Enrollment
48
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Darby, MT
Darby 7-8
Federal NCES profile for Darby 7-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 300828001038
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 81
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Darby 7-8 earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Darby · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.6:1
- students per teacher
- 48
- students enrolled
Darby 7-8 has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Darby 7-8 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Darby, MT.
School address
District: Darby K-12 Schools · Montana
NCES ID 300828001038 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.6:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Darby 7-8 compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Darby 7-8
Darby 7-8 is a mid-sized middle school in Darby, Montana, enrolling 48 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 48 students, its enrollment sits close to the Montana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 96 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 62.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Darby K-12 Schools spends $13,880 per pupil, 28% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 18.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Darby K-12 Schools also operates Darby School (170 students) and Darby High School (116 students) alongside Darby 7-8.
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 Darby 7-8 compares
Darby 7-8 on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.6:1 | ▼ 19% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 48 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.6:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
48
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9.6:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 31% in Montana - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
62.5%
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
$13,880
per pupil, district-wide
- below Montana avg of $19,282
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.3 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 85.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 6.3%
African American 4.2%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Two or More 2.1%
Largest group: White at 85.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.4, Darby 7-8 is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Darby K-12 Schools, which includes Darby 7-8.
$13,880
Per student
-28%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.9%
State 37.2%
Federal 18.9%
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 Darby 7-8 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darby School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Darby High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Darby 7-8's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 170
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 116
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~48 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Darby 7-8's federal record.
- Compare Darby 7-8 against another school. Compare schools
- Darby K-12 Schools'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 Darby 7-8
How many students attend Darby 7-8?
Darby 7-8 has 48 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Darby, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Darby 7-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Darby 7-8 is 9.6:1, which is 19% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 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 Darby 7-8?
The largest demographic group at Darby 7-8 is White at 85.4% of enrollment, in Darby, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Darby 7-8?
Darby 7-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Darby 7-8 rank among public schools in Darby?
By Resource Investment Index, Darby 7-8 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Darby, 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 Darby on the city page.
Is Darby 7-8 a good school?
Darby 7-8 earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. 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 Darby K-12 Schools?
Besides Darby 7-8, Darby K-12 Schools also operates Darby School (170 students) and Darby High School (116 students). See the Darby K-12 Schools 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.