SD #2’s instructional programs encompass kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as adult education. There are 23 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 3 high schools. Billings Public Schools employs about 1,819 full-time equivalent positions with an approximate $118 million-dollar budget. SD #2 is essentially two separate school districts operating under a unified Board of Trustees. The Billings Elementary School District serves students K-8. This includes Billings’ 23 public elementary schools as well as the four public middle schools. The second district is the High School District. It is organized into three, four-year high schools, one career center, and one adult education center.
Private School Options
Billings Catholic Schools: The Billings Catholic Schools serve nearly 1,000 students in grades K-12. BCS includes St. Francis Primary, Intermediate, Upper, and Billings Central Catholic High Schools. These schools all operate under the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings and are supported in part by the seven Catholic parishes in the city. The system is governed by the Billings Catholic Schools Board. Billings Catholic Schools also offer pre-school, day-care, before school, and after school day-care options.
Adelphi Christian Academy: Adelphi Christian Academy offers schooling for students K-12. The Academy was founded by a group of parents, seeking high-quality, independent, and non-denominational Christian education in Billings, Montana. Caring individuals from a cross-section of the community have united for the purpose of delivering excellence in education with a Biblical worldview. Adelphi stresses the importance of parental involvement, community service, and outreach, and the importance of training students to develop lifelong learning skills while equipping them for successful lives.
Higher Education Opportunities
Rocky Mountain College: Rocky Mountain College is Montana’s oldest higher education institution. RMC consistently ranks in the top ten among the most comprehensive colleges in the western United States. A private college, RMC offers more than 27 liberal arts and professionally oriented majors. The College’s low student-to-teacher ratio makes the school very appealing to both traditional and non-traditional students. RMC has an enrollment of approximately 1,000 students. These students are as diverse as the Rocky’s curriculum. The student population includes people from 37 states and 20 countries. The updated campus, strong sports program, and phenomenal arts and culture programs help make this college competitive across the nation.
Montana State University Billings: Whether you’re a graduate student, a high school student, or a distance learner, Montana State University Billings can help you achieve the higher education you are seeking. Approximately 5,000 students attend MSU Billings which offers more than 100 degrees in a variety of disciplines. Examples include arts and sciences, education, business, human services and technology. Classes at MSU Billings are offered during days and evenings to accommodate traditional and non-traditional students. Grants, loans, scholarships, and work-study options are plentiful. MSU Billings offers one and two-year certificate programs, two and four-year degrees as well as Master’s programs. Spread over 98 acres, MSU Billings has 16 buildings, employs more than 900 full-time and part-time people, and is the fourth largest employer in Yellowstone County, with an annual payroll in excess of $18 million.
The University of Mary: In 2003, the University of Mary expanded from its main campus located in Bismarck, North Dakota to serve Montana. The University of Mary Billings Center offers working professionals the opportunity to achieve their educational goals by attending class in Billings just one night per week. The University of Mary recognizes that adult students have the experience, the discipline and the capability of learning through a non-traditional approach, so our accelerated programs are designed to be completed in as little as 15 months. There are both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs available. The University of Mary Billings Center allows adults to be both full-time employees and full-time students and the school prides itself on being service and student-focused. The University of Mary designed its accelerated programs to be the perfect fit for adult learners.
Montana State University – College of Technology: The MSU Billings College of Technology offers training for many of today’s high demand technological positions. The College of Technology focuses on degrees and licenses for nurses, surgical technicians, paramedics, firefighters, automobile technicians, diesel technicians, process plant operators, computer system technicians, computer desktop support specialists, and computer-assisted drafting technicians working with architects. These examples are just a few of the career possibilities for students earning Certificates, Associate of Applied Science degrees, Associate of Science degrees, or Associate of Arts degrees from the College of Technology.
Yellowstone Baptist College: Yellowstone Baptist College (YBC) is the newest college in the Southern Baptist family. YBC is the only Southern Baptist College in the Northwest. The school was started in 1974 by the Yellowstone Southern Baptist Association. The YBC campus serves its students well with a new chapel and music building, prayer room, offices for the music faculty, a practice room, choir room, classrooms, and a music library to which new selections are added continually. Yellowstone Baptist College is located on Billings’ west end and it maintains the highest academic standards possible. Today, both traditional and non-traditional students can engage in serious study of the Bible and related Christian subjects at the YBC.
Walla Walla University, Billings Campus: Students at Walla Walla College are part of an atmosphere that’s intimate and supportive, stimulating and fun. From rigorous academic programs to exciting cultural events and life-changing spiritual activities, the conditions are just right to come into your own. The WWU is based in Washington State but the Missoula Master of Social Work program was extended to Billings in 2001. This extension was important to WWU so the school could offer a program in Social Work education in the eastern half of the state of Montana. The Billings campus is located on the historic south side of town in a newly remodeled facility. The building has spacious classrooms and contemporary equipment to provide an enhanced learning experience and a comfortable atmosphere for learning.