Enrollment
389
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Blanchard, MI
Montabella Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Montabella Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 261296004993
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Montabella Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 61.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 389
- students enrolled
Montabella Elementary has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Montabella Community Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 261296004993 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Montabella Elementary compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Montabella Elementary
Montabella Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Blanchard, Michigan, enrolling 389 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 61.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 389 students, its enrollment sits close to the Michigan median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 650 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #120.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Blanchard's public schools, it stands alongside Montabella Juniorsenior High (383 students): Montabella Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15:1 vs 15.3:1).
Its district, Montabella Community Schools, also runs Montabella Juniorsenior High (383 students).
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 Montabella Elementary compares
Montabella Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15:1 | ▼ 14% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.2% | ▲ 13% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 389 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
389
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
61.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 32% in Michigan - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.1%
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
$12,740
per pupil, district-wide
- below Michigan avg of $13,507
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.8 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 86.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.5%
Two or More 4.4%
African American 1.0%
Largest group: White at 86.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.9, Montabella Elementary is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montabella Community Schools, which includes Montabella Elementary.
$12,740
Per student
-6%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.8%
State 54.2%
Federal 16.0%
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 Montabella Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montabella Juniorsenior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Montabella Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar other schools in Blanchard
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~389 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Montabella Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Montabella Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Montabella Community Schools'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 Montabella Elementary
How many students attend Montabella Elementary?
Montabella Elementary has 389 students enrolled. It is a public school in Blanchard, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Montabella Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Montabella Elementary is 15:1, which is 14% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Montabella Elementary?
61.2% of students at Montabella Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Montabella Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Montabella Elementary is White at 86.1% of enrollment, in Blanchard, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Montabella Elementary?
Montabella Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Montabella Elementary a good school?
Montabella Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan 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 Montabella Community Schools?
Besides Montabella Elementary, Montabella Community Schools also operates Montabella Juniorsenior High (383 students). See the Montabella Community Schools 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.