Enrollment
44
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 301124000305
Fort Benton 7-8 — Fort Benton, MT
Federal NCES profile for Fort Benton 7-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 57
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 91
📋 Attendance 60
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Fort Benton Elem · Montana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.8:1
vs 12.1:1 Montana avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fort Benton 7-8 compares with Montana and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Fort Benton 7-8 reports 44 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% below the Montana state mean of 12.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 32% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 44 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fort Benton Elem spends $10,671 per pupil district-wide, below the Montana average of $21,538 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.9% from local sources (property taxes), 42.6% from the state, and 20.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Fort Benton 7-8 compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Montana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.8:1 | ▼ 11% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 44 | top 37% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
10.8:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 36% in Montana — lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$10,671
per pupil, district-wide
— below Montana avg of $21,538
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 44 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
Enrollment 44 Top 37% in Montana — larger than 63% of 826 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 10.8:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 301124000305
Student demographics
White 86.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 6.8%
Two or More 4.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.3%
Largest group: White at 86.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 44:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Benton Elem, which includes Fort Benton 7-8.
$10,671
Per student
-50%
vs Montana
Avg $21,538
-45%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.9%
State 42.6%
Federal 20.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 162
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Fort Benton 7-8
How many students attend Fort Benton 7-8?
Fort Benton 7-8 has 44 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Fort Benton, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fort Benton 7-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Fort Benton 7-8 is 10.8:1, which is 11% lower than the Montana average of 12.1:1 and 32% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fort Benton 7-8?
The largest demographic group at Fort Benton 7-8 is White at 86.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fort Benton, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fort Benton 7-8?
Fort Benton 7-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.