Enrollment
343
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bigfork, MT
Bigfork Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bigfork Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300382000057
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bigfork Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Bigfork · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.8:1
- students per teacher
- 343
- students enrolled
Bigfork Elementary has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bigfork Elementary ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Bigfork, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bigfork Elementary compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bigfork Elementary
Bigfork Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Bigfork, Montana, enrolling 343 students.
At 11.8:1, 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 343 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 221 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.9% 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 public schools, it stands alongside Swan River School (106 students): Bigfork Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.8:1 vs 11.8:1).
Its district, Bigfork Elem, also runs Bigfork 7-8 (236 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 Elementary compares
Bigfork Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.8:1 | ▼ 0% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 343 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
343
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 46% in Montana - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
49.9%
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
Counselors1.6 FTE
Per 221 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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 92.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Two or More 1.2%
Asian 0.6%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 92.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.9, Bigfork Elementary 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 Elementary.
$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 Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bigfork 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bigfork Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 236
- Students per teacher
- 29.5:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
Similar other schools in Bigfork
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 (~343 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bigfork Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bigfork Elementary 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 Elementary
How many students attend Bigfork Elementary?
Bigfork Elementary has 343 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bigfork, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bigfork Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bigfork Elementary is 11.8:1, which is 0% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bigfork Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bigfork Elementary is White at 92.7% of enrollment, in Bigfork, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bigfork Elementary?
Bigfork Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Bigfork Elementary rank among public schools in Bigfork?
By Resource Investment Index, Bigfork Elementary ranks #2 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 Elementary a good school?
Bigfork Elementary earns 35/100 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 Bigfork Elem?
Besides Bigfork Elementary, Bigfork Elem also operates Bigfork 7-8 (236 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.