Enrollment
48
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Columbia Falls, MT
Deer Park 6-8
Federal NCES profile for Deer Park 6-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 300870000960
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 84
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Deer Park 6-8 earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #2 of 6
- public schools in Columbia Falls · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12:1
- students per teacher
- 48
- students enrolled
Deer Park 6-8 has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Deer Park 6-8 ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Columbia Falls, MT.
School address
District: Deer Park Elem · Montana
NCES ID 300870000960 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Deer Park 6-8 compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Deer Park 6-8
Deer Park 6-8 is a mid-sized middle school in Columbia Falls, Montana, enrolling 48 students.
At 12:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Montana median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
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 (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 80 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Deer Park Elem spends $8,657 per pupil, 55% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Columbia Falls's middle schools, it stands alongside Columbia Falls Jr Hs (547 students): Deer Park 6-8 is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12:1 vs 14.8:1).
Its district, Deer Park Elem, also runs Deer Park School (120 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 Deer Park 6-8 compares
Deer Park 6-8 on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12:1 | ▲ 2% | 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
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% 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
12:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 49% in Montana - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
39.6%
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
$8,657
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
Counselors0.6 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 93.8%
African American 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.1%
Two or More 2.1%
Largest group: White at 93.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.9, Deer Park 6-8 is less mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Deer Park Elem, which includes Deer Park 6-8.
$8,657
Per student
-55%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-48%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.2%
State 62.8%
Federal 13.0%
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 Deer Park 6-8 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Park School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Deer Park 6-8's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 120
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar middle schools in Columbia Falls
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Deer Park 6-8's federal record.
- Compare Deer Park 6-8 against another school. Compare schools
- Deer Park 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 Deer Park 6-8
How many students attend Deer Park 6-8?
Deer Park 6-8 has 48 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Columbia Falls, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Deer Park 6-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Deer Park 6-8 is 12:1, which is 2% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Deer Park 6-8?
The largest demographic group at Deer Park 6-8 is White at 93.8% of enrollment, in Columbia Falls, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Deer Park 6-8?
Deer Park 6-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Deer Park 6-8 rank among public schools in Columbia Falls?
By Resource Investment Index, Deer Park 6-8 ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Columbia Falls, 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 Columbia Falls on the city page.
Is Deer Park 6-8 a good school?
Deer Park 6-8 earns 42/100 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 Deer Park Elem?
Besides Deer Park 6-8, Deer Park Elem also operates Deer Park School (120 students). See the Deer Park 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.