Enrollment
90
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Missoula, MT
Desmet School
Federal NCES profile for Desmet School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300888000254
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desmet School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Montana schools.
- #4 of 12
- schools in Missoula · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9:1
- small classes for Montana
- 90
- students enrolled
Desmet School has class sizes smaller than 72% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Desmet School ranks #4 of 12 schools in Missoula, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desmet School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Desmet School
Desmet School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Missoula, Montana, enrolling 90 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 90 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 (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 180 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Missoula's public schools, it stands alongside Jeannette Rankin El (457 students): Desmet School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9:1 vs 16.3:1).
Its district, Desmet Elem, also runs Desmet 6-8 (37 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 Desmet School compares
Desmet 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 | 9:1 | ▼ 24% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 90 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
90
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 28% in Montana - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
40.0%
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
$18,614
per pupil, district-wide
- below Montana avg of $19,282
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 85.6%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.3%
Hispanic or Latino 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
Largest group: White at 85.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.2, Desmet School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Desmet Elem, which includes Desmet School.
$18,614
Per student
-3%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.2%
State 22.2%
Federal 22.6%
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.
How Desmet School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desmet 6-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Desmet School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 37
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar other schools in Missoula
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Jeannette Rankin El
Standard public school
457 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Lewis & Clark School
Standard public school
429 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Hawthorne School
Standard public school
417 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Paxson School
Standard public school
415 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Chief Charlo School
Standard public school
414 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Target Range School
Standard public school
410 students 17.1:1 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 (~90 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Desmet School's federal record.
- Compare Desmet School against another school. Compare schools
- Desmet 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 Desmet School
How many students attend Desmet School?
Desmet School has 90 students enrolled. It is a public school in Missoula, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desmet School?
The student-teacher ratio at Desmet School is 9:1, which is 24% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 43% 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 Desmet School?
The largest demographic group at Desmet School is White at 85.6% of enrollment, in Missoula, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desmet School?
Desmet School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Desmet School rank among schools in Missoula?
By Resource Investment Index, Desmet School ranks #4 of 12 schools in Missoula, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Missoula on the city page.
Is Desmet School a good school?
Desmet School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% 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 Desmet Elem?
Besides Desmet School, Desmet Elem also operates Desmet 6-8 (37 students). See the Desmet 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.