Enrollment
187
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Great Falls, MT
Whittier School
Federal NCES profile for Whittier School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 301304000378
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 63
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whittier School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Montana schools.
- #3 of 17
- schools in Great Falls · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.8:1
- students per teacher
- 187
- students enrolled
Whittier School has class sizes near the Montana median. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whittier School ranks #3 of 17 schools in Great Falls, MT.
School address
District: Great Falls Elem · Montana
NCES ID 301304000378 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whittier School compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whittier School
Whittier School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Great Falls, Montana, enrolling 187 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Montana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 187 puts it in the larger third of Montana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 826 scored Montana schools.
Its student body is led by White (41%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 187 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 88.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Great Falls Elem spends $12,418 per pupil, 36% below the Montana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 27.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Great Falls's public schools, it stands alongside Meadow Lark School (527 students): Whittier School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.8:1 vs 22:1).
Great Falls Elem also operates East Middle School (764 students) and North Middle School (764 students) alongside Whittier 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 Whittier School compares
Whittier 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 17% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 187 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.8:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
187
Bigger than 18% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9.8:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 32% in Montana - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
88.2%
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
$12,418
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 187 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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 41.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 22.5%
Two or More 21.9%
Hispanic or Latino 11.8%
Asian 1.6%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 41.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.7, Whittier School is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Great Falls Elem, which includes Whittier School.
$12,418
Per student
-36%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.9%
State 38.7%
Federal 27.4%
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 Whittier School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Meadow Lark School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Riverview School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Giant Springs Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whittier School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 764
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 764
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 527
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar other schools in Great Falls
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Meadow Lark School
Standard public school
527 students 22:1 students per teacher
Riverview School
Standard public school
445 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Giant Springs Elementary
Standard public school
431 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
West Elementary
Standard public school
421 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Sacajawea School
Standard public school
405 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Sunnyside School
Standard public school
396 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~187 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whittier School's federal record.
- Compare Whittier School against another school. Compare schools
- Great Falls 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 Whittier School
How many students attend Whittier School?
Whittier School has 187 students enrolled. It is a public school in Great Falls, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whittier School?
The student-teacher ratio at Whittier School is 9.8:1, which is 17% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whittier School?
The largest demographic group at Whittier School is White at 41.2% of enrollment, in Great Falls, MT. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whittier School?
Whittier School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Whittier School rank among schools in Great Falls?
By Resource Investment Index, Whittier School ranks #3 of 17 schools in Great Falls, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Great Falls on the city page.
Is Whittier School a good school?
Whittier School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Montana median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Montana 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 Great Falls Elem?
Besides Whittier School, Great Falls Elem also operates East Middle School (764 students), North Middle School (764 students), and Meadow Lark School (527 students). See the Great Falls 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.