Pondera Colony School

dbps.k12.mt.us/District/Department/5-Midw

27 Students

Elementary School Pre-K - 8th

School Overview

Pondera Colony School, located on the Dupuyer Cutacross Road near Valier, Montana, is a small, specialized educational institution serving the children of the Pondera Hutterite Colony. As a colony-based school, it operates within the unique cultural and communal framework of the Hutterite lifestyle. The school’s curriculum is designed to meet state educational standards while remaining deeply integrated with the community’s values, traditions, and agrarian way of life, often emphasizing practical skills alongside core academic subjects.

Because it serves a secluded colony population, the school functions as a tight-knit environment where class sizes are typically small and student-teacher ratios are personalized. The instruction focuses on providing the youth with the necessary academic foundation to succeed both within their immediate community and in their broader interactions with the state of Montana. By operating directly on colony grounds, Pondera Colony School serves as a vital bridge between the specific religious and cultural identity of the Hutterite residents and the formal requirements of the Montana public education system.

Total Students

1.0

Full-Time Teachers

27.0

Student/Teacher Ratio

N/A

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for Pondera Colony School
Demographic	Student Count
White	27

White
27 (100.0 %)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	Elementary School
School Type:	Regular School
Charter Status:*	Public Non-Charter
Virtual Instruction:	N/A
Shared Time Status:	N/A
District:	Dutton/Brady K-12 Schools
Phone:	(406)279-3464
Website:	http://dbps.k12.mt.us/District/Department/5-Midw
Grade Range:	Pre-K - 8th
Total Students:	27
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	1.0
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	27.0
NSLP Participation:¹	N/A
Qualified Free Lunch:	N/A
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	N/A

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Kindergarten 4

Grade 1 3

Grade 2 4

Grade 3 3

Grade 4 3

Grade 5 2

Grade 6 7

Grade 7 1