Enrollment
218
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Plains, MT
Plains Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Plains Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 302085000622
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Plains Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Plains · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 218
- students enrolled
Plains Elementary School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Plains Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Plains, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Plains Elementary School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Plains Elementary School
Plains Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Plains, Montana, enrolling 218 students.
At 12.8:1, 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.
Enrollment of 218 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 145 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.4% 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.
Plains K-12 also operates Plains High School (121 students) and Plains 7-8 (65 students) alongside Plains Elementary 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 Plains Elementary School compares
Plains Elementary 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 | 12.8:1 | ▲ 8% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 218 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
218
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 56% in Montana - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
29.4%
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
$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 145 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.6 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 90.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.6%
Two or More 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 90.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.0, Plains Elementary School 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 Elementary School.
$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 Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plains High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Plains 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Plains Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 121
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 65
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~218 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Plains Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Plains Elementary School 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 Elementary School
How many students attend Plains Elementary School?
Plains Elementary School has 218 students enrolled. It is a public school in Plains, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Plains Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Plains Elementary School is 12.8:1, which is 8% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Plains Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Plains Elementary School is White at 90.4% of enrollment, in Plains, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Plains Elementary School?
Plains Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Elementary School rank among public schools in Plains?
By Resource Investment Index, Plains Elementary School ranks #1 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 Elementary School a good school?
Plains Elementary School earns 44/100 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 Plains K-12?
Besides Plains Elementary School, Plains K-12 also operates Plains High School (121 students) and Plains 7-8 (65 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.