Enrollment
260
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Great Falls, MT
Chief Joseph School
Federal NCES profile for Chief Joseph School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 301304000357
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chief Joseph School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Montana schools.
- #5 of 17
- schools in Great Falls · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.8:1
- students per teacher
- 260
- students enrolled
Chief Joseph School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chief Joseph School ranks #5 of 17 schools in Great Falls, MT.
School address
District: Great Falls Elem · Montana
NCES ID 301304000357 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chief Joseph School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chief Joseph School
Chief Joseph School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Great Falls, Montana, enrolling 260 students.
At 11.8:1, 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 260 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Two or More (12%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 260 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Great Falls Elem spends $12,418 per pupil, 36% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 27.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 63 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 260 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Great Falls's public schools, it stands alongside Meadow Lark School (527 students): Chief Joseph School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.8:1 vs 22:1).
Great Falls Elem also operates East Middle School (764 students) and North Middle School (764 students) alongside Chief Joseph 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 Chief Joseph School compares
Chief Joseph 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 0% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 260 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
260
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 46% in Montana - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
42.3%
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
$12,418
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 260 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.2 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 73.1%
Two or More 11.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.4%
African American 1.2%
Largest group: White at 73.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.2, Chief Joseph School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Great Falls Elem, which includes Chief Joseph School.
$12,418
Per student
-36%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.9%
State 38.7%
Federal 27.4%
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 Chief Joseph School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Meadow Lark School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Riverview School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Giant Springs Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chief Joseph School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 764
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 764
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 527
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar other schools in Great Falls
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Meadow Lark School
Standard public school
527 students 22:1 students per teacher
Riverview School
Standard public school
445 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Giant Springs Elementary
Standard public school
431 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
West Elementary
Standard public school
421 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Sacajawea School
Standard public school
405 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Sunnyside School
Standard public school
396 students 15.8:1 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 (~260 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chief Joseph School's federal record.
- Compare Chief Joseph School against another school. Compare schools
- Great Falls 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 Chief Joseph School
How many students attend Chief Joseph School?
Chief Joseph School has 260 students enrolled. It is a public school in Great Falls, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chief Joseph School?
The student-teacher ratio at Chief Joseph School is 11.8:1, which is 0% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chief Joseph School?
The largest demographic group at Chief Joseph School is White at 73.1% of enrollment, in Great Falls, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chief Joseph School?
Chief Joseph School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Chief Joseph School rank among schools in Great Falls?
By Resource Investment Index, Chief Joseph School ranks #5 of 17 schools in Great Falls, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Great Falls on the city page.
Is Chief Joseph School a good school?
Chief Joseph School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Great Falls Elem?
Besides Chief Joseph School, Great Falls Elem also operates East Middle School (764 students), North Middle School (764 students), and Meadow Lark School (527 students). See the Great Falls 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.