Loss of students closes down historic Sylvanite School

BONNERS FERRY - One of Montana's oldest schools just east of the Idaho line faces closing for good.

The 111-year-old, one-room Sylvanite School 17 miles southwest of Yaak went non-operational two weeks into the current school year after its three students transferred, said Ron Higgins, superintendent for Lincoln County's rural schools. The trio went to McCormick School, which is also in Montana near Boundary County's Curley Creek area.

The school could reopen in the fall if there's at least one student, Higgins said. That student does not need to live within the school district, but could come from Boundary County, and attend at no charge. The student would, however, need to be transported to the school, which is for kindergarten through eighth grade.

Mary Ellen Solem, chairwoman for the school board, remains hopeful about the school reopening.

“We were real disappointed (when the school went non-operational),” Solem said. “The school has been open for so many years. We have an excellent teacher. If somebody shows up on the first day of school, we're open.”

Law allows the school to remain non-operational for three years; once a school takes on that status, they tend to close. During the third year without students, assets would be assigned to a neighboring school district.

Sylvanite has dealt with low student enrollment for a few years. In May 2006, its only student - an eighth-grader - graduated. Only one student was needed on the first day of school in August 2006 for Sylvanite to remain open.

A family from Moyie Springs enrolled their three daughters, who remained for the school year. They drove 50 miles round-trip twice daily to get the girls to and from school, but paid no tuition.

Several Sylvanite graduates have gone on to be valedictorians and salutatorians for Troy High School.

Higgins is pessimistic about the future of the school, which in recent years had as many as 18 students.

“There's no jobs and more people used to live here with young kids,” he said. “The cost of housing and land has escalated so much that people can't afford to move here.”

McCormick School has 14 students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade, while Yaak had dropped to six students, Higgins said.

“The unique part about it is they're all younger students from younger families,” he said about the Yaak School. “The oldest student is a fourth-grader.”