Enrollment
144
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cascade, MT
Cascade School
Federal NCES profile for Cascade School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300588000169
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 41
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cascade School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Montana schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Cascade · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16:1
- large classes for Montana
- 144
- students enrolled
Cascade School has class sizes larger than 85% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cascade School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Cascade, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cascade School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cascade School
Cascade School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cascade, Montana, enrolling 144 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 144 students, its enrollment sits close to the Montana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 288 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Cascade Elem spends $12,460 per pupil, 35% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 24.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Cascade Elem, also runs Cascade 6-8 (74 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 Cascade School compares
Cascade 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 36% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 144 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
144
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
- 36% above state mean
Top 85% in Montana - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.6%
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
$12,460
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 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 87.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
Two or More 6.3%
Largest group: White at 87.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.6, Cascade School is about as mixed as the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cascade Elem, which includes Cascade School.
$12,460
Per student
-35%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.0%
State 39.5%
Federal 24.5%
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 Cascade School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade 6-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cascade School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 74
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar other 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 (~144 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cascade School's federal record.
- Compare Cascade School against another school. Compare schools
- Cascade 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 Cascade School
How many students attend Cascade School?
Cascade School has 144 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cascade, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cascade School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cascade School is 16:1, which is 36% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cascade School?
The largest demographic group at Cascade School is White at 87.5% of enrollment, in Cascade, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cascade School?
Cascade School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical 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 Cascade School rank among public schools in Cascade?
By Resource Investment Index, Cascade School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Cascade, 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 Cascade on the city page.
Is Cascade School a good school?
Cascade School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% 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 Cascade Elem?
Besides Cascade School, Cascade Elem also operates Cascade 6-8 (74 students). See the Cascade 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.