Enrollment
438
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Belgrade, MT
Ridge View Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Ridge View Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300329000342
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ridge View Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Montana schools.
- #2 of 5
- schools in Belgrade · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.6:1
- large classes for Montana
- 438
- students enrolled
Ridge View Elementary has class sizes larger than 73% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ridge View Elementary ranks #2 of 5 schools in Belgrade, MT.
School address
District: Belgrade Elem · Montana
NCES ID 300329000342 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ridge View Elementary compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ridge View Elementary
Ridge View Elementary is a large combined-grade school in Belgrade, Montana, enrolling 438 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.6:1 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 91% of state schools at 438 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 219 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Belgrade Elem spends $11,061 per pupil, 43% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 18.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Belgrade's public schools, it stands alongside Story Creek Elem (437 students): Ridge View Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.6:1 vs 15.1:1).
Belgrade Elem also operates Belgrade Middle School (978 students) and Story Creek Elem (437 students) alongside Ridge View Elementary.
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 Ridge View Elementary compares
Ridge View Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.6:1 | ▲ 24% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
438
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 73% in Montana - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
35.4%
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
$11,061
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 219 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 82.0%
Hispanic or Latino 13.0%
Two or More 3.9%
African American 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 82.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.9, Ridge View Elementary is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belgrade Elem, which includes Ridge View Elementary.
$11,061
Per student
-43%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.9%
State 37.8%
Federal 18.3%
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 Ridge View Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgrade Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Story Creek Elem | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Saddle Peak Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ridge View Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 978
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 416
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar other schools in Belgrade
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Story Creek Elem
Standard public school
437 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Saddle Peak Elementary
Standard public school
416 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Springhill School
Standard public school
16 students 8:1 students per teacher
Pass Creek School
Standard public school
14 students 7:1 students per teacher
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 (~438 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ridge View Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Ridge View Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Belgrade Elem'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 Ridge View Elementary
How many students attend Ridge View Elementary?
Ridge View Elementary has 438 students enrolled. It is a public school in Belgrade, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ridge View Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ridge View Elementary is 14.6:1, which is 24% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ridge View Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ridge View Elementary is White at 82.0% of enrollment, in Belgrade, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ridge View Elementary?
Ridge View Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Ridge View Elementary rank among schools in Belgrade?
By Resource Investment Index, Ridge View Elementary ranks #2 of 5 schools in Belgrade, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Belgrade on the city page.
Is Ridge View Elementary a good school?
Ridge View Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% 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 Belgrade Elem?
Besides Ridge View Elementary, Belgrade Elem also operates Belgrade Middle School (978 students), Story Creek Elem (437 students), and Saddle Peak Elementary (416 students). See the Belgrade Elem 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.