Great Falls Public Schools officials briefed the school board during their Sept. 21 meeting on the district’s summer learning programs.
The district conducted summer programming at all levels.
Jumpstart was held at Valley View and Giant Springs elementary schools.
High school summer school was held at Paris Gibson Education Center.
Extended school year services were provided across all levels this summer.
The district also completed its first three experiential summer camps for students in grades 4-8, funded by Montana’s innovative educational tax credit program
Other summer learning programs were funded through state and federal grants, according to GFPS.
GFPS launching summer learning programs with innovative tax credit funds
Jackie Mainwaring, GFPS assistant superintendent, said that the summer Jumpstart program focused on literacy and numeracy for pre-kindergarten through third grade.
The program ran June 10 through July 2 and served 143 students.
Mainwaring said more students attended Jumpstart this summer and more showed growth.
Over the summer, 62.39 percent of students showed growth, up from last summer when 52.53 percent showed growth.
The innovative summer learning camps included students in grades 4-8.
For each camp, there was a classroom-based day in Great Falls and a field trip the second day. The camps focused on coding, rocketry, and American Indian astronomy and Earth science.
Each camp had 20-30 students, Mainwairing said.
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Students in high school summer school earned 358 half credits this year, up from 271 last summer.
Students earned 58 half credits in Indian Education, up from 12 last summer, she said.
The virtual academy offered a summer course June through July.
Mainwaring said 256 students participated and earned 466 credits over the summer.
GFPS launching summer experiential learning program with state education tax credit funds [2025]
Last summer, 277 students participated and earned 313 credits.
The district offers an extended school year for special education at several schools.
This summer, 71 students were offered services. Mainwaring said that 61 students attended the 16-day program.
The summer experiential learning camps included:
- American Indian Astronomy and Earth Science, June 8-9 for grades 4-6, limited to 20 registered students: a two-day summer program blending hands-on science with traditional ecological knowledge. Students will explore Earth and space science through lessons on bison as a keystone species, environmental stewardship, and seasonal relationships between people and the land. In a star lab, students will learn Indigenous sky knowledge and how stars and constellations were used for navigation and timekeeping. Activities also include building a scaled solar system model, exploring moon phases through hands-on labs, and a full-day field trip to the Museum of the Rockies with a planetarium show. Throughout the program, students will be paired with friendly high school mentors who will learn alongside them, help with activities, and make the experience even more fun and engaging.
- Code Quest, June 22-23 for grades 7-8, at East Middle School, limited to 20 registered students: fast-paced summer experience where middle school students become coders, creators and explorers. On Day 1, students jump into hands-on challenges, learn to “think like a programmer,” code animations in Scratch, and design their own mobile apps using MIT App Inventor. Day 2 turns into a real-world adventure as students travel to Montana Tech in Butte to tour the campus, meet college students, explore cool labs, and take part in interactive computer and engineering activities. From coding and teamwork to campus life and STEM careers, Code Quest is packed with creativity, discovery, and fun, plus pizza to wrap up the adventure.
- Exploring Rocketry 101, Aug. 5-6 for grades 6-8, limited to 30 registered students: Students will start off exploring the history of rocketry and flight, as well as the different parts of a rocket and their purpose. They’ll then build their own rocket to launch in the afternoon. They’ll also engage in a number of activities sprinkled throughout the day from NASA Space Camp. On the second day, students will travel to the Planetarium at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, followed by an after-lunch tour of the Bridger Aerospace facility in Belgrade, learning about the different missions they run, fighting fires through flight.
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Hoyer announced the program during an October 2025 school board meeting and teachers were invited to submit proposals for the programs.
Selected educators receive a $1,000 stipend and a $3,000 budget for transportation, materials and experiences.
Hoyer and Jackie Mainwaring, assistant superintendent, told The Electric in January that they were starting the program small and estimated program budgets based on past field trips, but may adjust those numbers depending on feedback from teachers running this summer’s programs.
GFPS encouraging local participation in innovative tax credit program
The program is being funded through the innovative educational tax credit program and the district received $1,008,000 from 30 community members this year.
The state created a tax credit program for education during the 2021 Legislature and the window to claim those credits is coming up.
Registration for the dollar-for-dollar tax credit opened Jan. 21, 2026.
This year’s statewide cap was $7.2 million and GFPS was eligible for up to $2.88 million, according to Luke Diekhans, GFPS’ business operations manager.
Diekhans told The Electric that the district had 54 donors ready to contribute, but the funds were claimed within seven minutes.
Since the program was created, GFPS has raised $3,11,288, ranking first among all AA school districts each year.
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Hoyer said in October 2025 that the goal is to start a bit small and “hopefully grow this to some fantastic experiences throughout the summer.”
Hoyer said they’ll likely have to make adjustments after the first year, but they’re hoping it will become a sustainable program through the state’s innovative tax credit program.
Hoyer said that teachers will have the opportunity to “explore a topic that they just love” and exposing students to that over the summer is where “magic happens.”
Gordon Johnson, school board chair, said in October 20205 that “this is absolutely brilliant. Gotta love it.”
Bill Bronson, school board member, said that in his experience “field trips were very important” to learn more, or improve upon classroom learning.
He said he was glad to see the district taking advantage of the innovative tax credit program and hoped there would be student interest and the program would grow.
