Enrollment
73
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Billings, MT
Pioneer School
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 302079000621
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 32
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pioneer School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #3 of 30
- schools in Billings · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.2:1
- students per teacher
- 73
- students enrolled
Pioneer School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer School ranks #3 of 30 schools in Billings, MT.
School address
District: Pioneer Elem · Montana
NCES ID 302079000621 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pioneer School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pioneer School
Pioneer School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Billings, Montana, enrolling 73 students.
At 12.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Montana median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 73 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 (77%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (16%) (diversity index 38/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Pioneer Elem spends $11,329 per pupil, 41% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 24.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Billings's public schools, it stands alongside Meadowlark School (691 students): Pioneer School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.2:1 vs 19.2:1).
Pioneer Elem operates only this one school, so Pioneer School has no district-mates to compare against locally.
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 Pioneer School compares
Pioneer 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 | 12.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 73 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
73
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 50% in Montana - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
27.4%
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
$11,329
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
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 76.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 16.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.5%
Two or More 1.4%
Largest group: White at 76.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.2, Pioneer School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pioneer Elem, which includes Pioneer School.
$11,329
Per student
-41%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.4%
State 40.3%
Federal 24.3%
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.
Similar other schools in Billings
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Meadowlark School
Standard public school
691 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Boulder School
Standard public school
495 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Elder Grove School
Standard public school
465 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Eagle Cliffs Elementary
Standard public school
443 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Arrowhead School
Standard public school
434 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Broadwater School
Standard public school
400 students 16.7:1 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 (~73 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pioneer School's federal record.
- Compare Pioneer School against another school. Compare schools
- Pioneer 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 Pioneer School
How many students attend Pioneer School?
Pioneer School has 73 students enrolled. It is a public school in Billings, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer School is 12.2:1, which is 3% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pioneer School?
The largest demographic group at Pioneer School is White at 76.7% of enrollment, in Billings, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer School?
Pioneer School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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).
How does Pioneer School rank among schools in Billings?
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer School ranks #3 of 30 schools in Billings, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Billings on the city page.
Is Pioneer School a good school?
Pioneer 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 Pioneer Elem?
None reported; Pioneer Elem operates only Pioneer School as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.