Enrollment
222
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Big Timber, MT
Big Timber School
Federal NCES profile for Big Timber School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300380000056
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Big Timber School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Big Timber · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.3:1
- students per teacher
- 222
- students enrolled
Big Timber School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Big Timber School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Big Timber, MT.
School address
District: Big Timber Elem · Montana
NCES ID 300380000056 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Timber School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Big Timber School
Big Timber School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Big Timber, Montana, enrolling 222 students.
At 12.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Montana median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 222 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 296 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Big Timber Elem spends $9,811 per pupil, 49% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district, Big Timber Elem, also runs Big Timber 7-8 (69 students).
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 Timber School compares
Big Timber 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 | 12.3:1 | ▲ 4% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 222 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
222
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 51% in Montana - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.1%
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
$9,811
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
Counselors0.8 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 85.6%
Hispanic or Latino 9.9%
Two or More 2.7%
African American 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 85.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.7, Big Timber School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Big Timber Elem, which includes Big Timber School.
$9,811
Per student
-49%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.4%
State 40.0%
Federal 9.5%
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 Timber School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Timber 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Big Timber School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 69
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~222 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Big Timber School's federal record.
- Compare Big Timber School against another school. Compare schools
- Big Timber 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 Big Timber School
How many students attend Big Timber School?
Big Timber School has 222 students enrolled. It is a public school in Big Timber, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Timber School?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Timber School is 12.3:1, which is 4% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Timber School?
The largest demographic group at Big Timber School is White at 85.6% of enrollment, in Big Timber, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Timber School?
Big Timber School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical 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 Big Timber School rank among public schools in Big Timber?
By Resource Investment Index, Big Timber School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Big Timber, 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 Timber on the city page.
Is Big Timber School a good school?
Big Timber School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. 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 Timber Elem?
Besides Big Timber School, Big Timber Elem also operates Big Timber 7-8 (69 students). See the Big Timber 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.