Enrollment
373
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 301304000362
Lincoln School — Great Falls, MT
Federal NCES profile for Lincoln School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 12
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Great Falls Elem · Montana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 12.1:1 Montana avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lincoln School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Lincoln School reports 373 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 36% above the Montana state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 373 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Great Falls Elem spends $13,469 per pupil district-wide, below the Montana average of $21,538 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.9% from local sources (property taxes), 38.7% from the state, and 27.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Lincoln School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Montana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▲ 36% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 373 | top 87% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
— 36% above state mean
Top 86% in Montana — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
35.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,469
per pupil, district-wide
— below Montana avg of $21,538
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 373 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
30
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 373 Top 87% in Montana — larger than 13% of 826 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 16.4:1 +36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 301304000362
Student demographics
White 73.2%
Two or More 12.6%
Hispanic or Latino 7.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.8%
Asian 1.1%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 73.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 373:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.4%
In-school suspensions 30
Out-of-school suspensions 27
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Great Falls Elem, which includes Lincoln School.
$13,469
Per student
-37%
vs Montana
Avg $21,538
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 764
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 764
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 527
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
Similar other schools in Great Falls
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Meadow Lark School
Standard public school
527 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Riverview School
Standard public school
445 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
Giant Springs Elementary
Standard public school
431 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
West Elementary
Standard public school
421 students 16:1 students per teacher
Sacajawea School
Standard public school
405 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Sunnyside School
Standard public school
396 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Lincoln School
How many students attend Lincoln School?
Lincoln School has 373 students enrolled. It is a other school in Great Falls, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lincoln School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lincoln School is 16.4:1, which is 36% higher than the Montana average of 12.1:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lincoln School?
The largest demographic group at Lincoln School is White at 73.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Great Falls, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lincoln School?
Lincoln School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.