Enrollment
578
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Laurel, MT
Laurel High School
Federal NCES profile for Laurel High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 301623000501
👥 S:T ratio 42
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Laurel High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Montana schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Montana.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Laurel · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- large classes for Montana
- 578
- students enrolled
Laurel High School has class sizes larger than 71% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Laurel High School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Laurel, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Laurel High School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Laurel High School
Laurel High School is a large high school in Laurel, Montana, enrolling 578 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Montana, bigger than 95% of state schools at 578 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 289 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Laurel H S spends $11,124 per pupil, 42% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Laurel H S operates only this one school, so Laurel High School has no district-mates to compare against locally. At 578 students, it is also among the largest single-school districts in Montana, well beyond the enrollment of a typical standalone charter.
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 Laurel High School compares
Laurel High 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 | 14.4:1 | ▲ 22% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 578 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
578
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 71% in Montana - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
35.1%
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
$11,124
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 289 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 88.9%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Two or More 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.1%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 88.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.6, Laurel High School is less mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Laurel H S, which includes Laurel High School.
$11,124
Per student
-42%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.4%
State 45.8%
Federal 0.8%
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.
Similar high 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 (~578 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Laurel High School's federal record.
- Compare Laurel High School against another school. Compare schools
- Laurel H S'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 Laurel High School
How many students attend Laurel High School?
Laurel High School has 578 students enrolled. It is a high school in Laurel, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Laurel High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Laurel High School is 14.4:1, which is 22% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Laurel High School?
The largest demographic group at Laurel High School is White at 88.9% of enrollment, in Laurel, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Laurel High School?
Laurel High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Laurel High School rank among public schools in Laurel?
By Resource Investment Index, Laurel High School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Laurel, 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 Laurel on the city page.
Is Laurel High School a good school?
Laurel High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% 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 Laurel H S?
None reported; Laurel H S operates only Laurel High 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.