Enrollment
701
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Helena, MT
Helena Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Helena Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 300000500885
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Helena Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Montana schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Montana.
- #9 of 15
- public schools in Helena · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Montana
- 701
- students enrolled
Helena Middle School has class sizes larger than 88% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Helena Middle School ranks #9 of 15 public schools in Helena, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Helena Middle School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Helena Middle School
Helena Middle School is a large middle school in Helena, Montana, enrolling 701 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.3:1 is larger than about 88% of Montana schools and 38% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Montana, bigger than 97% of state schools at 701 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 351 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Helena Elem spends $13,560 per pupil, 30% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 21.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 175 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 701 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Helena's middle schools, it stands alongside C R Anderson Middle Schl (962 students): Helena Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.3:1 vs 15.8:1).
Helena Elem also operates C R Anderson Middle Schl (962 students) and Four Georgians School (482 students) alongside Helena Middle School.
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 Helena Middle School compares
Helena Middle 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 38% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 701 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
701
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 38% above state mean
Top 88% in Montana - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.1%
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
$13,560
per pupil, district-wide
- below Montana avg of $19,282
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 351 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
103
in-school suspensions + 72 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.0 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 85.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
Two or More 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.3%
Asian 0.4%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 85.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.7, Helena Middle School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Helena Elem, which includes Helena Middle School.
$13,560
Per student
-30%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.1%
State 37.0%
Federal 21.9%
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 Helena Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| C R Anderson Middle Schl | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Four Georgians School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jim Darcy School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rossiter School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bryant School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Helena Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 962
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 482
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 473
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 288
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar middle schools in Helena
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 (~701 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Helena Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Helena Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Helena 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 Helena Middle School
How many students attend Helena Middle School?
Helena Middle School has 701 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Helena, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Helena Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Helena Middle School is 16.3:1, which is 38% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Helena Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Helena Middle School is White at 85.2% of enrollment, in Helena, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Helena Middle School?
Helena Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Helena Middle School rank among public schools in Helena?
By Resource Investment Index, Helena Middle School ranks #9 of 15 public schools in Helena, 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 Helena on the city page.
Is Helena Middle School a good school?
Helena Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Montana schools. It is also one of the largest 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 Helena Elem?
Besides Helena Middle School, Helena Elem also operates C R Anderson Middle Schl (962 students), Four Georgians School (482 students), and Jim Darcy School (473 students). See the Helena 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.