Enrollment
83
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gildford, MT
North Star School
Federal NCES profile for North Star School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300009600485
👥 S:T ratio 67
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
North Star School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Montana schools.
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.3:1
- small classes for Montana
- 83
- students enrolled
North Star School has class sizes smaller than 76% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: North Star Elem · Montana
NCES ID 300009600485 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.3:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Star School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at North Star School
North Star School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Gildford, Montana, enrolling 83 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 8.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 83 students, its enrollment sits close to the Montana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding North Star Elem spends $15,301 per pupil, 21% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Gildford's public schools, it stands alongside Gildford Colony School (16 students): North Star School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (8.3:1 vs 8:1).
Its district, North Star Elem, also runs North Star 7-8 (25 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 North Star School compares
North 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 | 8.3:1 | ▼ 30% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 83 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.3:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
83
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
8.3:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 24% in Montana - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
41.0%
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
$15,301
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 86.7%
Two or More 6.0%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
Asian 2.4%
Largest group: White at 86.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.2, North Star School is about as mixed as the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Star Elem, which includes North Star School.
$15,301
Per student
-21%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.2%
State 26.7%
Federal 19.1%
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 North Star School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Star 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to North Star School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 25
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar other schools in Gildford
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 Montana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~83 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on North Star School's federal record.
- Compare North Star School against another school. Compare schools
- North Star 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 North Star School
How many students attend North Star School?
North Star School has 83 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gildford, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Star School?
The student-teacher ratio at North Star School is 8.3:1, which is 30% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 47% 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 North Star School?
The largest demographic group at North Star School is White at 86.7% of enrollment, in Gildford, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Star School?
North Star School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical 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 North Star School a good school?
North Star School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% 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 North Star Elem?
Besides North Star School, North Star Elem also operates North Star 7-8 (25 students). See the North Star 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.