Enrollment
605
North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Belcourt, ND
Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 380253000750
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Dakota median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Dakota schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Belcourt · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School has class sizes near the North Dakota median. Computed live against every North Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Belcourt, ND.
School address
District: Belcourt 7 · North Dakota
NCES ID 380253000750 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 11.8:1 North Dakota avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 28.2% North Dakota avg
+255% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School compares with North Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School
Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School is a high-poverty, large combined-grade school in Belcourt, North Dakota, enrolling 605 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the larger third of North Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 255% above the North Dakota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Dakota, bigger than 94% of state schools at 605 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 498 scored North Dakota schools.
Its student body is predominantly American Indian / Alaska Native (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 2/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 303 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 55.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Belcourt's public schools, it stands alongside Tiny Turtles Preschool (38 students): Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.6:1 vs 19:1).
Belcourt 7 also operates Turtle Mountain Community High School (557 students) and Turtle Mountain Community Middle School (318 students) alongside Turtle Mountain Community Elementary 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 Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School compares
Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against North Dakota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Dakota | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▲ 7% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 255% | 28.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 605 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
605
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 255% above the North Dakota average of 28.2%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 63% in North Dakota - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
38.7%
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
$21,558
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Dakota avg of $18,450
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 303 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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
American Indian / Alaska Native 99.0%
Hispanic or Latino 0.8%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 99.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 2.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 2.0, Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School is less mixed than the North Dakota school average of 29.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belcourt 7, which includes Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School.
$21,558
Per student
+17%
vs North Dakota
Avg $18,450
+30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.1%
State 43.8%
Federal 55.2%
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 Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turtle Mountain Community High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Turtle Mountain Community Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tiny Turtles Preschool | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 318
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 38
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar other schools in Belcourt
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Dakota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~605 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Belcourt 7'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 Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School
How many students attend Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School?
Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School has 605 students enrolled. It is a public school in Belcourt, ND.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School is 12.6:1, which is 7% higher than the North Dakota average of 11.8:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School?
100.0% of students at Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School is American Indian / Alaska Native at 99.0% of enrollment, in Belcourt, ND.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School?
Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School rank among public schools in Belcourt?
By Resource Investment Index, Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Belcourt, ND. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Belcourt on the city page.
Is Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School a good school?
Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Dakota median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Dakota schools. 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 Belcourt 7?
Besides Turtle Mountain Community Elementary School, Belcourt 7 also operates Turtle Mountain Community High School (557 students), Turtle Mountain Community Middle School (318 students), and Tiny Turtles Preschool (38 students). See the Belcourt 7 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.