Enrollment
47
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Fairfield, MT
Fairfield 7-8
Federal NCES profile for Fairfield 7-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 301014001066
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 91
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fairfield 7-8 earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Montana schools.
- #2 of 6
- public schools in Fairfield · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.4:1
- small classes for Montana
- 47
- students enrolled
Fairfield 7-8 has class sizes smaller than 70% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fairfield 7-8 ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Fairfield, MT.
School address
District: Fairfield Elem · Montana
NCES ID 301014001066 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.4:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fairfield 7-8 compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fairfield 7-8
Fairfield 7-8 is a mid-sized middle school in Fairfield, Montana, enrolling 47 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 47 students, its enrollment sits close to the Montana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (98% of enrollment) (diversity index 4/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 47 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Fairfield Elem spends $10,888 per pupil, 44% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Fairfield's middle schools, it stands alongside Greenfield 7-8 (19 students): Fairfield 7-8 is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.4:1 vs 19:1).
Its district, Fairfield Elem, also runs Fairfield Elementary School (173 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 Fairfield 7-8 compares
Fairfield 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 | 9.4:1 | ▼ 20% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 47 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.4:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
47
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9.4:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 30% in Montana - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.5%
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
$10,888
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 47 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 97.9%
Two or More 2.1%
Largest group: White at 97.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.1, Fairfield 7-8 is less mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfield Elem, which includes Fairfield 7-8.
$10,888
Per student
-44%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.5%
State 39.8%
Federal 17.8%
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 Fairfield 7-8 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fairfield 7-8's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 173
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar middle schools in Fairfield
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 (~47 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fairfield 7-8's federal record.
- Compare Fairfield 7-8 against another school. Compare schools
- Fairfield 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 Fairfield 7-8
How many students attend Fairfield 7-8?
Fairfield 7-8 has 47 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Fairfield, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fairfield 7-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Fairfield 7-8 is 9.4:1, which is 20% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 40% 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 Fairfield 7-8?
The largest demographic group at Fairfield 7-8 is White at 97.9% of enrollment, in Fairfield, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fairfield 7-8?
Fairfield 7-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Fairfield 7-8 rank among public schools in Fairfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Fairfield 7-8 ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Fairfield, 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 Fairfield on the city page.
Is Fairfield 7-8 a good school?
Fairfield 7-8 earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% 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 Fairfield Elem?
Besides Fairfield 7-8, Fairfield Elem also operates Fairfield Elementary School (173 students). See the Fairfield 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.