Enrollment
17
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Whitefish, MT
Bissell 7-8
Federal NCES profile for Bissell 7-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 301095000969
👥 S:T ratio 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 97
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bissell 7-8 earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Montana schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Whitefish · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.5:1
- small classes for Montana
- 17
- students enrolled
Bissell 7-8 has class sizes smaller than 75% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bissell 7-8 ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Whitefish, MT.
School address
District: Olney-Bissell Elem · Montana
NCES ID 301095000969 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.5:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bissell 7-8 compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bissell 7-8
Bissell 7-8 is a mid-sized middle school in Whitefish, Montana, enrolling 17 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 8.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 17 puts it in the smaller third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 11/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 17 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Olney-Bissell Elem spends $12,677 per pupil, 34% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Olney-Bissell Elem, also runs Bissell School (78 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 Bissell 7-8 compares
Bissell 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 | 8.5:1 | ▼ 28% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 17 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.5:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
17
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
8.5:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 25% in Montana - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.3%
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
$12,677
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 17 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.8 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 94.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 5.9%
Largest group: White at 94.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.1, Bissell 7-8 is less mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Olney-Bissell Elem, which includes Bissell 7-8.
$12,677
Per student
-34%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.8%
State 41.3%
Federal 19.9%
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 Bissell 7-8 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bissell School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bissell 7-8's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 78
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~17 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bissell 7-8's federal record.
- Compare Bissell 7-8 against another school. Compare schools
- Olney-Bissell 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 Bissell 7-8
How many students attend Bissell 7-8?
Bissell 7-8 has 17 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Whitefish, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bissell 7-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Bissell 7-8 is 8.5:1, which is 28% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 46% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bissell 7-8?
The largest demographic group at Bissell 7-8 is White at 94.1% of enrollment, in Whitefish, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bissell 7-8?
Bissell 7-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 Bissell 7-8 rank among public schools in Whitefish?
By Resource Investment Index, Bissell 7-8 ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Whitefish, 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 Whitefish on the city page.
Is Bissell 7-8 a good school?
Bissell 7-8 earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Olney-Bissell Elem?
Besides Bissell 7-8, Olney-Bissell Elem also operates Bissell School (78 students). See the Olney-Bissell 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.