Enrollment
57
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 300599000963
Cayuse Prairie 7-8 — Kalispell, MT
Federal NCES profile for Cayuse Prairie 7-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 17
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 77
📋 Attendance 21
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 →
School address
District: Cayuse Prairie 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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.7:1
vs 12.1:1 Montana avg
+71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cayuse Prairie 7-8 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
Cayuse Prairie 7-8 reports 57 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 71% above the Montana state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 30% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 114 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cayuse Prairie Elem spends $12,431 per pupil district-wide, below the Montana average of $21,538 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.7% from local sources (property taxes), 43.3% from the state, and 20.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Cayuse Prairie 7-8 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 | 20.7:1 | ▲ 71% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 57 | top 42% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
20.7:1
students per teacher
— 71% above state mean
Top 99% in Montana — lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
31.6%
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
$12,431
per pupil, district-wide
— below Montana avg of $21,538
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 114 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 57 Top 42% in Montana — larger than 58% of 826 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 20.7:1 +71% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 300599000963
Student demographics
White 86.0%
Two or More 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.8%
Largest group: White at 86.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 114:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.6%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cayuse Prairie Elem, which includes Cayuse Prairie 7-8.
$12,431
Per student
-42%
vs Montana
Avg $21,538
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.7%
State 43.3%
Federal 20.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 254
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Similar middle schools in Kalispell
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Kalispell Middle School
Standard public school
1,049 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Smith Valley 7-8
Standard public school
42 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Fair-Mont-Egan Middle School
Standard public school
41 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Helena Flats 7-8
Standard public school
40 students 17:1 students per teacher
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 Cayuse Prairie 7-8
How many students attend Cayuse Prairie 7-8?
Cayuse Prairie 7-8 has 57 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Kalispell, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cayuse Prairie 7-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Cayuse Prairie 7-8 is 20.7:1, which is 71% higher than the Montana average of 12.1:1 and 30% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cayuse Prairie 7-8?
The largest demographic group at Cayuse Prairie 7-8 is White at 86.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Kalispell, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cayuse Prairie 7-8?
Cayuse Prairie 7-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.