Enrollment
52
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Bigfork, MT
Swan River 6-8
Federal NCES profile for Swan River 6-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 302550000962
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 79
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Swan River 6-8 earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Bigfork · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 52
- students enrolled
Swan River 6-8 has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Swan River 6-8 ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Bigfork, MT.
School address
District: Swan River Elem · Montana
NCES ID 302550000962 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Swan River 6-8 compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Swan River 6-8
Swan River 6-8 is a mid-sized middle school in Bigfork, Montana, enrolling 52 students.
At 13:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Montana median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 52 students, its enrollment sits close to the Montana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 104 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 69.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Swan River Elem spends $8,358 per pupil, 57% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Bigfork's middle schools, it stands alongside Bigfork 7-8 (236 students): Swan River 6-8 is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 29.5:1).
Its district, Swan River Elem, also runs Swan River School (106 students).
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 Swan River 6-8 compares
Swan River 6-8 on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▲ 10% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 52 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
52
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 58% in Montana - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
69.2%
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
$8,358
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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 84.6%
Two or More 9.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.8%
Largest group: White at 84.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.2, Swan River 6-8 is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Swan River Elem, which includes Swan River 6-8.
$8,358
Per student
-57%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-50%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.2%
State 50.2%
Federal 22.6%
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 Swan River 6-8 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swan River School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Swan River 6-8's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 106
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar middle schools in Bigfork
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 (~52 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Swan River 6-8's federal record.
- Compare Swan River 6-8 against another school. Compare schools
- Swan River 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 Swan River 6-8
How many students attend Swan River 6-8?
Swan River 6-8 has 52 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bigfork, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Swan River 6-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Swan River 6-8 is 13:1, which is 10% higher than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Swan River 6-8?
The largest demographic group at Swan River 6-8 is White at 84.6% of enrollment, in Bigfork, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Swan River 6-8?
Swan River 6-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Swan River 6-8 rank among public schools in Bigfork?
By Resource Investment Index, Swan River 6-8 ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Bigfork, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Bigfork on the city page.
Is Swan River 6-8 a good school?
Swan River 6-8 earns 39/100 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 Swan River Elem?
Besides Swan River 6-8, Swan River Elem also operates Swan River School (106 students). See the Swan River 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.