Enrollment
7
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fairfield, MT
Golden Ridge School
Federal NCES profile for Golden Ridge School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 301260000348
👥 S:T ratio 93
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Golden Ridge School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Montana schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Montana.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Fairfield · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 1.8:1
- small classes for Montana
- 7
- students enrolled
Golden Ridge School has class sizes smaller than 99% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Golden Ridge School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Fairfield, MT.
School address
District: Golden Ridge Elem · Montana
NCES ID 301260000348 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
1.8:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-85% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Golden Ridge School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Golden Ridge School
Golden Ridge School is a small combined-grade school in Fairfield, Montana, enrolling 7 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 1.8:1, Golden Ridge School is leaner than roughly 99% of Montana schools and 85% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 95% of Montana schools, with 7 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 826 Montana schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (100% of enrollment) (diversity index 0/100).
The surrounding Golden Ridge Elem spends $11,311 per pupil, 41% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 38.3% 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 Fairfield Elementary School (173 students): Golden Ridge School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (1.8:1 vs 17.3:1).
Golden Ridge Elem operates only this one school, so Golden Ridge School has no district-mates to compare against locally. At 7 students, it is also a small operation, on the smaller end of Montana's single-school districts.
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 Golden Ridge School compares
Golden Ridge 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 | 1.8:1 | ▼ 85% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 7 | top 95% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
1.8:1
Leaner classes than 100% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
7
Bigger than 1% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
1.8:1
students per teacher
- 85% below state mean
Top 1% in Montana - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$11,311
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 100.0%
Largest group: White at 100.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.0, Golden Ridge School is less mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Golden Ridge Elem, which includes Golden Ridge School.
$11,311
Per student
-41%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.4%
State 46.3%
Federal 38.3%
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.
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 (~7 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~1.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Golden Ridge School's federal record.
- Compare Golden Ridge School against another school. Compare schools
- Golden Ridge 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 Golden Ridge School
How many students attend Golden Ridge School?
Golden Ridge School has 7 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fairfield, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Golden Ridge School?
The student-teacher ratio at Golden Ridge School is 1.8:1, which is 85% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 89% 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 Golden Ridge School?
The largest demographic group at Golden Ridge School is White at 100.0% of enrollment, in Fairfield, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Golden Ridge School?
Golden Ridge School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Golden Ridge School rank among schools in Fairfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Golden Ridge School ranks #1 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 Golden Ridge School a good school?
Golden Ridge School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Montana schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Montana. 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 Golden Ridge Elem?
None reported; Golden Ridge Elem operates only Golden Ridge School as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.