Enrollment
55
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Belt, MT
Belt 7-8
Federal NCES profile for Belt 7-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 300342000943
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 89
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Belt 7-8 earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of Montana schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Belt · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18.3:1
- large classes for Montana
- 55
- students enrolled
Belt 7-8 has class sizes larger than 95% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Belt 7-8 ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Belt, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Belt 7-8 compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Belt 7-8
Belt 7-8 is a mid-sized middle school in Belt, Montana, enrolling 55 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.3:1 is larger than about 95% of Montana schools and 55% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
With 55 students, its enrollment sits close to the Montana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 826 Montana schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 55 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
16.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Belt Elem spends $9,473 per pupil, 51% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 27.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Belt Elem also operates Belt School (178 students) and Pleasant Valley School (24 students) alongside Belt 7-8.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Belt 7-8 compares
Belt 7-8 on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.3:1 | ▲ 55% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 55 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.3:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
55
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
18.3:1
students per teacher
- 55% above state mean
Top 95% in Montana - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$9,473
per pupil, district-wide
- below Montana avg of $19,282
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 55 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 90.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.6%
Asian 1.8%
Largest group: White at 90.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.1, Belt 7-8 is less mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belt Elem, which includes Belt 7-8.
$9,473
Per student
-51%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.5%
State 35.1%
Federal 27.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Belt 7-8 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belt School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pleasant Valley School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Belt 7-8's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 178
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 24
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Montana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~55 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Belt 7-8's federal record.
- Compare Belt 7-8 against another school. Compare schools
- Belt Elem's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Belt 7-8
How many students attend Belt 7-8?
Belt 7-8 has 55 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Belt, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Belt 7-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Belt 7-8 is 18.3:1, which is 55% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Belt 7-8?
The largest demographic group at Belt 7-8 is White at 90.9% of enrollment, in Belt, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Belt 7-8?
Belt 7-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Belt 7-8 rank among public schools in Belt?
By Resource Investment Index, Belt 7-8 ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Belt, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Belt on the city page.
Is Belt 7-8 a good school?
Belt 7-8 earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of Montana schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Belt Elem?
Besides Belt 7-8, Belt Elem also operates Belt School (178 students) and Pleasant Valley School (24 students). See the Belt Elem district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.