Enrollment
245
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Helena, MT
Jefferson School
Federal NCES profile for Jefferson School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300000500421
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jefferson School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Montana schools.
- #1 of 11
- schools in Helena · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Montana
- 245
- students enrolled
Jefferson School has class sizes larger than 88% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson School ranks #1 of 11 schools in Helena, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
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 Jefferson School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jefferson School
Jefferson School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Helena, Montana, enrolling 245 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.
Enrollment of 245 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 245 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights 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.
Among Helena's public schools, it stands alongside Four Georgians School (482 students): Jefferson School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.3:1 vs 18.5:1).
Helena Elem also operates C R Anderson Middle Schl (962 students) and Helena Middle School (701 students) alongside Jefferson 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 Jefferson School compares
Jefferson 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 | 245 | top 27% | - | - |
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.
245
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
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
24.1%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 245 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 85.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.9%
Two or More 2.0%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 85.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.4, Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 |
| Helena Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Four Georgians School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jim Darcy School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rossiter School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jefferson 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
- 701
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- 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
Similar other schools in Helena
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Four Georgians School
Standard public school
482 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Jim Darcy School
Standard public school
473 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Rossiter School
Standard public school
369 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Bryant School
Standard public school
288 students 16:1 students per teacher
Warren School
Standard public school
276 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Central School
Standard public school
242 students 7.1:1 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 (~245 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jefferson School's federal record.
- Compare Jefferson 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 Jefferson School
How many students attend Jefferson School?
Jefferson School has 245 students enrolled. It is a public school in Helena, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jefferson School?
The student-teacher ratio at Jefferson 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 Jefferson School?
The largest demographic group at Jefferson School is White at 85.3% of enrollment, in Helena, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jefferson School?
Jefferson School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Jefferson School rank among schools in Helena?
By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson School ranks #1 of 11 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 schools in Helena on the city page.
Is Jefferson School a good school?
Jefferson School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Montana schools. 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 Jefferson School, Helena Elem also operates C R Anderson Middle Schl (962 students), Helena Middle School (701 students), and Four Georgians School (482 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.