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Schools›Montana›Helena
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HELENA H S·NCES 301383000430

Helena High School

1300 Billings Avenue, Helena, MT 59601 · (406) 324-2200 · Lewis and Clark County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL979 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

Enrollment
979
High
DISTRICT 593 · STATE 238
Student : Teacher
15.6:1
63 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.4:1 · STATE 11.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
31%
307 students
DISTRICT 38% · STATE 58%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 924625%
Grade 1026027%
Grade 1124325%
Grade 1223023%
Student demographics
29%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 26% · STATE 40% · US 70%
White
81884%
DISTRICT 85% · STATE 76% · US 43%
Hispanic
616%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 7% · US 30%
Black
152%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 1% · US 15%
Asian
121%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 1% · US 6%
Two+
515%
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
222%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 10% · US 1%
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
Male
48349%
Female
49651%

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Test scores

EDFacts (federal) 2020-21 . % Proficient (SY 20-21)
English Language Arts
56.0%
MT avg 47.2%
Math
36.0%
MT avg 36.0%

What this means: On the EDFacts (federal), Montana's statewide test, about 56 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 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 Helena High School

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Helena High School this school97931.4%N/A
Sentinel High School
Missoula
1,36533.1%N/A
Capital High School
Helena
1,29327.7%N/A
C M Russell High School
Great Falls
1,41239.9%N/A
Custer Co District High
Miles City
48728.3%N/A
Beaverhead Co High School
Dillon
33934.2%N/A
Matched among Montana high 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 Helena High School ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn MontanaIn Lewis and Clark County
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
36.0%#14 of 68N/A
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
56.0%#14 of 70N/A
Enrollment
ranked largest first
979#15 of 180#2 of 7
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
15.6:1#27 of 50N/A
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
29.4%#14 of 50N/A
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
31.4%#66 of 83N/A
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-35.7%#2 of 25N/A
Ranked against other public high 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 2024-25
Enrollment
979
-275 (-22%) vs 2020
-29% since 1990-91, when it was 1,370
Student : Teacher
15.6:1
was 13.5:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2597962.815.6:131% (307)
2023-241,08774.314.6:120% (217)
2022-231,0878113.4:1N/A
2020-211,2549313.5:1N/A
2017-181,523102.414.9:124% (366)
2015-161,62210515.4:129% (469)
2010-111,65510915.2:122% (357)
2000-011,80510417.4:19% (156)
1990-911,3707817.6:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Helena High School.

Since 2017-18: students down 36% (1,523 to 979); teachers down 39% (102.4 to 62.8).

About Helena High School

Helena High School is a large high school found in Helena, Montana. The school counts 979 students across grades 9 through 12. The school's enrollment is 311% larger than the 238 average for high schools in Montana.

The 4 schools of Helena H S, including Helena High School, enroll 2,373 students.

About 84% of the student body at Helena High School is White. Beyond that, enrollment is 6% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, and 2% Native American. Pick two students at random and there is a 29% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.

A ratio of 15.6:1 comes from the school's 62.8 full-time-equivalent teachers. The school has more students per teacher than the 11.3:1 average for high schools in Montana. The lunch program counts 31% of students at Helena High School as eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

Among Lewis and Clark County residents, the median household income is $78,237, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 43%, and roughly 3% of residents are in poverty. Besides Helena High School, Lewis and Clark County has 35 other public schools.

The nearest other public school, Bryant School, is about 0.3 miles away. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools.

The NCES locale for Helena High School is City: Small, which covers schools inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.

Federal data show a 22% enrollment decrease, from 1,254 in 2020-21 to 979 in 2024-25. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio rose from 13.5:1 to 15.6:1.

Discussion on this page can cover school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.

Lewis and Clark County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
73,464
Census ACS
Median income
$78,237
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
43%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
3%
Below federal line
Schools in county
36
9,786 students

Quick facts

School name
Helena High School
District
Helena H S
Address
1300 Billings Avenue, Helena, MT 59601
Phone
(406) 324-2200
County
Lewis and Clark County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
979
Teachers (FTE)
63
Student–teacher ratio
15.6:1
Free and reduced lunch
307 (31%)
Locale
13-City: Small
NCES ID
301383000430
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Helena H S
Other schools in Helena
Other Helena High schools

One other US public school is named Helena High. Helena High School is the 2nd largest of the 2.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Helena High School
How many students attend Helena High School?
Helena High School enrolls approximately 979 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Helena High School serve?
Helena High School serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Helena High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Helena High School is approximately 15.6:1 (63 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Helena High School?
At Helena High School, the student body is approximately 84% White, 6% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is Helena High School in?
Helena High School is part of Helena H S.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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