Enrollment
236
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Bigfork, MT
Bigfork 7-8
Federal NCES profile for Bigfork 7-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 14/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 300382000966
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bigfork 7-8 earns 14/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Montana schools.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Bigfork · Resource Index
- 14
- Resource Index · Lower
- 29.5:1
- large classes for Montana
- 236
- students enrolled
Bigfork 7-8 has class sizes larger than 99% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bigfork 7-8 ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Bigfork, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
29.5:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+150% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bigfork 7-8 compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bigfork 7-8
Bigfork 7-8 is a mid-sized middle school in Bigfork, Montana, enrolling 236 students.
Class loads run heavy: 29.5:1 is larger than about 99% of Montana schools and 150% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 236 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 100% of the 826 Montana schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 472 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Bigfork Elem spends $10,150 per pupil, 47% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Bigfork's middle schools, it stands alongside Swan River 6-8 (52 students): Bigfork 7-8 is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (29.5:1 vs 13:1).
Its district, Bigfork Elem, also runs Bigfork Elementary (343 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 Bigfork 7-8 compares
Bigfork 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 | 29.5:1 | ▲ 150% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 236 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
29.5:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
236
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
29.5:1
students per teacher
- 150% above state mean
Top 99% in Montana - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
31.4%
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
$10,150
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.9 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 91.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Two or More 0.8%
African American 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 91.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.0, Bigfork 7-8 is less mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bigfork Elem, which includes Bigfork 7-8.
$10,150
Per student
-47%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.4%
State 34.7%
Federal 11.9%
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 Bigfork 7-8 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bigfork Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bigfork 7-8's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 343
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar middle schools in Bigfork
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 (~236 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~29.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bigfork 7-8's federal record.
- Compare Bigfork 7-8 against another school. Compare schools
- Bigfork 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 Bigfork 7-8
How many students attend Bigfork 7-8?
Bigfork 7-8 has 236 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bigfork, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bigfork 7-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Bigfork 7-8 is 29.5:1, which is 150% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 88% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bigfork 7-8?
The largest demographic group at Bigfork 7-8 is White at 91.5% of enrollment, in Bigfork, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bigfork 7-8?
Bigfork 7-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 14/100 (lower 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 Bigfork 7-8 rank among public schools in Bigfork?
By Resource Investment Index, Bigfork 7-8 ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Bigfork, 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 Bigfork on the city page.
Is Bigfork 7-8 a good school?
Bigfork 7-8 earns 14/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Bigfork Elem?
Besides Bigfork 7-8, Bigfork Elem also operates Bigfork Elementary (343 students). See the Bigfork 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.