Enrollment
269
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · East Helena, MT
Prickly Pear Elem
Federal NCES profile for Prickly Pear Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 300065501122
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 32
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prickly Pear Elem earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Montana schools.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in East Helena · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.8:1
- large classes for Montana
- 269
- students enrolled
Prickly Pear Elem has class sizes larger than 83% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prickly Pear Elem ranks #4 of 5 public schools in East Helena, MT.
School address
District: East Helena K-12 · Montana
NCES ID 300065501122 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prickly Pear Elem compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prickly Pear Elem
Prickly Pear Elem is a mid-sized elementary school in East Helena, Montana, enrolling 269 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 269 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 359 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding East Helena K-12 spends $10,320 per pupil, 46% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among East Helena's elementary schools, it stands alongside Radley Elementary School (428 students): Prickly Pear Elem is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.8:1 vs 17.8:1).
East Helena K-12 also operates East Helena High School (563 students) and East Valley Middle School (471 students) alongside Prickly Pear Elem.
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 Prickly Pear Elem compares
Prickly Pear Elem on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.8:1 | ▲ 34% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 269 | top 23% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
269
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 34% above state mean
Top 83% in Montana - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.1%
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
$10,320
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
Counselors0.8 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.3 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 84.4%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Two or More 5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.2%
Asian 0.7%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 84.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.9, Prickly Pear Elem is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for East Helena K-12, which includes Prickly Pear Elem.
$10,320
Per student
-46%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 43.8%
Federal 17.3%
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.
How Prickly Pear Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Helena High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Valley Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Radley Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eastgate School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prickly Pear Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 471
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 428
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 161
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar elementary schools in East Helena
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~269 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prickly Pear Elem's federal record.
- Compare Prickly Pear Elem against another school. Compare schools
- East Helena 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 Prickly Pear Elem
How many students attend Prickly Pear Elem?
Prickly Pear Elem has 269 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in East Helena, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prickly Pear Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Prickly Pear Elem is 15.8:1, which is 34% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prickly Pear Elem?
The largest demographic group at Prickly Pear Elem is White at 84.4% of enrollment, in East Helena, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prickly Pear Elem?
Prickly Pear Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Prickly Pear Elem rank among public schools in East Helena?
By Resource Investment Index, Prickly Pear Elem ranks #4 of 5 public schools in East Helena, 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 East Helena on the city page.
Is Prickly Pear Elem a good school?
Prickly Pear Elem earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% 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 East Helena K-12?
Besides Prickly Pear Elem, East Helena K-12 also operates East Helena High School (563 students), East Valley Middle School (471 students), and Radley Elementary School (428 students). See the East Helena 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.