Enrollment
26
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cut Bank, MT
Hidden Lake Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Hidden Lake Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300000300242
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hidden Lake Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #7 of 8
- schools in Cut Bank · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 26
- students enrolled
Hidden Lake Elementary has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hidden Lake Elementary ranks #7 of 8 schools in Cut Bank, MT.
School address
District: Cut Bank Elem · Montana
NCES ID 300000300242 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hidden Lake Elementary compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hidden Lake Elementary
Hidden Lake Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cut Bank, Montana, enrolling 26 students.
At 13:1, 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.
Enrollment of 26 puts it in the smaller third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment) (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 260 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
The surrounding Cut Bank Elem spends $13,475 per pupil, 30% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 29.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Cut Bank's public schools, it stands alongside H C Davis Elementary (209 students): Hidden Lake Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13:1 vs 11:1).
Cut Bank Elem also operates H C Davis Elementary (209 students) and Cut Bank Middle School (145 students) alongside Hidden Lake Elementary.
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 Hidden Lake Elementary compares
Hidden Lake Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▲ 10% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 26 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
26
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 58% in Montana - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$13,475
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
Counselors0.1 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 96.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
Largest group: White at 96.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.3, Hidden Lake Elementary is less mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cut Bank Elem, which includes Hidden Lake Elementary.
$13,475
Per student
-30%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.3%
State 37.9%
Federal 29.8%
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 Hidden Lake Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| H C Davis Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cut Bank Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Anna Jeffries Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horizon Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Zenith Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hidden Lake Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 209
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 145
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 118
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 15
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 11
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar other schools in Cut Bank
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
H C Davis Elementary
Standard public school
209 students 11:1 students per teacher
Big Sky School
Standard public school
22 students 11:1 students per teacher
Horizon Elementary
Standard public school
15 students 15:1 students per teacher
Glendale School
Standard public school
12 students 12:1 students per teacher
Zenith Elementary
Standard public school
11 students 11:1 students per teacher
Glacier Elementary School
Standard public school
10 students 10:1 students per teacher
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 (~26 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hidden Lake Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Hidden Lake Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Cut Bank 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 Hidden Lake Elementary
How many students attend Hidden Lake Elementary?
Hidden Lake Elementary has 26 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cut Bank, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hidden Lake Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Hidden Lake Elementary is 13:1, which is 10% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hidden Lake Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Hidden Lake Elementary is White at 96.2% of enrollment, in Cut Bank, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hidden Lake Elementary?
Hidden Lake Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Hidden Lake Elementary rank among schools in Cut Bank?
By Resource Investment Index, Hidden Lake Elementary ranks #7 of 8 schools in Cut Bank, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cut Bank on the city page.
Is Hidden Lake Elementary a good school?
Hidden Lake Elementary earns 42/100 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 Cut Bank Elem?
Besides Hidden Lake Elementary, Cut Bank Elem also operates H C Davis Elementary (209 students), Cut Bank Middle School (145 students), and Anna Jeffries Elementary (118 students). See the Cut Bank 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.