Enrollment
44
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Fort Benton, MT
Fort Benton 7-8
Federal NCES profile for Fort Benton 7-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 301124000305
👥 S:T ratio 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 91
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fort Benton 7-8 earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Montana schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Fort Benton · Resource Index
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.8:1
- small classes for Montana
- 44
- students enrolled
Fort Benton 7-8 has class sizes smaller than 74% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fort Benton 7-8 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Fort Benton, MT.
School address
District: Fort Benton Elem · Montana
NCES ID 301124000305 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.8:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fort Benton 7-8 compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fort Benton 7-8
Fort Benton 7-8 is a mid-sized middle school in Fort Benton, Montana, enrolling 44 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 8.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 44 students, its enrollment sits close to the Montana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 826 Montana schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 44 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
15.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Fort Benton Elem spends $10,272 per pupil, 47% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 20.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Fort Benton Elem, also runs Fort Benton School (162 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 Fort Benton 7-8 compares
Fort Benton 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 | 8.8:1 | ▼ 25% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 44 | top 63% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.8:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
44
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
8.8:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 26% in Montana - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
15.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,272
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 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
- 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 86.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 6.8%
Two or More 4.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.3%
Largest group: White at 86.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.6, Fort Benton 7-8 is about as mixed as the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Benton Elem, which includes Fort Benton 7-8.
$10,272
Per student
-47%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Fort Benton 7-8 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Benton School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fort Benton 7-8's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 162
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
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 (~44 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fort Benton 7-8's federal record.
- Compare Fort Benton 7-8 against another school. Compare schools
- Fort Benton 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 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 8.8:1, which is 25% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 44% 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 Fort Benton 7-8?
The largest demographic group at Fort Benton 7-8 is White at 86.4% of enrollment, 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 62/100 (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 Fort Benton 7-8 rank among public schools in Fort Benton?
By Resource Investment Index, Fort Benton 7-8 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Fort Benton, 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 Fort Benton on the city page.
Is Fort Benton 7-8 a good school?
Fort Benton 7-8 earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% 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 Fort Benton Elem?
Besides Fort Benton 7-8, Fort Benton Elem also operates Fort Benton School (162 students). See the Fort Benton 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.