Bench Elementary School

We moved to Billings in 2016 when our daughter was in the middle of 2nd grade. After enrolling her at Independent, we went in to tour the school and meet her new teacher, Ms.V. The principal, Ms. Chouinard, was very personable and informative on what the school was about and what we, as parents, should expect from the teachers, staff and our kids. Our daughter was welcomed with open arms and smiles on her first day. She excelled at Independent because of the care and compassion or her teachers. Once she graduated, her teachers continue to ask about her and want me to pass on their best wishes and gratitude for her being such a great student. We currently have another daughter at Independent who has anxiety and sensory issues. Because of this, her learning is taking longer than anticipated for her age thus putting her in special education/resource room. She used to not want to go to school because of her anxiety and thinking kids would make fun of her. Her 1st grade teacher, Ms. Nussbaum, is the one that helped us recognize the signs and on the right path to better her education. She is now in 4th grade and the improvement is amazing! With the help of her resource room teachers and her homeroom teacher, she is thriving and loves going to school every day. The entire staff at Independent is phenomenal and such assets to the school. I highly recommend this school for those moving to Billings within SD52. Your kids will excel and be well loved/taken care of day after day.

Wendy Tyree has been the hardest principal to work with. She does not care about the children’s education or emotional well being and always has time to talk at you but never has time to have a real conversation. I have had to pull my children from this school after they failed to seek medical help for my child with a head injury, even after he was falling asleep while in class. It was the final straw. I wasn’t even notified until hours after the injury. After taking my child to the doctor, I attempted to contact school district 2 but they don’t seem to have time to talk either. I highly recommend avoiding this school if you care about your children and their wellbeing.

This is a great neighborhood school. We have three students, 5th, 3rd, and Kindergarten and all are thriving in this caring and supportive environment. McKinley is the most socioeconomically diverse school in the city. Therefore there is a diverse student population based on needs in order to meet academic standards. There are many supports in the school for both ends of the spectrum of student abilities due to additional resources as a title school. This school has great administrative leadership and a tremendous retention rate of new teachers who are willing to commit to a more challenging population to educate because of the high standards and culture of support. Finally this historic building was fully renovated and has the old school charm with updated amenities. Wouldn't ask for anything else for our kids. Very active PTA, but definitely a need for more parental involvement to support the system.

Feeling very frustrated with the lack of communication the school has. Why do they completely reply on phone apps?? What happened to sending out a monthly flyer to let you know there is a concert/activity/etc… I do like their math program and that I can “see” my child’s work via *one* of the apps used by the school to parents. I don’t want to be forced to rely on it for information provided last minute. Work/schedules need to be planned/altered in advance of activities so this information is nice to know ahead of time in a printed flyer. Secondly, my child had been “lost” by their teacher on more than one occasion (thankfully they don’t usually run off but scary nonetheless). There’s more but those are my biggest two. I can’t tell if this is a school issue or more likely a district one. Overall, disappointed and will be going elsewhere.

My kids do so well at Eagle Cliffs. Every concern has been addressed regarding bullying and if my child was struggling with something they have always been willing to work out a game plan with our family to help them succeed. If I have any questions staff members have been more than open. Mrs. Hornby has been wonderful to interact with and my children love Mrs. Salazar also.

I love Beartooth Elementary!!! Striving forward under new administration, Beartooth is making big strides and is becoming a community centered school with student led projects and activities. A strong character education strategy has been implemented over the past two school years with the results of higher attendance rates, rising proficiency scores, and lots of smiles and laughing. We work hard, we play hard, we learn more every day.