Enrollment
1,148
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Missoula, MT
Big Sky High School
Federal NCES profile for Big Sky High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 301854000824
👥 S:T ratio 46
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Big Sky High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. It is also one of the largest schools in Montana.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in Missoula · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 1,148
- students enrolled
Big Sky High School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Big Sky High School ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Missoula, MT.
School address
District: Missoula H S · Montana
NCES ID 301854000824 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
85.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Sky High School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Big Sky High School
Big Sky High School is a large high school in Missoula, Montana, enrolling 1,148 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Montana, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,148 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 30/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 287 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 62.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Missoula H S spends $13,212 per pupil, 31% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Missoula's high schools, it stands alongside Sentinel High School (1,365 students): Big Sky High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.5:1 vs 16.3:1).
Missoula H S also operates Sentinel High School (1,365 students) and Hellgate High School (1,262 students) alongside Big Sky 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 Sky High School compares
Big Sky 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 | 13.5:1 | ▲ 14% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,148 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,148
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 62% in Montana - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
62.3%
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
$13,212
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 287 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
35
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 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 83.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 6.0%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
African American 2.1%
Two or More 2.0%
Asian 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 83.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.8, Big Sky High School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Missoula H S, which includes Big Sky High School.
$13,212
Per student
-31%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.8%
State 38.4%
Federal 13.8%
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 Sky High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sentinel High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hellgate High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Seeley-Swan High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Big Sky High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,365
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,262
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 85
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar high schools in Missoula
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~1,148 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Big Sky High School's federal record.
- Compare Big Sky High School against another school. Compare schools
- Missoula H S'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 Sky High School
How many students attend Big Sky High School?
Big Sky High School has 1,148 students enrolled. It is a high school in Missoula, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Sky High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Sky High School is 13.5:1, which is 14% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Sky High School?
The largest demographic group at Big Sky High School is White at 83.4% of enrollment, in Missoula, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Sky High School?
Big Sky High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Big Sky High School rank among high schools in Missoula?
By Resource Investment Index, Big Sky High School ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Missoula, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Missoula on the city page.
Is Big Sky High School a good school?
Big Sky High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. It is also one of the largest schools in Montana. 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 Missoula H S?
Besides Big Sky High School, Missoula H S also operates Sentinel High School (1,365 students), Hellgate High School (1,262 students), and Seeley-Swan High School (85 students). See the Missoula H S 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.