Enrollment
517
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Polson, MT
Polson High School
Federal NCES profile for Polson High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 302109000633
👥 S:T ratio 44
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Polson High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Montana schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Polson · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 517
- students enrolled
Polson High School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Polson High School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Polson, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
What stands out at Polson High School
Polson High School is a large high school in Polson, Montana, enrolling 517 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14:1 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Montana, bigger than 94% of state schools at 517 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is led by White (60%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (33%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 53/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 259 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Polson H S spends $13,826 per pupil, 28% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Polson H S operates only this one school, so Polson High 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 Polson High School compares
Polson High 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 | 14:1 | ▲ 19% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 517 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
517
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14:1
students per teacher
- 19% above state mean
Top 68% in Montana - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
61.5%
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
$13,826
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 259 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 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 59.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 33.1%
Two or More 2.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.3%
Asian 1.0%
African American 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 59.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.1, Polson High School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polson H S, which includes Polson High School.
$13,826
Per student
-28%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.4%
State 38.0%
Federal 15.5%
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.
Similar high 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 (~517 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Polson High School's federal record.
- Compare Polson High School against another school. Compare schools
- Polson H S'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 Polson High School
How many students attend Polson High School?
Polson High School has 517 students enrolled. It is a high school in Polson, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polson High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Polson High School is 14:1, which is 19% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Polson High School?
The largest demographic group at Polson High School is White at 59.8% of enrollment, in Polson, MT. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polson High School?
Polson High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Polson High School rank among public schools in Polson?
By Resource Investment Index, Polson High School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Polson, 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 Polson on the city page.
Is Polson High School a good school?
Polson High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Polson H S?
None reported; Polson H S operates only Polson High 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.