Enrollment
473
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Helena, MT
Jim Darcy School
Federal NCES profile for Jim Darcy School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300000500505
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 4
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jim Darcy School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Montana schools.
- #10 of 11
- schools in Helena · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.5:1
- large classes for Montana
- 473
- students enrolled
Jim Darcy School has class sizes larger than 93% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jim Darcy School ranks #10 of 11 schools in Helena, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jim Darcy School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jim Darcy School
Jim Darcy School is a large combined-grade school in Helena, Montana, enrolling 473 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.5:1 is larger than about 93% of Montana schools and 48% 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 92% of state schools at 473 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 826 Montana schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 473 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.3% 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.
Among Helena's public schools, it stands alongside Four Georgians School (482 students): Jim Darcy School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.5:1 vs 18.5:1).
Helena Elem also operates C R Anderson Middle Schl (962 students) and Helena Middle School (701 students) alongside Jim Darcy 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 Jim Darcy School compares
Jim Darcy 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 48% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 473 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
473
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 48% above state mean
Top 93% in Montana - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.3%
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 473 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
- 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 89.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.6%
Two or More 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 89.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.9, Jim Darcy School is less 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 Jim Darcy 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 Jim Darcy School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| C R Anderson Middle Schl | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Helena Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Four Georgians School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rossiter School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bryant School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jim Darcy 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
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 288
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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
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
Jefferson School
Standard public school
245 students 16.3:1 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 (~473 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jim Darcy School's federal record.
- Compare Jim Darcy 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 Jim Darcy School
How many students attend Jim Darcy School?
Jim Darcy School has 473 students enrolled. It is a public school in Helena, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jim Darcy School?
The student-teacher ratio at Jim Darcy School is 17.5:1, which is 48% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jim Darcy School?
The largest demographic group at Jim Darcy School is White at 89.2% of enrollment, in Helena, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jim Darcy School?
Jim Darcy School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Jim Darcy School rank among schools in Helena?
By Resource Investment Index, Jim Darcy School ranks #10 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 Jim Darcy School a good school?
Jim Darcy School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% 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 Jim Darcy 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.