Enrollment
120
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbia Falls, MT
Deer Park School
Federal NCES profile for Deer Park School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300870000249
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Deer Park School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Columbia Falls · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- students per teacher
- 120
- students enrolled
Deer Park School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Deer Park School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Columbia Falls, MT.
School address
District: Deer Park Elem · Montana
NCES ID 300870000249 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Deer Park School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Deer Park School
Deer Park School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Columbia Falls, Montana, enrolling 120 students.
At 13.3:1, 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 120 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 (95% of enrollment) (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 200 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.7% 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 public schools, it stands alongside Ruder Elementary (487 students): Deer Park School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.3:1 vs 13.9:1).
Its district, Deer Park Elem, also runs Deer Park 6-8 (48 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 School compares
Deer Park 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 | 13.3:1 | ▲ 13% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 120 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
120
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 60% in Montana - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
26.7%
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 + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 95.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Two or More 0.8%
Largest group: White at 95.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.6, Deer Park School 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 School.
$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 School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Park 6-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Deer Park School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 48
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other schools in Columbia Falls
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~120 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Deer Park School's federal record.
- Compare Deer Park School 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 School
How many students attend Deer Park School?
Deer Park School has 120 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbia Falls, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Deer Park School?
The student-teacher ratio at Deer Park School is 13.3:1, which is 13% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Deer Park School?
The largest demographic group at Deer Park School is White at 95.0% of enrollment, in Columbia Falls, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Deer Park School?
Deer Park School 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 Deer Park School rank among schools in Columbia Falls?
By Resource Investment Index, Deer Park School ranks #1 of 3 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 schools in Columbia Falls on the city page.
Is Deer Park School a good school?
Deer Park School 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 Deer Park Elem?
Besides Deer Park School, Deer Park Elem also operates Deer Park 6-8 (48 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.