Enrollment
65
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Plains, MT
Plains 7-8
Federal NCES profile for Plains 7-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 302085000896
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 91
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Plains 7-8 earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Montana schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Plains · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Montana
- 65
- students enrolled
Plains 7-8 has class sizes larger than 88% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Plains 7-8 ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Plains, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Plains 7-8 compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Plains 7-8
Plains 7-8 is a mid-sized middle school in Plains, Montana, enrolling 65 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.3:1 is larger than about 88% of Montana schools and 38% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
With 65 students, its enrollment sits close to the Montana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 43 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Plains K-12 spends $12,424 per pupil, 36% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 21 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 65 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Plains K-12 also operates Plains Elementary School (218 students) and Plains High School (121 students) alongside Plains 7-8.
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 Plains 7-8 compares
Plains 7-8 on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▲ 38% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 65 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
65
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 38% above state mean
Top 88% in Montana - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.5%
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
$12,424
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 43 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.3 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 90.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.6%
Two or More 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Largest group: White at 90.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.2, Plains 7-8 is less mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Plains K-12, which includes Plains 7-8.
$12,424
Per student
-36%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.2%
State 51.2%
Federal 17.6%
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 Plains 7-8 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plains Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Plains High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Plains 7-8's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 218
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 121
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar middle 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 (~65 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Plains 7-8's federal record.
- Compare Plains 7-8 against another school. Compare schools
- Plains K-12'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 Plains 7-8
How many students attend Plains 7-8?
Plains 7-8 has 65 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Plains, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Plains 7-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Plains 7-8 is 16.3:1, which is 38% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Plains 7-8?
The largest demographic group at Plains 7-8 is White at 90.8% of enrollment, in Plains, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Plains 7-8?
Plains 7-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Plains 7-8 rank among public schools in Plains?
By Resource Investment Index, Plains 7-8 ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Plains, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Plains on the city page.
Is Plains 7-8 a good school?
Plains 7-8 earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 Plains K-12?
Besides Plains 7-8, Plains K-12 also operates Plains Elementary School (218 students) and Plains High School (121 students). See the Plains K-12 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.