Enrollment
83
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Kalispell, MT
Creston School
Federal NCES profile for Creston School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300771000221
👥 S:T ratio 67
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Creston School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Montana schools.
- #5 of 13
- schools in Kalispell · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.3:1
- small classes for Montana
- 83
- students enrolled
Creston School has class sizes smaller than 76% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Creston School ranks #5 of 13 schools in Kalispell, MT.
School address
District: Creston Elem · Montana
NCES ID 300771000221 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.3:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Creston School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Creston School
Creston School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Kalispell, Montana, enrolling 83 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 8.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 83 students, its enrollment sits close to the Montana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is led by White (80%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 35/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 51.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Creston Elem spends $9,181 per pupil, 52% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Kalispell's public schools, it stands alongside Edgerton School (509 students): Creston School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8.3:1 vs 18.2:1).
Creston Elem operates only this one school, so Creston School has no district-mates to compare against locally.
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 Creston School compares
Creston 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 | 8.3:1 | ▼ 30% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 83 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.3:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
83
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
8.3:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 24% in Montana - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
51.8%
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
$9,181
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
Counselors0.0 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
- 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 79.5%
Hispanic or Latino 14.5%
Two or More 4.8%
African American 1.2%
Largest group: White at 79.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.5, Creston School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Creston Elem, which includes Creston School.
$9,181
Per student
-52%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.2%
State 46.2%
Federal 14.6%
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 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 (~83 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Creston School's federal record.
- Compare Creston School against another school. Compare schools
- Creston 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 Creston School
How many students attend Creston School?
Creston School has 83 students enrolled. It is a public school in Kalispell, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Creston School?
The student-teacher ratio at Creston School is 8.3:1, which is 30% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 47% 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 Creston School?
The largest demographic group at Creston School is White at 79.5% of enrollment, in Kalispell, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Creston School?
Creston School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Creston School rank among schools in Kalispell?
By Resource Investment Index, Creston School ranks #5 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 Creston School a good school?
Creston School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% 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 Creston Elem?
None reported; Creston Elem operates only Creston School 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.