacier Gateway Elem?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
471
Elementary
DISTRICT 479 · STATE 167
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·COLUMBIA FALLS ELEM·NCES 300711000196
Glacier Gateway Elem
440 4th Avenue West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912 · (406) 892-6540 · Flathead County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL471 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
This school has no state test results for 2023-24 or 2024-25 to grade, which is common for schools that end before third grade. How grades work
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
33 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.4:1 · STATE 11.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
466 students
DISTRICT 98% · STATE 58%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 11 | 2% |
| Kindergarten | 69 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 80 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 81 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 85 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 69 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 76 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (69) is 9% smaller than its 5th grade class (76).
Student demographics
25%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 26% · STATE 40% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Glacier Gateway Elem→Columbia Falls Jr HS
Based on grade levels within Columbia Falls Elem. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
EDFacts (federal) 2020-21 . % Proficient (SY 20-21)English Language Arts
35.0%
MT avg 47.2%
Math
27.0%
MT avg 36.0%
What this means: On the EDFacts (federal), Montana's statewide test, about 35 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 27 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Montana schools, those numbers are about 47 and 36.
Source: EDFacts (federal). All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Schools most like Glacier Gateway Elem
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glacier Gateway Elem this school | 471 | 98.9% | N/A |
| Ruder Elementary Columbia Falls | 487 | 97.5% | N/A |
| Jeannette Rankin Elementary Sc Kalispell | 415 | 100.0% | N/A |
| Edgerton School Kalispell | 509 | 100.0% | N/A |
| Lillian Peterson School Kalispell | 344 | 100.0% | N/A |
| Sunnyside School Havre | 354 | 99.2% | N/A |
Matched among Montana elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Glacier Gateway Elem ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Montana | In Flathead County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 27.0% | #150 of 199 | #15 of 21 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 35.0% | #161 of 201 | #19 of 21 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 471 | #18 of 421 | #4 of 25 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.5:1 | #71 of 160 | #5 of 15 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 25.3% | #110 of 160 | #8 of 15 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.9% | #50 of 226 | #12 of 21 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.2% | #77 of 107 | #9 of 10 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
471
+5 (+1%) vs 2020
+52% since 1990-91, when it was 310
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
was 13.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 471 | 32.5 | 14.5:1 | 99% (466) |
| 2023-24 | 496 | 33.5 | 14.8:1 | 69% (344) |
| 2022-23 | 473 | 34.5 | 13.7:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 466 | 34 | 13.7:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 513 | 31.1 | 16.5:1 | 57% (291) |
| 2015-16 | 481 | 31 | 15.5:1 | 56% (271) |
| 2010-11 | 445 | 28 | 15.9:1 | 60% (267) |
| 2000-01 | 406 | 22 | 18.4:1 | 37% (151) |
| 1990-91 | 310 | 13 | 23.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Glacier Gateway Elem.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (513 to 471); teachers up 5% (31.1 to 32.5).
About Glacier Gateway Elem
Glacier Gateway Elem is an elementary school located in Columbia Falls, Montana, in Flathead County. Its enrollment is 471 students, spread over pre-K through 5. Across elementary schools in Montana, the average enrollment is about 167.
Columbia Falls Elem has 3 schools and 1,505 students, and Glacier Gateway Elem is one of those schools.
The share of students at Glacier Gateway Elem who are White is 86%. Smaller groups are 7% multiracial and 5% Hispanic. A diversity index of 25% means there is a 25% chance two randomly chosen students at Glacier Gateway Elem are from different groups.
Teacher count: 32.5 full-time equivalents. Student-to-teacher ratio: 14.5:1. Compared with the 11.9:1 average for elementary schools in Montana, this school's ratio is higher. Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch, often used to gauge student poverty, is 99%. Across public schools in Flathead County, the average is 75%.
The county, Flathead County, is where the school is located. The median household earns about $73,925 a year, 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of people live in poverty. Flathead County has 48 public schools with about 14,957 students, including Glacier Gateway Elem.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, Columbia Falls High Schl, is about 0.6 miles. There are 3 other public schools within five miles.
The NCES locale for Glacier Gateway Elem is Town: Remote, which covers schools in a town far from an urbanized area.
Enrollment went from 466 in 2020-21 to 471 in 2024-25, a change of 5 students.
People who know Glacier Gateway Elem can post here about open houses, carpools, and field trips. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Flathead County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
110,695
Census ACS
Median income
$73,925
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
48
14,957 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Columbia Falls Elem
- Columbia Falls Jr HSMiddle · 547 students
- Ruder ElementaryElementary · 487 students
Other schools in Columbia Falls
- Columbia Falls High SchlHigh · 691 students
- Columbia Falls Jr HSMiddle · 547 students
- Ruder ElementaryElementary · 487 students
- Deer Park SchoolElementary · 120 students
- Deer Park 6-8Middle · 48 students
Nearby schools
- Columbia Falls High Schl0.6 mi · 691
- Ruder Elementary0.9 mi · 487
- Columbia Falls Jr HS1.1 mi · 547
- Deer Park School5.8 mi · 120
- Deer Park 6-85.8 mi · 48
- L A Muldown School6.6 mi · 661
Frequently asked questions
About Glacier Gateway ElemHow large is Glacier Gateway Elem?
Glacier Gateway Elem enrolls approximately 471 students in grades PK-05.
Is Glacier Gateway Elem an elementary, middle, or high school?
Glacier Gateway Elem is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Glacier Gateway Elem?
Approximately 14.5:1 students per teacher at Glacier Gateway Elem.
How diverse is Glacier Gateway Elem?
Glacier Gateway Elem reports a student body of 86% White, 5% Hispanic, 0% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Glacier Gateway Elem in?
Glacier Gateway Elem is part of Columbia Falls Elem.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.