Enrollment
369
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Helena, MT
Rossiter School
Federal NCES profile for Rossiter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300000500424
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rossiter School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Montana schools.
- #9 of 11
- schools in Helena · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.8:1
- large classes for Montana
- 369
- students enrolled
Rossiter School has class sizes larger than 89% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rossiter School ranks #9 of 11 schools in Helena, MT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rossiter School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rossiter School
Rossiter School is a large combined-grade school in Helena, Montana, enrolling 369 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.8:1 is larger than about 89% of Montana schools and 42% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 369 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 29/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 369 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 56.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Helena Elem spends $13,560 per pupil, 30% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 21.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Helena's public schools, it stands alongside Four Georgians School (482 students): Rossiter School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.8:1 vs 18.5:1).
Helena Elem also operates C R Anderson Middle Schl (962 students) and Helena Middle School (701 students) alongside Rossiter 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 Rossiter School compares
Rossiter 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 42% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 369 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
369
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 42% above state mean
Top 89% in Montana - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
56.4%
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
$13,560
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 369 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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 83.7%
Hispanic or Latino 10.8%
African American 2.2%
Two or More 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Largest group: White at 83.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.7, Rossiter School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Helena Elem, which includes Rossiter School.
$13,560
Per student
-30%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.1%
State 37.0%
Federal 21.9%
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 Rossiter School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| C R Anderson Middle Schl | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Helena Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Four Georgians School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jim Darcy School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bryant School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rossiter School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 962
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 701
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 482
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 473
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 288
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar other schools in Helena
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Four Georgians School
Standard public school
482 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Jim Darcy School
Standard public school
473 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Bryant School
Standard public school
288 students 16:1 students per teacher
Warren School
Standard public school
276 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Jefferson School
Standard public school
245 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Central School
Standard public school
242 students 7.1:1 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 (~369 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rossiter School's federal record.
- Compare Rossiter School against another school. Compare schools
- Helena 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 Rossiter School
How many students attend Rossiter School?
Rossiter School has 369 students enrolled. It is a public school in Helena, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rossiter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Rossiter School is 16.8:1, which is 42% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rossiter School?
The largest demographic group at Rossiter School is White at 83.7% of enrollment, in Helena, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rossiter School?
Rossiter School 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 Rossiter School rank among schools in Helena?
By Resource Investment Index, Rossiter School ranks #9 of 11 schools in Helena, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Helena on the city page.
Is Rossiter School a good school?
Rossiter School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% 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 Helena Elem?
Besides Rossiter School, Helena Elem also operates C R Anderson Middle Schl (962 students), Helena Middle School (701 students), and Four Georgians School (482 students). See the Helena 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.