Enrollment
59
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Big Sandy, MT
Big Sandy High School
Federal NCES profile for Big Sandy High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 300375000054
👥 S:T ratio 61
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 88
📋 Attendance 19
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Big Sandy High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Montana schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Big Sandy · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.8:1
- students per teacher
- 59
- students enrolled
Big Sandy High School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Big Sandy High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Big Sandy, MT.
School address
District: Big Sandy K-12 · Montana
NCES ID 300375000054 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Sandy High School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Big Sandy High School
Big Sandy High School is a mid-sized high school in Big Sandy, Montana, enrolling 59 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 59 students, its enrollment sits close to the Montana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (14%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 44/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 59 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Big Sandy K-12 also operates F E Miley School (94 students) and Big Sandy 7-8 (28 students) alongside Big Sandy High 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 Big Sandy High School compares
Big Sandy High 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 17% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 59 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.8:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
59
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9.8:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 32% in Montana - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
32.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,989
per pupil, district-wide
- below Montana avg of $19,282
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 59 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.2 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 72.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 13.6%
Hispanic or Latino 8.5%
Two or More 3.4%
Asian 1.7%
Largest group: White at 72.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.1, Big Sandy High School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Big Sandy K-12, which includes Big Sandy High School.
$16,989
Per student
-12%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.5%
State 35.9%
Federal 15.6%
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 Big Sandy High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| F E Miley School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Big Sandy 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Big Sandy High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 94
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 28
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar high 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 (~59 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Big Sandy High School's federal record.
- Compare Big Sandy High School against another school. Compare schools
- Big Sandy K-12'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 Big Sandy High School
How many students attend Big Sandy High School?
Big Sandy High School has 59 students enrolled. It is a high school in Big Sandy, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Sandy High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Sandy High School is 9.8:1, which is 17% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Sandy High School?
The largest demographic group at Big Sandy High School is White at 72.9% of enrollment, in Big Sandy, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Sandy High School?
Big Sandy High School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Big Sandy High School rank among public schools in Big Sandy?
By Resource Investment Index, Big Sandy High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Big Sandy, 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 Big Sandy on the city page.
Is Big Sandy High School a good school?
Big Sandy High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Big Sandy K-12?
Besides Big Sandy High School, Big Sandy K-12 also operates F E Miley School (94 students) and Big Sandy 7-8 (28 students). See the Big Sandy K-12 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.