Enrollment
178
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Columbus, MT
Columbus Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Columbus Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 300719001060
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbus Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Montana schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Columbus · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- large classes for Montana
- 178
- students enrolled
Columbus Middle School has class sizes larger than 86% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbus Middle School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Columbus, MT.
School address
District: Columbus Elem · Montana
NCES ID 300719001060 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbus Middle School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbus Middle School
Columbus Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Columbus, Montana, enrolling 178 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.2:1 is larger than about 86% of Montana schools and 37% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 178 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 availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 356 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Columbus Elem spends $11,705 per pupil, 39% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district, Columbus Elem, also runs Columbus Elem School (278 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 Columbus Middle School compares
Columbus Middle 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 | 16.2:1 | ▲ 37% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 178 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
178
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 37% above state mean
Top 86% in Montana - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.3%
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
$11,705
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
4
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 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 91.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 2.2%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 91.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.8, Columbus Middle School is less mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbus Elem, which includes Columbus Middle School.
$11,705
Per student
-39%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.5%
State 33.1%
Federal 11.3%
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 Columbus Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbus Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 278
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar middle 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 (~178 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbus Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Columbus Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Columbus 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 Columbus Middle School
How many students attend Columbus Middle School?
Columbus Middle School has 178 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Columbus, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbus Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbus Middle School is 16.2:1, which is 37% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbus Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Columbus Middle School is White at 91.0% of enrollment, in Columbus, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbus Middle School?
Columbus Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Columbus Middle School rank among public schools in Columbus?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbus Middle School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Columbus, 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 Columbus on the city page.
Is Columbus Middle School a good school?
Columbus Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% 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 Columbus Elem?
Besides Columbus Middle School, Columbus Elem also operates Columbus Elem School (278 students). See the Columbus 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.