Enrollment
55
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 302430000724
Sun River Middle School — Simms, MT
Federal NCES profile for Sun River Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 59/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 89
📋 Attendance 73
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 →
The verdict
Sun River Middle School earns a C Resource Investment Index (59/100), with class sizes near the Montana median.
- C
- Resource Index · 59/100
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 55
- students enrolled
School address
District: Sun River 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)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 12.1:1 Montana avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sun River Middle School 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
Sun River Middle School reports 55 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 4.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 15.7:1, it is 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 55 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sun River Valley Elem spends $16,922 per pupil district-wide, below the Montana average of $19,282 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 33.9% from local sources (property taxes), 40.3% from the state, and 25.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (C), 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 Sun River Middle School 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 | 14.3:1 | ▲ 18% | 12.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 55 | top 41% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
14 smaller classes than 56% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
55 larger than 6% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 67% in Montana — lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
10.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,922
per pupil, district-wide
— below Montana avg of $19,282
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 55 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 55 Top 41% in Montana — larger than 59% of 826 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 4.0
Students per teacher 14.3:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 302430000724
Student demographics
White 81.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 9.1%
Two or More 5.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.8%
Asian 1.8%
Largest group: White at 81.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 55:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sun River Valley Elem, which includes Sun River Middle School.
$16,922
Per student
-12%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.9%
State 40.3%
Federal 25.8%
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
- 88
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 11
- 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 Sun River Middle School
How many students attend Sun River Middle School?
Sun River Middle School has 55 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Simms, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sun River Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sun River Middle School is 14.3:1, which is 18% higher than the Montana average of 12.1:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sun River Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sun River Middle School is White at 81.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Simms, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sun River Middle School?
Sun River Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (C) 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.
Is Sun River Middle School a good school?
Sun River Middle School earns a C Resource Investment Index (59/100), with class sizes near the Montana median. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.