Enrollment
339
Elementary
DISTRICT 345 · STATE 167
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BILLINGS ELEM·NCES 300387000072
McKinley School
820 North 31st Street, Billings, MT 59101 · (406) 281-6212 · Yellowstone County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL339 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
11.7:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.6:1 · STATE 11.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
64%
217 students
DISTRICT 52% · STATE 58%
Community
0
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 | 40 | 12% |
| Kindergarten | 48 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 60 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 47 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 40 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 59 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 45 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (48) is 7% larger than its 5th grade class (45).
Student demographics
65%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 49% · 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
Test scores
EDFacts (federal) 2020-21 . % Proficient (SY 20-21)English Language Arts
42.0%
MT avg 47.2%
Math
42.0%
MT avg 36.0%
What this means: On the EDFacts (federal), Montana's statewide test, about 42 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 42 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 McKinley School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKinley School this school | 339 | 64.0% | N/A |
| CORE School at Morningside El Great Falls | 297 | 57.6% | N/A |
| Sunnyside School Great Falls | 396 | 78.5% | N/A |
| Bench School Billings | 332 | 70.5% | N/A |
| Burlington School Billings | 257 | 54.5% | N/A |
| Shelby Elementary School Shelby | 262 | 56.5% | 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 McKinley School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Montana | In Yellowstone County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #77 of 199 | #14 of 32 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #121 of 201 | #16 of 32 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 339 | #71 of 421 | #14 of 39 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.7:1 | #8 of 160 | #1 of 31 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 65.3% | #7 of 160 | #3 of 31 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 64.0% | #83 of 226 | #14 of 35 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +28.9% | #4 of 48 | #2 of 14 |
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
339
+70 (+26%) vs 2020
+17% since 1990-91, when it was 289
Student : Teacher
11.7:1
was 13.4:1
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 | 339 | 29 | 11.7:1 | 64% (217) |
| 2023-24 | 299 | 24.1 | 12.4:1 | 70% (209) |
| 2022-23 | 285 | 21.8 | 13.1:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 269 | 20 | 13.4:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 263 | 19.5 | 13.5:1 | 51% (134) |
| 2015-16 | 311 | 22 | 14.1:1 | 72% (224) |
| 2010-11 | 322 | 18 | 17.9:1 | 65% (209) |
| 2000-01 | 223 | 17 | 13.1:1 | 61% (136) |
| 1990-91 | 289 | 14 | 20.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for McKinley School.
Since 2017-18: students up 29% (263 to 339); teachers up 49% (19.5 to 29).
About McKinley School
McKinley School is a large elementary school with an address in Billings, Montana. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 339 students in pre-K through 5. The average for elementary schools in Montana is about 167 students, so this school is 103% bigger than average.
McKinley School is a school in Billings Elem. The district has 29 schools and 11,377 students.
At 53%, White students outnumber all other groups at McKinley School combined. Smaller groups are 19% Native American, 13% multiracial, and 12% Hispanic. County-wide, 86% of Yellowstone County residents are White. The chance that two students picked at random at McKinley School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 65%.
Teachers at McKinley School total 29 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 11.7:1. Elementary schools in Montana average about 11.9:1, a similar figure. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 64%. Across public schools in Yellowstone County, the average is 48%.
McKinley School is located in Yellowstone County, where median household income is about $76,570, roughly 34% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Federal data list 68 public schools in Yellowstone County, with a combined enrollment of about 23,853.
The closest other public school is Billings Early College School, about 0.3 miles away. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.
McKinley School is coded as City: Mid-size in federal locale data.
McKinley School had 269 students in 2020-21 and 339 in 2024-25, a 26% rise. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 13.4:1 in 2020-21 to 11.7:1 in 2024-25.
Questions about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week can be posted here. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Yellowstone County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
168,957
Census ACS
Median income
$76,570
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
68
23,853 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Billings Elem
- Lewis & Clark Middle SchoolMiddle · 741 students
- Ben Steele Middle SchoolMiddle · 740 students
- Castle Rock Middle SchoolMiddle · 691 students
- Meadowlark SchoolElementary · 691 students
- Will James Middle SchoolMiddle · 634 students
- Medicine Crow Middle SchoolMiddle · 517 students
Other schools in Billings
- Billings West High SchoolHigh · 2,115 students
- Billings Sr High SchoolHigh · 1,629 students
- Skyview High SchoolHigh · 1,542 students
- Lewis & Clark Middle SchoolMiddle · 741 students
- Ben Steele Middle SchoolMiddle · 740 students
- Castle Rock Middle SchoolMiddle · 691 students
Other McKinley schools
5 other US public schools in 5 states are named McKinley. McKinley School is the 6th largest of the 6.
- McKinley SchoolElkins Park, PA · 596 students
- Mckinley SchoolTREMONTON, UT · 586 students
- McKinley SchoolYork, PA · 578 students
- McKinleyPasadena, CA · 538 students
- McKinley SchoolFairfield, CT · 470 students
Nearby schools
- Billings Early College School0.3 mi · 60
- Billings Multilingual Academy0.3 mi · 20
- Billings Opportunity School0.3 mi · 78
- Billings Multilingual Academy0.3 mi · 21
- Billings Sr High School0.5 mi · 1,629
- Broadwater School0.8 mi · 400
Frequently asked questions
About McKinley SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at McKinley School?
McKinley School enrolls approximately 339 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does McKinley School serve?
McKinley School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many teachers does McKinley School have?
McKinley School employs 29 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.7:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at McKinley School?
At McKinley School, the student body is approximately 53% White, 12% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 13% Two or more.
Who oversees McKinley School?
McKinley School is overseen by Billings Elem in Yellowstone County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.