Enrollment
254
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Kalispell, MT
Cayuse Prairie School
Federal NCES profile for Cayuse Prairie School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300599000172
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 41
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cayuse Prairie School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Montana schools.
- #1 of 13
- schools in Kalispell · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.9:1
- large classes for Montana
- 254
- students enrolled
Cayuse Prairie School has class sizes larger than 75% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cayuse Prairie School ranks #1 of 13 schools in Kalispell, MT.
School address
District: Cayuse Prairie Elem · Montana
NCES ID 300599000172 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cayuse Prairie School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cayuse Prairie School
Cayuse Prairie School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Kalispell, Montana, enrolling 254 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 254 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 508 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Cayuse Prairie Elem spends $11,681 per pupil, 39% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 20.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Kalispell's public schools, it stands alongside Edgerton School (509 students): Cayuse Prairie School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.9:1 vs 18.2:1).
Its district, Cayuse Prairie Elem, also runs Cayuse Prairie 7-8 (57 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 Cayuse Prairie School compares
Cayuse Prairie 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 | 14.9:1 | ▲ 26% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 254 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
254
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.9:1
students per teacher
- 26% above state mean
Top 75% in Montana - lower ratio than 25% 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
$11,681
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
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 90.9%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
Two or More 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 90.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.0, Cayuse Prairie School is less mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cayuse Prairie Elem, which includes Cayuse Prairie School.
$11,681
Per student
-39%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Cayuse Prairie School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cayuse Prairie 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cayuse Prairie School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 57
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar other schools in Kalispell
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Edgerton School
Standard public school
509 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
West Valley School
Standard public school
434 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Jeannette Rankin Elementary Sc
Standard public school
415 students 16:1 students per teacher
East Evergreen School
Standard public school
360 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Lillian Peterson School
Standard public school
344 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Cornelius Hedges School
Standard public school
320 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
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 (~254 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cayuse Prairie School's federal record.
- Compare Cayuse Prairie School against another school. Compare schools
- Cayuse Prairie 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 Cayuse Prairie School
How many students attend Cayuse Prairie School?
Cayuse Prairie School has 254 students enrolled. It is a public school in Kalispell, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cayuse Prairie School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cayuse Prairie School is 14.9:1, which is 26% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cayuse Prairie School?
The largest demographic group at Cayuse Prairie School is White at 90.9% of enrollment, in Kalispell, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cayuse Prairie School?
Cayuse Prairie School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Cayuse Prairie School rank among schools in Kalispell?
By Resource Investment Index, Cayuse Prairie School ranks #1 of 13 schools in Kalispell, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Kalispell on the city page.
Is Cayuse Prairie School a good school?
Cayuse Prairie School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger 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 Cayuse Prairie Elem?
Besides Cayuse Prairie School, Cayuse Prairie Elem also operates Cayuse Prairie 7-8 (57 students). See the Cayuse Prairie 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.