Hawthorne School

Hawthorne School, a middle-of-the-pack elementary-level community in Helena, Montana, operated by Helena Elem, teaches 183 students, covering grades pre-K through 5.

Within Helena Elem, which oversees 15 schools and 5,100 students, Hawthorne School is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Hawthorne School lists that 85% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. The remainder reads as 6% Hispanic, 4% Native American, 4% multiracial.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Hawthorne School reports 13 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.8:1. The state averages around 11.9:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 21% of students at Hawthorne School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Lewis and Clark County (around 38%), the school's rate is south of typical.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Lewis and Clark County indicate median household earnings sit near $78,237, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 3%. In all, Lewis and Clark County runs 36 public schools (combined enrollment of about 9,786 students), of which Hawthorne School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Central School, around 0.5 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Hawthorne School operates from a city-core location.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Hawthorne School has fell 14%, going from 212 students in 2018 to 183 in 2025. Class-load math has narrowed: from 16.3:1 in 2018 to 13.8:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Hawthorne School community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.