Enrollment
16
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 300750000353
Cottonwood School — Bozeman, MT
Federal NCES profile for Cottonwood School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 69
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 →
The verdict
Cottonwood School earns a C- Resource Investment Index (54/100), with class sizes smaller than 71% of Montana schools.
- C-
- Resource Index · 54/100
- 9.5:1
- small classes for Montana
- 16
- students enrolled
School address
District: Cottonwood 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)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.5:1
vs 12.1:1 Montana avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cottonwood School 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
Cottonwood School reports 16 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% below the Montana state mean of 12.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 39% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cottonwood Elem spends $13,467 per pupil district-wide, below the Montana average of $19,282 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 37.6% from local sources (property taxes), 49.2% from the state, and 13.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), calculated from 3 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 Cottonwood School 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 | 9.5:1 | ▼ 21% | 12.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 16 | top 17% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
10 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 92% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
16 larger than 2% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
9.5:1
students per teacher
— 21% below state mean
Top 29% in Montana — lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,467
per pupil, district-wide
— below Montana avg of $19,282
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 16 Top 17% in Montana — larger than 83% of 826 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 9.5:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 300750000353
Student demographics
White 93.8%
Two or More 6.3%
Largest group: White at 93.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cottonwood Elem, which includes Cottonwood School.
$13,467
Per student
-30%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.6%
State 49.2%
Federal 13.2%
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 other schools in Bozeman
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Emily Dickinson School
Standard public school
531 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Hyalite Elementary
Standard public school
521 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Meadowlark Elementary
Standard public school
492 students 16:1 students per teacher
Morning Star School
Standard public school
482 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Hawthorne School
Standard public school
348 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Longfellow School
Standard public school
289 students 14.9:1 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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Cottonwood School side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Cottonwood School
How many students attend Cottonwood School?
Cottonwood School has 16 students enrolled. It is a other school in Bozeman, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood School is 9.5:1, which is 21% lower than the Montana average of 12.1:1 and 39% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cottonwood School?
The largest demographic group at Cottonwood School is White at 93.8%. The school serves a student body in Bozeman, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cottonwood School?
Cottonwood School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Cottonwood School a good school?
Cottonwood School earns a C- Resource Investment Index (54/100), with class sizes smaller than 71% of Montana schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.