Sage Creek Elementary

Sage Creek Elementary, a micro-enrollment K-5 school in Chester, Montana, one of the schools within Chester-Joplin-Inverness El, works with 5 students, covering grades pre-K through 8. That puts it 97% leaner than the typical public school in Montana, which averages around 167 students.

Chester-Joplin-Inverness El runs 4 schools in total, collectively educating 182 students. Sage Creek Elementary is one of those campuses.

On demographics, Sage Creek Elementary records that the student body is overwhelmingly White (100%).

On the income-and-resources front, The school currently runs with 1 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 4.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 11.9:1, putting Sage Creek Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Liberty County put the typical household earns roughly $57,857 per year, 28% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 18%. In all, Liberty County runs 7 public schools (combined enrollment of about 249 students), of which Sage Creek Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Hi-Line Colony School, roughly 15.1 miles away.

The school occupies a low-density site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Sage Creek Elementary has ticked down 62%, going from 13 students in 2018 to 5 in 2025. Class-load math has narrowed: from 13.0:1 in 2018 to 4.0:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Sage Creek Elementary typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.