Enrollment
173
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fairfield, MT
Fairfield Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Fairfield Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 301014000280
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fairfield Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Montana schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Fairfield · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.3:1
- large classes for Montana
- 173
- students enrolled
Fairfield Elementary School has class sizes larger than 92% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fairfield Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 schools in Fairfield, MT.
School address
District: Fairfield Elem · Montana
NCES ID 301014000280 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fairfield Elementary School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fairfield Elementary School
Fairfield Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Fairfield, Montana, enrolling 173 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.3:1 is larger than about 92% of Montana schools and 47% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 173 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment) (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 173 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
17.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
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 public schools, it stands alongside Greenfield School (65 students): Fairfield Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.3:1 vs 9.3:1).
Its district, Fairfield Elem, also runs Fairfield 7-8 (47 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 Elementary School compares
Fairfield Elementary 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 | 17.3:1 | ▲ 47% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 173 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
173
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.3:1
students per teacher
- 47% above state mean
Top 92% in Montana - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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 173 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 97.1%
Two or More 2.3%
Hispanic or Latino 0.6%
Largest group: White at 97.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.7, Fairfield Elementary School 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 Elementary School.
$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 Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fairfield Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 47
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar other schools in Fairfield
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 (~173 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fairfield Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Fairfield Elementary School 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 Elementary School
How many students attend Fairfield Elementary School?
Fairfield Elementary School has 173 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fairfield, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fairfield Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fairfield Elementary School is 17.3:1, which is 47% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fairfield Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Fairfield Elementary School is White at 97.1% of enrollment, in Fairfield, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fairfield Elementary School?
Fairfield Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Fairfield Elementary School rank among schools in Fairfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Fairfield Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 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 schools in Fairfield on the city page.
Is Fairfield Elementary School a good school?
Fairfield Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% 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 Elementary School, Fairfield Elem also operates Fairfield 7-8 (47 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.