Enrollment
42
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 300285000101
Smith Valley 7-8 — Kalispell, MT
Federal NCES profile for Smith Valley 7-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 0
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: Smith Valley Elem · 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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 12.1:1 Montana avg
+55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith Valley 7-8 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
Smith Valley 7-8 reports 42 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 55% 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 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 300 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 69.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Smith Valley Elem spends $11,845 per pupil district-wide, below the Montana average of $21,538 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.4% from local sources (property taxes), 51.6% from the state, and 19.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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 Smith Valley 7-8 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 | 18.7:1 | ▲ 55% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 42 | top 36% | — | — |
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
18.7:1
students per teacher
— 55% above state mean
Top 96% in Montana — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
69.0%
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
$11,845
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
Counselors0.1 FTE
Per 300 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.
Overview
Enrollment 42 Top 36% in Montana — larger than 64% of 826 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 18.7:1 +55% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 300285000101
Student demographics
White 78.6%
Two or More 11.9%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.4%
Largest group: White at 78.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.1
Students per counselor 300:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 69.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smith Valley Elem, which includes Smith Valley 7-8.
$11,845
Per student
-45%
vs Montana
Avg $21,538
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.4%
State 51.6%
Federal 19.0%
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
- 148
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
Similar middle schools in Kalispell
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Kalispell Middle School
Standard public school
1,049 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Cayuse Prairie 7-8
Standard public school
57 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
Fair-Mont-Egan Middle School
Standard public school
41 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Helena Flats 7-8
Standard public school
40 students 17:1 students per teacher
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 Smith Valley 7-8
How many students attend Smith Valley 7-8?
Smith Valley 7-8 has 42 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Kalispell, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smith Valley 7-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Smith Valley 7-8 is 18.7:1, which is 55% higher than the Montana average of 12.1:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smith Valley 7-8?
The largest demographic group at Smith Valley 7-8 is White at 78.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Kalispell, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith Valley 7-8?
Smith Valley 7-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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.