Enrollment
527
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Great Falls, MT
Meadow Lark School
Federal NCES profile for Meadow Lark School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 301304000367
👥 S:T ratio 12
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Meadow Lark School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Montana schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Montana.
- #16 of 17
- schools in Great Falls · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22:1
- large classes for Montana
- 527
- students enrolled
Meadow Lark School has class sizes larger than 99% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Meadow Lark School ranks #16 of 17 schools in Great Falls, MT.
School address
District: Great Falls Elem · Montana
NCES ID 301304000367 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+86% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meadow Lark School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Meadow Lark School
Meadow Lark School is a large combined-grade school in Great Falls, Montana, enrolling 527 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22:1 is larger than about 99% of Montana schools and 86% 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 95% of state schools at 527 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 (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 527 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.6% 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 Riverview School (445 students): Meadow Lark School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (22:1 vs 20.2:1).
Great Falls Elem also operates East Middle School (764 students) and North Middle School (764 students) alongside Meadow Lark 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 Meadow Lark School compares
Meadow Lark 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 | 22:1 | ▲ 86% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 527 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
527
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
22:1
students per teacher
- 86% above state mean
Top 99% in Montana - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
29.6%
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 527 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 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 84.6%
Two or More 6.6%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 84.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.6, Meadow Lark 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 Meadow Lark 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 Meadow Lark 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 |
| Riverview School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Giant Springs Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Meadow Lark 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
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 421
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar other schools in Great Falls
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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
Loy School
Standard public school
392 students 16.3:1 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 (~527 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Meadow Lark School's federal record.
- Compare Meadow Lark 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 Meadow Lark School
How many students attend Meadow Lark School?
Meadow Lark School has 527 students enrolled. It is a public school in Great Falls, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meadow Lark School?
The student-teacher ratio at Meadow Lark School is 22:1, which is 86% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 40% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meadow Lark School?
The largest demographic group at Meadow Lark School is White at 84.6% of enrollment, in Great Falls, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meadow Lark School?
Meadow Lark 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 Meadow Lark School rank among schools in Great Falls?
By Resource Investment Index, Meadow Lark School ranks #16 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 Meadow Lark School a good school?
Meadow Lark School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Great Falls Elem?
Besides Meadow Lark School, Great Falls Elem also operates East Middle School (764 students), North Middle School (764 students), and Riverview School (445 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.