Enrollment
482
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bozeman, MT
Morning Star School
Federal NCES profile for Morning Star School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300456000106
👥 S:T ratio 16
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Morning Star School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Montana schools.
- #11 of 13
- schools in Bozeman · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21:1
- large classes for Montana
- 482
- students enrolled
Morning Star School has class sizes larger than 98% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Morning Star School ranks #11 of 13 schools in Bozeman, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+78% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Morning Star School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Morning Star School
Morning Star School is a large combined-grade school in Bozeman, Montana, enrolling 482 students.
Class loads run heavy: 21:1 is larger than about 98% of Montana schools and 78% 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 93% of state schools at 482 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 482 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Bozeman Elem spends $11,190 per pupil, 42% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Bozeman's public schools, it stands alongside Emily Dickinson School (531 students): Morning Star School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21:1 vs 16.1:1).
Bozeman Elem also operates Sacajawea Middle School (807 students) and Chief Joseph Middle School (751 students) alongside Morning Star 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 Morning Star School compares
Morning Star 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 | 21:1 | ▲ 78% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 482 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
482
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
21:1
students per teacher
- 78% above state mean
Top 98% in Montana - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
21.0%
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
$11,190
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 482 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 85.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.6%
Two or More 5.4%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 85.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.8, Morning Star School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bozeman Elem, which includes Morning Star School.
$11,190
Per student
-42%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.6%
State 35.9%
Federal 14.5%
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 Morning Star School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacajawea Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chief Joseph Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Emily Dickinson School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hyalite Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Meadowlark Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Morning Star School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 807
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 751
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 531
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 492
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar other schools in Bozeman
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Emily Dickinson School
Standard public school
531 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Hyalite Elementary
Standard public school
521 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Meadowlark Elementary
Standard public school
492 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Hawthorne School
Standard public school
348 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Longfellow School
Standard public school
289 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Whittier School
Standard public school
262 students 14.6:1 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 (~482 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Morning Star School's federal record.
- Compare Morning Star School against another school. Compare schools
- Bozeman 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 Morning Star School
How many students attend Morning Star School?
Morning Star School has 482 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bozeman, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Morning Star School?
The student-teacher ratio at Morning Star School is 21:1, which is 78% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 34% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Morning Star School?
The largest demographic group at Morning Star School is White at 85.7% of enrollment, in Bozeman, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Morning Star School?
Morning Star School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Morning Star School rank among schools in Bozeman?
By Resource Investment Index, Morning Star School ranks #11 of 13 schools in Bozeman, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Bozeman on the city page.
Is Morning Star School a good school?
Morning Star School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of 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 Bozeman Elem?
Besides Morning Star School, Bozeman Elem also operates Sacajawea Middle School (807 students), Chief Joseph Middle School (751 students), and Emily Dickinson School (531 students). See the Bozeman 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.