Smith Valley 7-8

Set in Kalispell, Montana, Smith Valley 7-8 is a minimally staffed middle-grades school, one of the schools within Smith Valley Elem. It enrolls 42 students across grades 7 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 70% below the state mean of about 139.

Across the 2 schools in Smith Valley Elem (190 students total), Smith Valley 7-8 accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, Smith Valley 7-8 reports that 79% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school shows 12% multiracial, 7% Hispanic, 2% Native American. That is noticeably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 91%.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 3 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 15.4:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 11.3:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 48% of students at Smith Valley 7-8 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Flathead County (around 75%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Flathead County indicate median household earnings sit near $73,925, roughly 37% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Smith Valley 7-8 is one of 48 public schools in Flathead County (combined enrollment of about 14,957 students).

Smith Valley Primary Schl is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. 6 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Smith Valley 7-8 has edged down 9%, going from 46 students in 2018 to 42 in 2025. The White share of enrollment declined from 93% to 79% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 20.9:1 in 2018 to 15.4:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the feed for Smith Valley 7-8 typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.