Enrollment
487
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 300793000226
Custer Co District High — Miles City, MT
Federal NCES profile for Custer Co District High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 38
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 8
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 →
School address
District: Custer County H S · 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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 12.1:1 Montana avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Custer Co District High 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
Custer Co District High reports 487 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% above the Montana state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 162 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Custer County H S spends $12,675 per pupil district-wide, below the Montana average of $21,538 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.4% from local sources (property taxes), 51.9% from the state, and 0.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Custer Co District High 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 | 15.5:1 | ▲ 28% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 487 | top 93% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
15.5:1
students per teacher
— 28% above state mean
Top 78% in Montana — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,675
per pupil, district-wide
— below Montana avg of $21,538
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 162 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 32 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 487 Top 93% in Montana — larger than 7% of 826 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 15.5:1 +28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 300793000226
Student demographics
White 87.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.9%
Two or More 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.5%
African American 1.4%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 87.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 162:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.8%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 32
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Custer County H S, which includes Custer Co District High.
$12,675
Per student
-41%
vs Montana
Avg $21,538
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 47.4%
State 51.9%
Federal 0.7%
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 in Miles City
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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.
Frequently asked questions about Custer Co District High
How many students attend Custer Co District High?
Custer Co District High has 487 students enrolled. It is a high school in Miles City, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Custer Co District High?
The student-teacher ratio at Custer Co District High is 15.5:1, which is 28% higher than the Montana average of 12.1:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Custer Co District High?
The largest demographic group at Custer Co District High is White at 87.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Miles City, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Custer Co District High?
Custer Co District High has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.