Enrollment
36
Montana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Billings, MT
Yellowstone Academy Elem
Federal NCES profile for Yellowstone Academy Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 302886000806
👥 S:T ratio 87
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 93
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Yellowstone Academy Elem earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Montana schools.
- #2 of 30
- schools in Billings · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 3.3:1
- small classes for Montana
- 36
- students enrolled
Yellowstone Academy Elem has class sizes smaller than 96% of Montana schools. Computed live against every Montana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Yellowstone Academy Elem ranks #2 of 30 schools in Billings, MT.
School address
District: Yellowstone Academy Elem · Montana
NCES ID 302886000806 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
3.3:1
vs 11.8:1 Montana avg
-72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Yellowstone Academy Elem compares with Montana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Yellowstone Academy Elem
Yellowstone Academy Elem is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Billings, Montana, enrolling 36 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 3.3:1, Yellowstone Academy Elem is leaner than roughly 96% of Montana schools and 72% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 36 puts it in the smaller 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 (78%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (17%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 36 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Yellowstone Academy Elem spends $81,532 per pupil, 323% above the Montana average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Billings's public schools, it stands alongside Meadowlark School (691 students): Yellowstone Academy Elem is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (3.3:1 vs 19.2:1).
Its district, Yellowstone Academy Elem, also runs Yellowstone Academy 7-8 (16 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 Yellowstone Academy Elem compares
Yellowstone Academy Elem on the metrics families compare, against Montana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Montana | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 3.3:1 | ▼ 72% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 36 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
3.3:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
36
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
3.3:1
students per teacher
- 72% below state mean
Top 4% in Montana - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
44.4%
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
$81,532
per pupil, district-wide
- above Montana avg of $19,282
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 36 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.7 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 77.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 16.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Largest group: White at 77.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.4, Yellowstone Academy Elem is more mixed than the Montana school average of 23.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Yellowstone Academy Elem, which includes Yellowstone Academy Elem.
$81,532
Per student
+323%
vs Montana
Avg $19,282
+391%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.0%
State 25.1%
Federal 14.9%
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 Yellowstone Academy Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone Academy 7-8 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Yellowstone Academy Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 1.2:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar other schools in Billings
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Meadowlark School
Standard public school
691 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Boulder School
Standard public school
495 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Elder Grove School
Standard public school
465 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Eagle Cliffs Elementary
Standard public school
443 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Arrowhead School
Standard public school
434 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Broadwater School
Standard public school
400 students 16.7:1 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 (~36 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~3.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Yellowstone Academy Elem's federal record.
- Compare Yellowstone Academy Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Yellowstone Academy 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 Yellowstone Academy Elem
How many students attend Yellowstone Academy Elem?
Yellowstone Academy Elem has 36 students enrolled. It is a public school in Billings, MT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Yellowstone Academy Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Yellowstone Academy Elem is 3.3:1, which is 72% lower than the Montana average of 11.8:1 and 79% 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 Yellowstone Academy Elem?
The largest demographic group at Yellowstone Academy Elem is White at 77.8% of enrollment, in Billings, MT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Yellowstone Academy Elem?
Yellowstone Academy Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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).
How does Yellowstone Academy Elem rank among schools in Billings?
By Resource Investment Index, Yellowstone Academy Elem ranks #2 of 30 schools in Billings, MT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Billings on the city page.
Is Yellowstone Academy Elem a good school?
Yellowstone Academy Elem earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of 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 Yellowstone Academy Elem?
Besides Yellowstone Academy Elem, Yellowstone Academy Elem also operates Yellowstone Academy 7-8 (16 students). See the Yellowstone Academy 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.