Enrollment
338
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Great Falls, MT
Lewis & Clark School
Federal NCES profile for Lewis & Clark School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 301304000361
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lewis & Clark School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Montana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Montana schools.
- #8 of 17
- schools in Great Falls · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.9:1
- large classes for Montana
- 338
- students enrolled
Lewis & Clark School has class sizes larger than 90% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lewis & Clark School ranks #8 of 17 schools in Great Falls, MT.
School address
District: Great Falls Elem · Montana
NCES ID 301304000361 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lewis & Clark School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lewis & Clark School
Lewis & Clark School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Great Falls, Montana, enrolling 338 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.9:1 is larger than about 90% of Montana schools and 43% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 338 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 338 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Great Falls Elem spends $12,418 per pupil, 36% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 27.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Great Falls's public schools, it stands alongside Meadow Lark School (527 students): Lewis & Clark School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.9:1 vs 22:1).
Great Falls Elem also operates East Middle School (764 students) and North Middle School (764 students) alongside Lewis & Clark 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 Lewis & Clark School compares
Lewis & Clark 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 43% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 338 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
338
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 43% above state mean
Top 90% in Montana - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.9%
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
$12,418
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 338 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
32
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.5 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 73.1%
Hispanic or Latino 12.7%
Two or More 9.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.4%
African American 0.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 73.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.9, Lewis & Clark School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Great Falls Elem, which includes Lewis & Clark School.
$12,418
Per student
-36%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.9%
State 38.7%
Federal 27.4%
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 Lewis & Clark School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Meadow Lark School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Riverview School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Giant Springs Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lewis & Clark School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 764
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 764
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 527
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar other schools in Great Falls
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Meadow Lark School
Standard public school
527 students 22:1 students per teacher
Riverview School
Standard public school
445 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Giant Springs Elementary
Standard public school
431 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
West Elementary
Standard public school
421 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Sacajawea School
Standard public school
405 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Sunnyside School
Standard public school
396 students 15.8:1 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 (~338 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lewis & Clark School's federal record.
- Compare Lewis & Clark School against another school. Compare schools
- Great Falls 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 Lewis & Clark School
How many students attend Lewis & Clark School?
Lewis & Clark School has 338 students enrolled. It is a public school in Great Falls, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lewis & Clark School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lewis & Clark School is 16.9:1, which is 43% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lewis & Clark School?
The largest demographic group at Lewis & Clark School is White at 73.1% of enrollment, in Great Falls, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lewis & Clark School?
Lewis & Clark School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Lewis & Clark School rank among schools in Great Falls?
By Resource Investment Index, Lewis & Clark School ranks #8 of 17 schools in Great Falls, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Great Falls on the city page.
Is Lewis & Clark School a good school?
Lewis & Clark School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Montana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Great Falls Elem?
Besides Lewis & Clark School, Great Falls Elem also operates East Middle School (764 students), North Middle School (764 students), and Meadow Lark School (527 students). See the Great Falls 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.