Enrollment
2,115
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Billings, MT
Billings West High School
Federal NCES profile for Billings West High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 300390000091
👥 S:T ratio 39
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Billings West High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Montana schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Montana.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Billings · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.3:1
- large classes for Montana
- 2,115
- students enrolled
Billings West High School has class sizes larger than 79% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Billings West High School ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Billings, MT.
School address
District: Billings H S · Montana
NCES ID 300390000091 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
138.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Billings West High School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Billings West High School
Billings West High School is a large high school in Billings, Montana, enrolling 2,115 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.3:1 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 99% of state schools at 2,115 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is led by White (80%) and Hispanic or Latino (7%) (diversity index 36/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 15 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 353 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Billings H S spends $11,891 per pupil, 38% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Billings's high schools, it stands alongside Billings Sr High School (1,629 students): Billings West High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.3:1 vs 16.3:1).
Billings H S also operates Billings Sr High School (1,629 students) and Skyview High School (1,542 students) alongside Billings West 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 Billings West High School compares
Billings West 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 | 15.3:1 | ▲ 30% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 2,115 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
2,115
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 30% above state mean
Top 79% in Montana - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
41.2%
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
$11,891
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 35.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.6, Billings West High School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Billings H S, which includes Billings West High School.
$11,891
Per student
-38%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Billings West High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billings Sr High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Skyview High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Billings West High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,629
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,542
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar high schools in Billings
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 (~2,115 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Billings West High School's federal record.
- Compare Billings West High School against another school. Compare schools
- Billings 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 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 15.3:1, which is 30% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Billings, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Billings West High School?
Billings West High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Billings West High School rank among high schools in Billings?
By Resource Investment Index, Billings West High School ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Billings, 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 Billings on the city page.
Is Billings West High School a good school?
Billings West High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Montana schools. 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 Billings H S?
Besides Billings West High School, Billings H S also operates Billings Sr High School (1,629 students) and Skyview High School (1,542 students). See the Billings 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.