Enrollment
178
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Belt, MT
Belt School
Federal NCES profile for Belt School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300342000047
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 99
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Belt School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Montana schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Belt · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.8:1
- large classes for Montana
- 178
- students enrolled
Belt School has class sizes larger than 75% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Belt School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Belt, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Belt School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Belt School
Belt School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Belt, Montana, enrolling 178 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 178 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 178 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 0.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
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.
Among Belt's public schools, it stands alongside Pleasant Valley School (24 students): Belt School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.8:1 vs 12:1).
Belt Elem also operates Belt 7-8 (55 students) and Pleasant Valley School (24 students) alongside Belt School.
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 School compares
Belt School on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▲ 25% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 178 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
178
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 25% above state mean
Top 75% in Montana - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
0.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
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 178 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 93.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.7%
African American 1.1%
Asian 1.1%
Hispanic or Latino 0.6%
Largest group: White at 93.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.9, Belt School is less mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belt Elem, which includes Belt School.
$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 School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belt 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pleasant Valley School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Belt School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 55
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 24
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other schools in Belt
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~178 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Belt School's federal record.
- Compare Belt School 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 School
How many students attend Belt School?
Belt School has 178 students enrolled. It is a public school in Belt, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Belt School?
The student-teacher ratio at Belt School is 14.8:1, which is 25% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Belt School?
The largest demographic group at Belt School is White at 93.8% of enrollment, in Belt, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Belt School?
Belt School has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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 School rank among public schools in Belt?
By Resource Investment Index, Belt School ranks #3 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 School a good school?
Belt School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% 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 School, Belt Elem also operates Belt 7-8 (55 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.