Shields Valley Elementary

Shields Valley Elementary is an elementary campus of intimate scale in Wilsall, Montana, part of Shields Valley Elem, instructing 107 students in grades pre-K through 6. Enrollment runs roughly 36% smaller than the state mean of about 167.

Across the 2 schools in Shields Valley Elem (139 students total), Shields Valley Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Shields Valley Elementary shows that 95% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority; the rest comes out to 3% Hispanic.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Shields Valley Elementary records 9 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.8:1. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 41% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Park County put the typical household earns roughly $70,047 per year, about 40% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. Shields Valley Elementary is one of 15 public schools in Park County (combined enrollment of about 1,656 students).

Shields Valley High Schl is the nearest neighboring public school, about 7.8 miles from this campus. Within ten miles, there are 2 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas.

Shields Valley Elementary operates from a small-town location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged up 5%: 102 students in 2018 compared to 107 in 2025. Class-load math has rose: from 10.1:1 in 2018 to 11.8:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.