Enrollment
5
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 300576000167
Carter School — Carter, MT
Federal NCES profile for Carter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 90
🌟 Gifted program 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 →
The verdict
Carter School earns a D Resource Investment Index (40/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 98% of Montana schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 40/100
- 2.5:1
- small classes for Montana
- 5
- students enrolled
School address
District: Carter Elem · 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)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
2.5:1
vs 12.1:1 Montana avg
-79% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carter 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
Carter School reports 5 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 2.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 79% below the Montana state mean of 12.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 84% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 80.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Carter Elem spends $25,800 per pupil district-wide, above the Montana average of $19,282 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 56.0% from local sources (property taxes), 44.0% from the state, per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Carter 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 | 2.5:1 | ▼ 79% | 12.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 5 | top 4% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
3 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 99% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
5 larger than 1% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
2.5:1
students per teacher
— 79% below state mean
Top 2% in Montana — lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
80.0%
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
$25,800
per pupil, district-wide
— above Montana avg of $19,282
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Enrollment 5 Top 4% in Montana — larger than 96% of 826 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 2.5:1 -79% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 300576000167
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 80.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carter Elem, which includes Carter School.
$25,800
Per student
+34%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
+55%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.0%
State 44.0%
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.
Similar other schools in Carter
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Carter School
How many students attend Carter School?
Carter School has 5 students enrolled. It is a other school in Carter, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Carter School is 2.5:1, which is 79% lower than the Montana average of 12.1:1 and 84% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carter School?
Carter School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Carter School a good school?
Carter School earns a D Resource Investment Index (40/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 98% of Montana schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.