NCES CCD 2024-25 5 schools MT

Best-Resourced Schools in Bigfork, MT

Compiled from official source data by PlainSchools. · Updated August 2026

5 public K-12 schools in Bigfork from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

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Schools

1,070

Students

30/100

Avg Resource Index

16.2:1

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Lean reported-resource profile

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Bigfork has more public-school enrollment than 2% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Bigfork's average Resource Investment Index falls in the lower portion of the 4,487-city comparison set. The index is a resource snapshot, not an academic grade: it reflects the federal staffing, counselor, gifted-program, and attendance fields available for local campuses. The most useful next step is to open the individual schools below and identify which component is pulling each score down, because the same city average can hide very different campus-level constraints.

Combined-grade campuses shape the local portfolio

2 of Bigfork's 5 listed schools use NCES's combined or “other” grade-level classification. Citywide averages therefore blend campuses serving unusually broad or nonstandard grade spans with conventional elementary, middle, and high schools. Grade configuration is a first-order comparison here, not a minor label.

Campus spread matters more than the city mean

The 25-point gap between Swan River 6-8 and Bigfork 7-8 shows the range hidden by Bigfork's average Resource Investment Index. The city figure is useful for national placement, but families ultimately choose among campuses with different grade spans, enrollment, district affiliations, and reported support fields. Start with schools serving the relevant grade level, then compare the index components rather than assuming the city average describes any one classroom.

City enrollment: Top 98%
School count: Top 99%
Resource Index average: 12th percentile
Teacher staffing: 41st percentile

Bigfork Elementary accounts for 32.1% of all Bigfork public-school enrollment

That dominant concentration means Bigfork-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade level: Combined. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how districts allocate programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Accessed 2026-08-26

Bigfork school enrollment varies 6.6× across entities

Bigfork school enrollment ranges from 52 students (lowest) to 343 students (highest), a spread of 291 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous school portfolio for a city this size. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Accessed 2026-08-26

Bigfork student-teacher ratio is 16.2:1 — near the typical range (US average ~15.7) — citywide staffing is neither unusually lean nor unusually crowded by this measure

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Variation between sub-units within Bigfork is typically wider than the Bigfork-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe Accessed 2026-08-26

#	School	Score	Enrollment	Level	District
1.	Swan River 6-8	39	52	middle	Swan River Elem
2.	Bigfork Elementary	35	343	Combined	Bigfork Elem
3.	Swan River School	35	106	Combined	Swan River Elem
4.	Bigfork High School	27	333	high	Bigfork H S
5.	Bigfork 7-8	14	236	middle	Bigfork Elem

What do families ask about schools in Bigfork?

Which Bigfork school has the highest Resource Investment Index? ▼

Swan River 6-8 has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Bigfork schools in this federal-data comparison at 39/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Bigfork, MT? ▼

Bigfork has 5 public schools with a total enrollment of 1,070 students. Average student-teacher ratio: 16.2:1.

Other Cities in Montana

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Montana →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.