Enrollment
162
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fort Benton, MT
Fort Benton School
Federal NCES profile for Fort Benton School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 301124000306
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fort Benton School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Fort Benton · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 162
- students enrolled
Fort Benton School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fort Benton School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Fort Benton, MT.
School address
District: Fort Benton Elem · Montana
NCES ID 301124000306 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fort Benton School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fort Benton School
Fort Benton School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Fort Benton, Montana, enrolling 162 students.
At 12.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Montana median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 162 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 (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 162 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
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 7-8 (44 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 School compares
Fort Benton 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 | 12.5:1 | ▲ 6% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 162 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
162
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 54% in Montana - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.8%
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
$10,272
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 162 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 87.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.8%
Two or More 4.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 87.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.6, Fort Benton School 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 School.
$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 School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Benton 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fort Benton School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 44
- Students per teacher
- 8.8:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
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 (~162 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fort Benton School's federal record.
- Compare Fort Benton School 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 School
How many students attend Fort Benton School?
Fort Benton School has 162 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fort Benton, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fort Benton School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fort Benton School is 12.5:1, which is 6% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fort Benton School?
The largest demographic group at Fort Benton School is White at 87.0% of enrollment, in Fort Benton, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fort Benton School?
Fort Benton School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Fort Benton School rank among public schools in Fort Benton?
By Resource Investment Index, Fort Benton School ranks #3 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 School a good school?
Fort Benton School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. 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 School, Fort Benton Elem also operates Fort Benton 7-8 (44 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.