Enrollment
144
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chinook, MT
Meadowlark School
Federal NCES profile for Meadowlark School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300626000181
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Meadowlark School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Chinook · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.3:1
- students per teacher
- 144
- students enrolled
Meadowlark School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Meadowlark School ranks #3 of 3 schools in Chinook, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meadowlark School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Meadowlark School
Meadowlark School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Chinook, Montana, enrolling 144 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 144 students, its enrollment sits close to the Montana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (11%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 288 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Chinook's public schools, it stands alongside Cleveland School (11 students): Meadowlark School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.3:1 vs 11:1).
Chinook Elem also operates Chinook 7-8 (63 students) and Hartland Elementary School (8 students) alongside Meadowlark 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 Meadowlark School compares
Meadowlark 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 | 10.3:1 | ▼ 13% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 144 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
144
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 36% in Montana - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.4%
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
$15,692
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 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 76.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 11.1%
Two or More 8.3%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 76.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.6, Meadowlark School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chinook Elem, which includes Meadowlark School.
$15,692
Per student
-19%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.5%
State 40.0%
Federal 22.4%
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 Meadowlark School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinook 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hartland Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Meadowlark School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 63
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 8
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar other schools in Chinook
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~144 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Meadowlark School's federal record.
- Compare Meadowlark School against another school. Compare schools
- Chinook 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 Meadowlark School
How many students attend Meadowlark School?
Meadowlark School has 144 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chinook, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meadowlark School?
The student-teacher ratio at Meadowlark School is 10.3:1, which is 13% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 34% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meadowlark School?
The largest demographic group at Meadowlark School is White at 76.4% of enrollment, in Chinook, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meadowlark School?
Meadowlark School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 Meadowlark School rank among schools in Chinook?
By Resource Investment Index, Meadowlark School ranks #3 of 3 schools in Chinook, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Chinook on the city page.
Is Meadowlark School a good school?
Meadowlark School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. 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 Chinook Elem?
Besides Meadowlark School, Chinook Elem also operates Chinook 7-8 (63 students) and Hartland Elementary School (8 students). See the Chinook 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.