Enrollment
691
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Columbia Falls, MT
Columbia Falls High Schl
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Falls High Schl, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 300714000203
👥 S:T ratio 37
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbia Falls High Schl earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Montana schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Montana.
- #4 of 6
- public schools in Columbia Falls · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.7:1
- large classes for Montana
- 691
- students enrolled
Columbia Falls High Schl has class sizes larger than 82% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Falls High Schl ranks #4 of 6 public schools in Columbia Falls, MT.
School address
District: Columbia Falls H S · Montana
NCES ID 300714000203 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Falls High Schl compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbia Falls High Schl
Columbia Falls High Schl is a large high school in Columbia Falls, Montana, enrolling 691 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Montana, bigger than 97% of state schools at 691 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 346 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Columbia Falls H S spends $13,247 per pupil, 31% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 16.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Columbia Falls H S operates only this one school, so Columbia Falls High Schl has no district-mates to compare against locally. At 691 students, it is also among the largest single-school districts in Montana, well beyond the enrollment of a typical standalone charter.
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 Columbia Falls High Schl compares
Columbia Falls High Schl on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.7:1 | ▲ 33% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 691 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
691
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 33% above state mean
Top 82% in Montana - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
43.6%
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
$13,247
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 346 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 40 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 84.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
Two or More 6.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Asian 0.3%
African American 0.1%
Largest group: White at 84.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.1, Columbia Falls High Schl is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia Falls H S, which includes Columbia Falls High Schl.
$13,247
Per student
-31%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.4%
State 41.4%
Federal 16.2%
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 high 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 (~691 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbia Falls High Schl's federal record.
- Compare Columbia Falls High Schl against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia Falls H S'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 Columbia Falls High Schl
How many students attend Columbia Falls High Schl?
Columbia Falls High Schl has 691 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbia Falls, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Falls High Schl?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Falls High Schl is 15.7:1, which is 33% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Falls High Schl?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Falls High Schl is White at 84.9% of enrollment, in Columbia Falls, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Falls High Schl?
Columbia Falls High Schl has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Columbia Falls High Schl rank among public schools in Columbia Falls?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Falls High Schl ranks #4 of 6 public schools in Columbia Falls, 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 Columbia Falls on the city page.
Is Columbia Falls High Schl a good school?
Columbia Falls High Schl earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Montana schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Montana. 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 Columbia Falls H S?
None reported; Columbia Falls H S operates only Columbia Falls High Schl as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.