Enrollment
248
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Billings, MT
Elder Grove 7-8
Federal NCES profile for Elder Grove 7-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 300972001080
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Elder Grove 7-8 earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Montana schools.
- #5 of 10
- middle schools in Billings · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.1:1
- large classes for Montana
- 248
- students enrolled
Elder Grove 7-8 has class sizes larger than 97% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Elder Grove 7-8 ranks #5 of 10 middle schools in Billings, MT.
School address
District: Elder Grove Elem · Montana
NCES ID 300972001080 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Elder Grove 7-8 compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Elder Grove 7-8
Elder Grove 7-8 is a mid-sized middle school in Billings, Montana, enrolling 248 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.1:1 is larger than about 97% of Montana schools and 62% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 248 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 248 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Elder Grove Elem spends $9,364 per pupil, 51% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Billings's middle schools, it stands alongside Lewis & Clark Middle School (741 students): Elder Grove 7-8 is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19.1:1 vs 16.1:1).
Its district, Elder Grove Elem, also runs Elder Grove School (465 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 Elder Grove 7-8 compares
Elder Grove 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 | 19.1:1 | ▲ 62% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 248 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.1:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
248
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
19.1:1
students per teacher
- 62% above state mean
Top 97% in Montana - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.6%
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
$9,364
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 248 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 86.7%
Two or More 4.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.2%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 86.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.4, Elder Grove 7-8 is about as mixed as the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elder Grove Elem, which includes Elder Grove 7-8.
$9,364
Per student
-51%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-44%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.4%
State 45.3%
Federal 11.4%
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 Elder Grove 7-8 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elder Grove School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Elder Grove 7-8's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar middle schools in Billings
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Lewis & Clark Middle School
Standard public school
741 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Ben Steele Middle School
Standard public school
740 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Castle Rock Middle School
Standard public school
691 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Will James Middle School
Standard public school
634 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Medicine Crow Middle School
Standard public school
517 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Riverside Middle School
Standard public school
436 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
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 (~248 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Elder Grove 7-8's federal record.
- Compare Elder Grove 7-8 against another school. Compare schools
- Elder Grove 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 Elder Grove 7-8
How many students attend Elder Grove 7-8?
Elder Grove 7-8 has 248 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Billings, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Elder Grove 7-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Elder Grove 7-8 is 19.1:1, which is 62% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 22% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Elder Grove 7-8?
The largest demographic group at Elder Grove 7-8 is White at 86.7% of enrollment, in Billings, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Elder Grove 7-8?
Elder Grove 7-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Elder Grove 7-8 rank among middle schools in Billings?
By Resource Investment Index, Elder Grove 7-8 ranks #5 of 10 middle schools in Billings, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Billings on the city page.
Is Elder Grove 7-8 a good school?
Elder Grove 7-8 earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% 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 Elder Grove Elem?
Besides Elder Grove 7-8, Elder Grove Elem also operates Elder Grove School (465 students). See the Elder Grove 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.