Enrollment
269
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 300065501122
Prickly Pear Elem — East Helena, MT
Federal NCES profile for Prickly Pear Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 32
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: East Helena K-12 · Montana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 12.1:1 Montana avg
+32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prickly Pear Elem compares with Montana and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Prickly Pear Elem reports 269 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 32% above the Montana state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 359 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding East Helena K-12 spends $12,652 per pupil district-wide, below the Montana average of $21,538 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.9% from local sources (property taxes), 43.8% from the state, and 17.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Prickly Pear Elem compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Montana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16:1 | ▲ 32% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 269 | top 77% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
— 32% above state mean
Top 83% in Montana — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,652
per pupil, district-wide
— below Montana avg of $21,538
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.8 FTE
Per 359 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 269 Top 77% in Montana — larger than 23% of 826 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 16:1 +32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 300065501122
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.8
Students per counselor 359:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.1%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for East Helena K-12, which includes Prickly Pear Elem.
$12,652
Per student
-41%
vs Montana
Avg $21,538
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 471
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 428
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 161
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
Similar elementary schools in East Helena
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Prickly Pear Elem
How many students attend Prickly Pear Elem?
Prickly Pear Elem has 269 students enrolled. It is a 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 16:1, which is 32% higher than the Montana average of 12.1:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prickly Pear Elem?
The largest demographic group at Prickly Pear Elem is White at 84.4%. The school serves a diverse student body 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 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.