Enrollment
55
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Simms, MT
Sun River Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Sun River Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 302430000724
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 89
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sun River Middle School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 55
- students enrolled
Sun River Middle School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Sun River Valley Elem · Montana
NCES ID 302430000724 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sun River Middle School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sun River Middle School
Sun River Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Simms, Montana, enrolling 55 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 55 students, its enrollment sits close to the Montana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 826 Montana schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 55 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
10.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 25.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Sun River Valley Elem also operates Fort Shaw Elem School (88 students) and Cascade Colony School (11 students) alongside Sun River Middle 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 Sun River Middle School compares
Sun River Middle 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 | 13.8:1 | ▲ 17% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 55 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
55
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.8:1
students per teacher
- 17% above state mean
Top 65% in Montana - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
10.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$16,922
per pupil, district-wide
- below Montana avg of $19,282
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 31.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.9, Sun River Middle School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
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.
How Sun River Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Shaw Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cascade Colony School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Sun River Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 88
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 11
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar middle 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 (~55 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sun River Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Sun River Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Sun River Valley 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 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 13.8:1, which is 17% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 12% 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% of enrollment, 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 (higher 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).
Is Sun River Middle School a good school?
Sun River Middle School earns 59/100 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 Sun River Valley Elem?
Besides Sun River Middle School, Sun River Valley Elem also operates Fort Shaw Elem School (88 students) and Cascade Colony School (11 students). See the Sun River Valley 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.