Big Sky School District #72

What Big Sky School District #72 does

Big Sky School District #72 is a public K-12 school district headquartered in Gallatin Gateway, Montana, serving the Big Sky area of southwestern Montana. Founded in 1906, the district operates three schools — Ophir Elementary (4K-5), Ophir Middle School (6-8), and Lone Peak High School (9-12) — and serves approximately 750+ students with a staff of 55 or more employees. The district is academically distinguished by its International Baccalaureate accreditation, offering both the IB Primary Years Program in the elementary grades and the IB Diploma Program at the high school level, and has more recently extended its reach through a district Online Academy and a dedicated mobile application for family and staff communication.

The district's underlying technology stack is a conventional public-school SaaS layer: Infinite Campus for the student information system, Apptegy for mass communications and web presence, and a native mobile app layered on top. Its business model is that of a tax-funded government entity rather than a commercial enterprise — operating revenue is drawn from a combination of local property taxes (boosted by Big Sky Resort-area valuations), Montana state education funding, and federal grants, with no tuition or commercial product revenue outside the optional Online Academy channel. The district maintains a community-facing partnership with Big Sky Resort, the area's dominant private employer, which links enrollment dynamics to local workforce and housing patterns.

Name

Big Sky School District #72

Legal name

Big Sky School District #72

Website

https://bssd72.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Big Sky School District #72 is a public K-12 school district in Gallatin Gateway, Montana, operating three schools (Ophir Elementary, Ophir Middle, Lone Peak High) and serving roughly 750 students with IB programs and an Online Academy, funded by property taxes and state aid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Elementary education programs
• Secondary education programs
• International Baccalaureate program
• Online learning academy

Headquarters

HQ city

Gallatin Gateway

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: Public school district funded primarily through local property tax revenue, state education funding from Montana, and federal education grants and programs. Revenue is used to provide free public education to students in grades 4K through 12.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Big Sky School District #72 is a public K-12 school district providing free education to students from 4-year-old kindergarten through grade 12. It operates three schools—Ophir Elementary School (grades 4K-5), Ophir Middle School (grades 6-8), and Lone Peak High School (grades 9-12)—along with specialized programs including the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program, IB Primary Years Program, Lone Peak High School Online Academy, and an athletics program under the Big Horns mascot.

Product overview

Big Sky School District #72 is a public school district operating as a unified platform providing education services across three schools: Ophir Elementary School (grades 4K-5), Ophir Middle School (grades 6-8), and Lone Peak High School (grades 9-12). The district also offers specialized programs including the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program and Primary Years Program at the high school level, as well as the Lone Peak High School Online Academy for remote learning. Additional services include athletics, a mobile application for iOS and Android, and various parent/student portals for registration, dining, and transportation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• At the Peak: Weekly newsletter for OMS & LPHS families featuring school updates, sports schedules, and community news

Products and services

• Ophir Elementary School Public elementary school serving students from 4-year-old kindergarten through grade 5 as part of the Big Sky School District #72 network.
• Ophir Middle School Public middle school serving students in grades 6-8 with a focus on adolescent development, part of the Big Sky School District #72 network.
• Lone Peak High School Public high school serving students in grades 9-12 with college preparatory, vocational pathways, IB Diploma, athletics under the Big Horns mascot, and extracurricular activities.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program IB Diploma Program at Lone Peak High School and IB Primary Years Program at Ophir Elementary School, providing internationally recognized college preparatory and primary curricula for college-bound students.
• Lone Peak High School Online Academy Online education program offered by Lone Peak High School enabling remote learning of high school coursework for students seeking flexible or distance education options.
• Athletics Program Athletics and activities program at Lone Peak High School including football, soccer, basketball, and other sports under the Big Horns mascot, supported by the LPHS Booster Club.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• LPHS Booster ClubcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerParent-run booster organization supporting Lone Peak High School athletics and activities. Organizes fundraising events including Cornhole Tournament and supports student athletes.
• Big Sky ResortcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for ski days program allowing students K-12 to participate in downhill and Nordic skiing as part of the school's outdoor education program.
• International Baccalaureate (IB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistrict offers IB Diploma Program at LPHS and IB Primary Years Program at OES, providing internationally recognized college preparatory curriculum.
• Big Sky PTOcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerParent-teacher organization supporting all district schools through fundraising, events (Pie Auction), and volunteer activities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Bozeman School District #7: Nearby Montana public K-12 district serving the Bozeman area. Comparable in mission and structure to BSSD, with a larger and more urban catchment that serves as the primary competitive benchmark for families in Gallatin County.
• Belgrade School District #44: Montana public K-12 district in neighboring Gallatin Valley. Comparable in geographic and regulatory context, serving a more suburban/working-class catchment than BSSD's resort community.

Direct peers

• Park City School District: Utah public K-12 district serving a wealthy mountain resort community with strong outdoor/IB-style programming. Closely comparable to BSSD in resort-area demographics, tax base, and experiential learning emphasis.
• Teton County School District #1: Wyoming public K-12 district serving Jackson Hole, a high-end resort community adjacent to Yellowstone. Comparable in geographic isolation, resort-economy tax base, and outdoor education orientation.
• Eagle County Schools: Colorado public K-12 district serving Vail and Beaver Creek resort areas. Highly comparable affluent resort-community catchment, bilingual/IB-adjacent programming, and reliance on tourism-driven property taxes.
• Aspen School District: Colorado public K-12 district serving Aspen. Small, affluent, mountain resort community with strong outdoor and experiential programming — the closest demographic analog to BSSD in scale and mission.
• Summit School District (Colorado): Colorado public K-12 district serving Breckenridge, Frisco, and Silverthorne ski communities. Comparable resort-area tax base, multi-school structure, and emphasis on outdoor/experiential learning.
• Telluride School District R-1: Small Colorado mountain public K-12 district serving Telluride. Very similar in scale (sub-1,000 students), resort-driven tax base, and outdoor/IB-style programming emphasis.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/BigSkySchoolDistrict
• Facebookfacebook.com/bssd72.org
• Xx.com/DistrictBig

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big Sky School District #72