If I could give this school a lower rating, I would. What I experienced here as a child stayed with…read moreme long after middle school ended, and not in a way that builds resilience or confidence. As a student on the autism spectrum, I came into this school already vulnerable, already trying to navigate a world that felt overwhelming and confusing. Instead of finding support, I was met with cruelty. I was routinely singled out and bullied by staff members, the very adults who were supposed to protect me and help me succeed. Being different made me a target, and it became clear very early on that there was no safe place to turn. One incident in particular still stands out because it showed just how completely I had been abandoned. During lunch one day, I was trapped by four students who cornered me and attacked me using a makeshift weapon. They took a long sock, filled it with a hard bar of soap, and used it to beat me, the way you might see in a badly made prison movie. I remember feeling terrified and powerless, realizing that I could not escape and that no one was coming to help. What makes this even harder to process is that there were staff members supervising lunch that day. They looked over, clearly saw what was happening, and then turned their backs. No intervention. No help. I was left with bruises and the lasting understanding that my safety simply did not matter. When I reached out afterward to both the school resource officer and the principal, I hoped that at least then someone would take it seriously. Instead, the response was painfully inadequate. The parents of the students involved reportedly threatened to pull their children out of baseball, and that was treated as leverage. Nothing meaningful ever came of it. The students faced no real consequences, and I was left to carry the aftermath alone. What happened to my sister at this school was even more frightening. When she came out as a teenager, the harassment she endured from other students escalated to the point where her physical safety was genuinely at risk. Watching someone you love go through that, while the adults responsible for protecting children fail to act, is something that stays with you forever. We were not just worried about her emotional well being. We were afraid for her life. A school should be a place where children are protected, where differences are respected, and where students are allowed to learn and grow without fear. For my family, this school was the opposite. It was an environment where bullying was ignored, where staff abuse was normalized, and where serious harm was allowed to happen through neglect and indifference. I would never recommend this school to anyone. Especially not to parents of neurodivergent children or LGBTQ youth. Every child deserves safety, dignity, and compassion. This school failed to provide those basic things, and the impact of that failure is something my family will carry for the rest of our lives.

Average middle school experience, some teachers are way to strict, others way to lenient, good…read morestructure, as someone who went to the school last year, I don't hate it, if you want to send your kid here it is a WAY better option then Helena Middle School.

I forgot to add one more thing that should be known and should have been addressed when it kept…read morehappening, daily. I recently had to have a Cervical Spinal Fusion done in my neck. Want to know why? The damage to my neck and spine happened at Helena High. I would have my head slammed and kicked into my locker, and this happened every, single day I was there. I would be attempting to put my books and schoolwork away and wouldn't see them coming for me. Then WHAM! So yes, my neck and spine are incredibly damaged now. I already have a Lumbar Spinal Fusion that is failed, and that was caused at Helena High, as well. I am now on Disability, since I can no longer walk or turn my head and am in constant chronic pain. Probably not much longer though, since Trump has vowed to destroy Disability, Social Security and Welfare. That is what America voted for, however. My Neurosurgeon here in Minnesota, told me that the damage was totally caused by my time at Helena High, and specifically by having my head slammed or kicked into my locker every day. I know many will insist that I am exaggerating or making it up. Nope! Many, many other students and teachers were witness to it, so it can be proven true. Am I supposed to be ticked off about it? Probably. Nothing, not one thing was ever done about it. Even though it was reported to the principal and front office, I never even got an acknowledgement that it was actually happening. They chose to ignore me. What? Am I supposed to just forget that it happened? Well, I have tried, but you cannot. It stays with you for life. Why the Helena School Board allows that kind of behaviour, I do not know. Maybe it has changed by now, and bullying and attempting to kill other students is frowned upon. I somehow highly doubt that though. I will never receive an apology from them, I know that. I mean, they condoned that type of thing themselves. Did those in Helena really think that I would just forget? Not going to happen. Now that I am getting elderly and am disabled by what happened to me in Helena, I am going to tell the world how people treat others in that town and at the public schools. I wouldn't wish what happened to me, on my worst enemy. It is just obscene, really. Then, on top of all that, Montana chooses to become one of the Hate States recently. That is how it is known as here, where I live now. Good. I want others to know my story and know that although I survived, it was just barely. My extremely painful disability was caused by those in Helena, and now I have to live with it. I had so many bad things happen to me in that town and state. I could write a book, and perhaps should. About my whole experience growing up, and almost being murdered in Helena, at both Capital and Helena High, mostly the latter. Again, you'd think they would be ashamed of how they acted. But nope, no apologies, no nothing were ever proffered to me. I am sure I am still known and hated in Helena and Montana. Especially now. Even if the Board of Schools/Education knew about the violence done to me, they would do nothing anyway. I am sure they did know, and simply chose to ignore it. It is just the way those of us who are gay, are and were treated in Helena and Montana. Likely still are, which is a shame. It is 2025 now and it appears that not much has changed in Helena.

Huge Thank you to Julie TeNyenhuis vice principle Helena High for all the support and help finding…read moremy daughter. She is an angel and very supportive of families. Thank you

If I could give this school a lower rating, I would. Attending this school was one of the most…read morefrightening periods of my life. I was not simply bullied here. I was threatened daily, beaten on a regular basis, and forced to live in constant fear for my safety. Every day I walked onto campus knowing there was a real possibility I would be hurt, and every day that fear proved justified. The violence was not isolated or hidden. Students openly used drugs in and around the school, including in the forested area nearby, which became a place of genuine danger. I was once nearly impaled there during an attack, and I am still shaken when I think about how close I came to being seriously injured or killed. There was no meaningful supervision and no sense that anyone was truly watching out for students who were vulnerable. The only reason I survived that year is because one teacher saw what was happening and chose to protect me. The shop teacher offered me a place to hide during lunch so I could avoid being attacked. I should never have needed a hiding place at school. The fact that a single teacher's quiet act of kindness was the only barrier between me and serious harm says everything about how unsafe this environment was. The abuse escalated to the point where I was hospitalized. During one assault, I was kicked so hard in the ribs that my torso was badly bruised and I could not breathe properly. I spent time in the hospital on oxygen because my breathing was impaired, and my recovery took most of a month. I was in pain, frightened, and struggling to heal while still expected to navigate a school environment that had already proven it could not keep me safe. I still carry physical scars from what happened, reminders of how real and lasting the damage was. I left this school as soon as I could because I genuinely feared for my life. No student should ever feel that attending class puts them in danger of serious injury or death. A school should be a place of learning, structure, and protection. This school failed at the most basic level to provide safety, and that failure had life altering consequences for me. I would never recommend this school to anyone. Especially not to parents of children who are vulnerable, different, or simply trying to get through adolescence without being harmed. What happened here was not just bullying. It was sustained violence, neglect, and a complete breakdown of responsibility, and it is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

I feel safe in this environment, some of the teachers are horribly biased, but you will get there…read morewhatever school you attend, I am proud to have been a bruin.

This place was truly amazing for our child. He is starting kindergarten this fall, and I feel…read moreconfident he is ready. The teachers truly care about their students and families. It is also wonderful to hear my son talk about Jesus and Bible stories every day. These teachers instill a love for Christ in each child. The kids leave becoming more respectful, caring, and ready for elementary school. The play area is also wonderful. Truly the best for preschool!

love this fucking school. put ur kids in this school because its a good school unlike the rest of…read morethe helena school district. but the principal is rude and sucks. but that doesnt matter because the school is great. love it