Enrollment
26
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 301182001022
Gardiner 7-8 — Gardiner, MT
Federal NCES profile for Gardiner 7-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 58/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 95
📋 Attendance 62
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 →
The verdict
Gardiner 7-8 earns a C Resource Investment Index (58/100), with class sizes near the Montana median.
- C
- Resource Index · 58/100
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 26
- students enrolled
School address
District: Gardiner 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)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 12.1:1 Montana avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gardiner 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
Gardiner 7-8 reports 26 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% above the Montana state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 26 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gardiner Elem spends $16,071 per pupil district-wide, below the Montana average of $19,282 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 53.8% from local sources (property taxes), 31.9% from the state, and 14.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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 Gardiner 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 | 13.5:1 | ▲ 12% | 12.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 26 | top 25% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
14 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 64% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
26 larger than 3% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 59% in Montana — lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.4%
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
$16,071
per pupil, district-wide
— below Montana avg of $19,282
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 26 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 26 Top 25% in Montana — larger than 75% of 826 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 301182001022
Student demographics
White 92.3%
African American 3.8%
Two or More 3.8%
Largest group: White at 92.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 26:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gardiner Elem, which includes Gardiner 7-8.
$16,071
Per student
-17%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.8%
State 31.9%
Federal 14.4%
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
- 70
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
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 Gardiner 7-8
How many students attend Gardiner 7-8?
Gardiner 7-8 has 26 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Gardiner, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gardiner 7-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Gardiner 7-8 is 13.5:1, which is 12% higher than the Montana average of 12.1:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gardiner 7-8?
The largest demographic group at Gardiner 7-8 is White at 92.3%. The school serves a student body in Gardiner, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gardiner 7-8?
Gardiner 7-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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.
Is Gardiner 7-8 a good school?
Gardiner 7-8 earns a C Resource Investment Index (58/100), with class sizes near the Montana median. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.