Enrollment
2,115
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 300390000091
Billings West High School — Billings, MT
Federal NCES profile for Billings West High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 34
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Billings H S · Montana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
138.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 12.1:1 Montana avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Billings West High School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Billings West High School reports 2,115 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 138.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 36% above the Montana state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 15 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 353 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 41.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Billings H S spends $12,352 per pupil district-wide, below the Montana average of $21,538 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 41.5% from local sources (property taxes), 45.7% from the state, and 12.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Billings West High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Montana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▲ 36% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 2,115 | top 100% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
— 36% above state mean
Top 86% in Montana — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,352
per pupil, district-wide
— below Montana avg of $21,538
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 353 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
147
in-school suspensions + 100 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 2,115 Top 100% in Montana — larger than 0% of 826 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 138.0
Students per teacher 16.4:1 +36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 300390000091
Student demographics
White 79.5%
Hispanic or Latino 7.3%
Two or More 6.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.2%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 79.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 353:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 41.2%
In-school suspensions 147
Out-of-school suspensions 100
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Billings H S, which includes Billings West High School.
$12,352
Per student
-43%
vs Montana
Avg $21,538
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 41.5%
State 45.7%
Federal 12.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,629
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,542
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
Similar high schools in Billings
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Billings West High School
How many students attend Billings West High School?
Billings West High School has 2,115 students enrolled. It is a high school in Billings, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Billings West High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Billings West High School is 16.4:1, which is 36% higher than the Montana average of 12.1:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Billings West High School?
The largest demographic group at Billings West High School is White at 79.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Billings, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Billings West High School?
Billings West High School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.