Helena school board approves changes to district boundaries

After nearly a year of planning and discussion, the Helena School Board of Trustees unanimously voted Tuesday night to establish new boundaries that will determine which school the city’s students attend.

The approved plans outline boundary changes that will be implemented gradually beginning at the start of the 2026-2027 school year, with the ultimate goal of redistributing student enrollment across all grade levels.  

“ I’ve said it for years, is that we need to look at these every 10 years,” Superintendent Rex Weltz said during the Tuesday night meeting. “We can’t wait 40 or 50 years and then make adjustments. These are things that we should be talking about often.”

While the attendance shift has been a subject of discussion within the district since 2022, the proposal was officially introduced last February by Weltz and Assistant Superintendent Josh McKay, who advocated for a boundary adjustment to address Helena’s growth and provide equal educational opportunities for all students.

“  We’re trying to create capacity in each one of our schools,” McKay said during the board meeting. “So that’s kind of a deeper ‘why?’ This is about educational opportunities, but it’s about improving outcomes.” 

Additionally, changing the attendance boundaries is necessary as the district progresses with its plans to rebuild Helena High and Kessler Elementary, and renovate Capital High, following the passage of a historic $283 million facilities bond by voters in September, according to Weltz.

“If we’re going to build a new high school, then we need to know how many students are going to occupy it,” Weltz said in a December school board meeting.

The plans will shift current boundary lines from east to west, mainly redistributing students in both high schools and middle schools, as well as Bryant, Four Georgians, Jim Darcy, Rossiter and Warren elementary schools.

The boundary shifts will be phased in, beginning next school year, and will impact “new enrolling students to the district,” which includes enrolling kindergartners and sixth graders. Current students will still be able to remain at their current school, but bus routes will change.

 ”This is a gradual transition,” McKay said. “The backbone of this plan is this primarily [starts] for kids that haven’t attended school yet. They haven’t been in school. So when you look at numbers for change, this is gradual over time. “

Additionally, students will continue to have the option to follow their siblings in the same attendance area, but parents will need to either arrange for their children to use an alternative bus route or provide their own transportation.

While there was no opposition during the meeting, McKay explained that the district received a handful of responses through its online platform meant to gather comments or questions about the boundary plans. Those questions, he added, were addressed by explaining the implementation process directly to those parents and families.

HOW WILL IT WORK?

According to the district, the boundary adjustments impact five areas. This is how the plans would work: Students who live in the neighborhood with Treasure State addresses who would have attended Four Georgians Elementary would shift to attending Rossiter Elementary. This change will begin with next school year’s kindergarteners.

Four Georgians Elementary, McKay explained, has been at capacity, but the attendance adjustments will provide opportunities to accommodate individualized family plans. Students would move into Rossiter, which has been experiencing a declining enrollment. 

New students entering middle school who live in the neighborhood with Tree Street addresses will attend Helena Middle School and Helena High School. Current students, however, still have the choice between attending Helena Middle School or C.R. Anderson, as well as Capital High School or HHS. 

Students who live south of Euclid Avenue and east of Grant Street would attend HMS and HHS, while those who live west of Grant Street would attend C.R. Anderson and CHS. The transition will apply to students who are newly enrolled to the district next year entering middle school.

Students who live north of Lincoln Road and east of Ferry Drive would attend Warren, then HMS and HHS, where, before, they would’ve gone to Jim Darcy Elementary, C.R. Anderson and CHS. The transition begins with the enrollment of next year’s kindergarten and new middle school students.

Lastly, students who live in neighborhoods north of Custer Avenue and east of I-15 would attend Rossiter instead of Byrant Elementary. This change will begin with next school year’s kindergarteners.

Capital High School’s current boundary area is significantly larger than Helena High’s and encompasses areas outside of Helena, extending into the rural areas of Lewis and Clark County, including Wolf Creek, Craig, Willborn, Canyon Creek, Marysville and Remini. 

As of last October, fall enrollment totals show Capital High School has 1,369 students, while Helena High has 982. With boundary adjustments, Helena High could see an increase of 136 students over the next several years. 

C.R. Anderson Middle School has 927 students, while Helena Middle School has 723. Over time, approximately 90 students are expected to transition from C.R. Anderson to HMS.

Of the listed elementary schools, Four Georgians Elementary would see the most significant shift, with approximately 70 students gradually moving to Rossiter. 

In-depth, independent reporting on the stories impacting your community from reporters who know your town.