Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal
records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Kalispell, Montana - 2 schools
An equity score of 26/100 ranks Helena Flats Elem #112 of 141 districts in Montana (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $8,793 per pupil, Helena Flats Elem ranks #390 of 394 Montana districts by per-pupil spending (Montana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
280
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$8,793
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Helena Flats Elem operates 2 public schools serving 280 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Montana. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Flathead County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $8,793 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 40 of 394 Montana districts by per-pupil spending. See how Montana compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 28.1% local, 54.1% state, and 17.8% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 26/100, ranked #112 of 141 in Montana against a state average of 38, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 293:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 50.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 88.3% White, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 2.0% Asian across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Helena Flats School, enrolling 253 students (86% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Helena Flats 7-8, at 40 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Helena Flats School accounts for 86.3% of all Helena Flats Elem student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Helena Flats Elem a distant remainder — means Helena Flats Elem-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Helena Flats Elem student-counselor ratio is 293:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Helena Flats Elem is typically wider than the Helena Flats Elem-aggregate figure suggests.
Helena Flats Elem chronic absenteeism rate is 50.4% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Helena Flats Elem has 2 schools, including 1 combined, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 280 students.
How much does Helena Flats Elem spend per student?
Helena Flats Elem spends $8,793 per student. The district has an equity score of 26/100, ranking #112 in Montana.
What is the demographic composition of Helena Flats Elem?
Helena Flats Elem students are 88.3% White, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 2.0% Asian, 1.3% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Helena Flats Elem?
Helena Flats Elem has an equity score of 26/100, ranking #112 out of 141 districts in Montana.