Enrollment
196
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Townsend, MT
Broadwater High School
Federal NCES profile for Broadwater High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 300498000123
👥 S:T ratio 54
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 87
📋 Attendance 7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Broadwater High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Townsend · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.5:1
- students per teacher
- 196
- students enrolled
Broadwater High School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Broadwater High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Townsend, MT.
School address
District: Townsend K-12 Schools · Montana
NCES ID 300498000123 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Broadwater High School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Broadwater High School
Broadwater High School is a mid-sized high school in Townsend, Montana, enrolling 196 students.
At 11.5:1, 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 196 puts it in the larger 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 (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 65 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Townsend K-12 Schools spends $12,223 per pupil, 37% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Townsend K-12 Schools also operates Cecelia Hazelton School (423 students) and Townsend 7-8 (114 students) alongside Broadwater 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 Broadwater High School compares
Broadwater 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 3% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 196 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
196
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 44% in Montana - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
37.2%
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
$12,223
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 65 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 86.2%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 5.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Asian 1.0%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 86.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.1, Broadwater High School is about as mixed as the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Townsend K-12 Schools, which includes Broadwater High School.
$12,223
Per student
-37%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.1%
State 37.3%
Federal 13.6%
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 Broadwater High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cecelia Hazelton School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Townsend 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Broadwater High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 423
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 114
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~196 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Broadwater High School's federal record.
- Compare Broadwater High School against another school. Compare schools
- Townsend K-12 Schools'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 Broadwater High School
How many students attend Broadwater High School?
Broadwater High School has 196 students enrolled. It is a high school in Townsend, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Broadwater High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Broadwater High School is 11.5:1, which is 3% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 27% 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 Broadwater High School?
The largest demographic group at Broadwater High School is White at 86.2% of enrollment, in Townsend, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Broadwater High School?
Broadwater High School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Broadwater High School rank among public schools in Townsend?
By Resource Investment Index, Broadwater High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Townsend, 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 Townsend on the city page.
Is Broadwater High School a good school?
Broadwater High School earns 46/100 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 Townsend K-12 Schools?
Besides Broadwater High School, Townsend K-12 Schools also operates Cecelia Hazelton School (423 students) and Townsend 7-8 (114 students). See the Townsend K-12 Schools 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.