129 S 5th St E
Missoula, MT 59801

This is the best school in Western Montana. The teachers really care and the students are there to learn. When my daughter was 12 we were on a visit to Missoula and my daughter said to me "Dad I want to go to Helegate High". Surprised I said "why do you want to go to Hellgate"? "I don't know", was the answer. I said "we'll see what we can do".We were so impressed that we moved from Wallace, Idaho and brought a home near the Hellgate just so my daughter could go there. My daughter loved it. She became a STEM major and went on to study at Montana State Bozeman. While at Hellgate she joined the Hellgate Band and they were invited to play at Carnagie Hall NYC and the 75th battleship arizona memorial at pearl harbor. The Hellgate band is one of the top 10 in the nation.These are things that wouldn't have happened at another school. Hellgate High is a special place!

Paxson is a wonderful elementary school with amazing teachers and staff.

You win some, you lose some; the losses, in this case, outweigh the wins. Communication is lacking, setting expectations for parents who are new to the community are even worse, and I'm not sure that all of the teachers actually know what it means to be educators in the fullest sense of the concept. Definitely behind the times when compared with other more populated or--for lack of a better term-- more developed, states. This encompasses their lack of modern understanding regarding discipline and neurodivergent individuals. Teachers staunchly dig their heels in on antiquated methods of "correcting" behavioral issues rooted in the underlying neurological conditions rather than making honest efforts to communicate with parents on such matters. A "three-star" rating is honestly generous and is based on the (few) amazing teachers that HAVE surfaced. Based on 80% of my interactions I'd be comfortable with assigning a single star.