Enrollment
487
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbia Falls, MT
Ruder Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Ruder Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 300711000198
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ruder Elementary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Columbia Falls · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 487
- students enrolled
Ruder Elementary has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ruder Elementary ranks #3 of 3 schools in Columbia Falls, MT.
School address
District: Columbia Falls Elem · Montana
NCES ID 300711000198 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ruder Elementary compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ruder Elementary
Ruder Elementary is a large combined-grade school in Columbia Falls, Montana, enrolling 487 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.9:1 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 93% of state schools at 487 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 826 Montana schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 487 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Columbia Falls Elem spends $11,667 per pupil, 39% 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.
Among Columbia Falls's public schools, it stands alongside Glacier Gateway Elem (471 students): Ruder Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.9:1 vs 13.9:1).
Columbia Falls Elem also operates Columbia Falls Jr Hs (547 students) and Glacier Gateway Elem (471 students) alongside Ruder 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 Ruder Elementary compares
Ruder 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 | 13.9:1 | ▲ 18% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 487 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
487
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 66% in Montana - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
39.8%
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
$11,667
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 487 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 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 84.8%
Two or More 8.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 84.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.0, Ruder Elementary is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia Falls Elem, which includes Ruder Elementary.
$11,667
Per student
-39%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.9%
State 37.7%
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 Ruder Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Falls Jr Hs | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Glacier Gateway Elem | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ruder Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 547
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 471
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar other schools in Columbia Falls
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~487 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ruder Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Ruder Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia Falls 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 Ruder Elementary
How many students attend Ruder Elementary?
Ruder Elementary has 487 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbia Falls, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ruder Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ruder Elementary is 13.9:1, which is 18% 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 Ruder Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ruder Elementary is White at 84.8% of enrollment, in Columbia Falls, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ruder Elementary?
Ruder Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower 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 Ruder Elementary rank among schools in Columbia Falls?
By Resource Investment Index, Ruder Elementary ranks #3 of 3 schools in Columbia Falls, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Columbia Falls on the city page.
Is Ruder Elementary a good school?
Ruder Elementary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. 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 Columbia Falls Elem?
Besides Ruder Elementary, Columbia Falls Elem also operates Columbia Falls Jr Hs (547 students) and Glacier Gateway Elem (471 students). See the Columbia Falls 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.