As this year’s Jefferson High School graduates finished their final days of high school last week, Jefferson County’s eighth graders prepared to take their place and fill their seats. For Boulder Elementary School eighth graders, the distance to their new school is only 1,056 feet. However, north-county eighth graders must travel an additional 19–24 miles to attend Jefferson High School. The increased distance to the county high school and several other factors results in some north-county eighth graders continuing their education in nearby Lewis & Clark County, just a few miles north. While previous years have seen more north-county eighth graders enrolling in Helena high schools, this year’s preliminary registration numbers show more students than previous years enrolling at Jefferson High School.
Montana City School and Clancy Schools will say goodbye to 48 and 44 eighth graders, respectively, after the 2021–22 school year, according to Clancy School District Clerk Jennifer Goehring and Montana City School K-2 and 6-8 Principal Daryl Mikesell.
Twenty eighth graders from Montana City School and 28 from Clancy School have submitted their registration paperwork to Jefferson High School. Of Montana City School’s 20 students planning to enroll at JHS, about five also enrolled at Helena High School. Mikesell tells parents if they’re unsure where they want their child to attend, they should register at both and make a final decision by Aug. 1. Out-of-district students cannot send registration paperwork to both Capital and Helena High School because it has caused confusion for the schools in the past, according to Mikesell. Approximately five students dual-enrolled at Jefferson High School and Helena High.
Two students from Clancy School plan to attend Capital High School; meanwhile, eight others have submitted their registration paperwork to Helena High School. Montana City School has delivered a combined total of 35 registrations to Capital and Helena High School. Miskell also told The Monitor that a “handful” of Montana City students are on the waiting list for East Helena High School. East Helena Public Schools Superintendent Dan Rispens clarified that the school has only received one enrollment request from Jefferson County students living on the north side of the Boulder Hill.
Six Clancy School eighth graders are still unsure where they will attend high school this upcoming fall, Goehring said in an email exchange with The Monitor.
While Jefferson High School is the designated high school for Montana City School and Clancy School students, many of them live closer to the Helena high schools. Mikesell said during a phone interview on May 3 that “the big deciding factor is proximity to their home.” Additionally, parents may choose a high school based on where their other children attend. If one student enrolls at a Helena high school, younger siblings will likely follow to reduce the confusion and complexity of balancing two unique school schedules, he said.
Although sending students to high school in Lewis & Clark County may be more convenient for north-county families, not all students get accepted into the district. With rising class sizes in the Capital and East Helena districts, the administrations are more likely to turn away out-of-district students. According to Rispens, East Helena High “is going to be nearing capacity more quickly than anticipated, and we are limiting admittance to new requests for tuition.” Meanwhile, Helena High anticipates fewer enrolled students than in previous years, Mikesell said.
Helena High School Principal Steve Thennis clarified that overall enrollment doesn’t influence how many out-of-district students the school accepts. Helena High School accepts approximately 30 to 40 out-of-district students each year, and Thennis doesn’t expect that to change.
“Whether we are at 1,600 students or 1,100 students, our doors are open for any students in good standing that wants to attend HHS,” Thennis said.
As the number of students in Helena high schools fluctuates, Mikesell has also seen an uptick in Montana City School students enrolling at Jefferson High School. In past years, around 25% of Montana City School eighth graders have attended Jefferson High School; now, 42% of the eighth-grade class plans to enroll at JHS for the 2022–23 school year. Mikesell credits the increase to Jefferson High School’s expansion of opportunities for students, both academically and athletically.
“It seems like every day I am hearing of another student seriously considering JHS, which is a testament to what JHS is doing and the changes they have implemented,” Mikesell wrote in an email to The Monitor.
While proximity and convenience are the deciding factors for many families, for others, aspects such as legacy and loyalty are the most important. Mikesell told The Monitor that he planned for his son, currently an eighth grader at Montana City School, to enroll at Jefferson High School “since his birth.” Not only is Jefferson High School Mikesell’s wife’s alma mater, but he also served as the principal and athletic director there for two years. Mikesell also filled the roles of assistant football coach and the head track coach at Jefferson High School.
Another consideration impacting north-county parents’ high school decision is the schools’ abilities to support students. William Luhrsen’s son, Simon, attended Helena High School for a year and a half before transferring to Jefferson High School, where he is currently a junior. Luhrsen explained that during the coronavirus pandemic, the school’s lack of support led to a drop in his son’s grades. Jefferson High School’s continuation of in-person teaching also played a factor in their decision to transfer. Luhrsen said the transfer gave his son “a fresh start” and he plans to send his next oldest son, an eighth grader at Montana City School, to Jefferson High School next year.
