Ruder Elementary

Summary:

Ruder Elementary is a public elementary school located in Columbia Falls, Montana, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 563 students. The school is part of the Columbia Falls Elementary School District, which is ranked 161 out of 300 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ruder Elementary consistently outperforms its district and the state of Montana in proficiency rates for Mathematics, Reading, and Science on the Montana State Tests. In the 2022-2023 school year, the school had 43.69% of students proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 34.41% for the district and 36.59% for the state. In Reading, Ruder Elementary had 46.42% of students proficient or better, compared to 46.13% for the district and 46.03% for the state. The school also had 40.4% of students proficient or better in Science, compared to 35.76% for the district and 37.03% for the state. Ruder Elementary has consistently ranked in the top half of Montana elementary schools, with a ranking of 135 out of 332 schools in the 2022-2023 school year.

Compared to nearby schools, Ruder Elementary has a slightly more diverse student population, with 88.28% of students identifying as white, 4.8% as Hispanic, and 5.86% as two or more races. However, the school does not provide data on the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, making it difficult to assess the socioeconomic diversity of the student population. Nearby schools like Fair-Mont-Egan School and Bissell School also demonstrate strong academic performance, with higher proficiency rates in Mathematics and Reading than Ruder Elementary.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 1500 12th Avenue West
       Columbia Falls, MT  59912


(406) 892-6570

District: Columbia Falls Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
135th of 332 Montana Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $11,107 Help


Students who attend Ruder Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Columbia Falls Junior High School
High:    Columbia Falls High School

Student/teacher ratio:  16.0 Help
Number of students:  563

Racial breakdown:

White:
88.3%
Two or more races:
5.9%
Hispanic:
4.8%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  40.5% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Ruder Elementary ranks better than 59.3% of elementary schools in Montana. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 61.49. (See more...)
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (88.3%), two or more races (5.9%), Hispanic (4.8%). (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Ruder Elementary is 16. (See more...)
Help
Compare Ruder Elementary employs 35 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ruder Elementary is $11,107.
Schooldigger Rankings:

Ruder Elementary was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Columbia Falls Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Columbia Falls Elementary 161st of 300 Montana school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Ruder Elementary

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MT State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 21.96 185th 217 14.7%
2005 39.94 151st 218 30.7%
2006 37.19 179th 234 23.5%
2007 36.04 187th 230 18.7%
2008 44.70 131st 194 32.5%
2009 39.04 146th 190 23.2%
2010 49.12 151st 241 37.3%
2011 66.27 80th 247 67.6%
2012 66.83 69th 244 71.7%
2013 57.86 116th 246 52.8%
2015 77.78 66th 287 77.0%
2016 74.39 50th 191 73.8%
2017 70.94 26th 109 76.1%
2018 81.54 14th 116 87.9%
2019 62.63 46th 123 62.6%
2021 65.01 138th 356 61.2%
2022 57.74 160th 329 51.4%
2023 61.49 135th 332 59.3%
See the entire list of Montana Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Montana Office of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Ruder Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    



Data source: Montana Office of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Ruder Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1990 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 168 168
1991 417 0 4 2 24 n/a n/a 0 447
1992 409 1 5 4 28 n/a n/a 0 447
1993 391 1 6 5 17 n/a n/a 0 420
1994 360 0 8 2 17 n/a n/a 0 387
1995 423 0 5 0 7 n/a n/a 0 435
1996 423 0 5 0 7 n/a n/a 0 435
1997 500 4 11 6 18 n/a n/a 0 539
1998 457 3 7 15 16 n/a n/a 0 498
1999 445 2 6 15 25 n/a n/a 0 493
2000 487 2 5 6 9 n/a n/a 0 509
2001 477 7 8 6 16 n/a n/a 0 514
2002 465 7 2 2 7 n/a n/a 0 483
2003 465 7 2 2 7 n/a n/a 0 483
2004 467 7 1 2 6 n/a n/a 0 483
2005 449 7 4 5 7 n/a n/a 0 472
2006 462 3 4 7 3 n/a n/a 0 479
2007 466 4 5 8 7 n/a n/a 0 490
2008 447 1 4 8 5 n/a n/a 0 465
2009 421 4 4 9 10 n/a n/a 0 448
2010 407 3 3 10 8 n/a n/a 0 431
2011 396 2 1 12 3 0 20 0 434
2012 380 0 1 10 6 2 26 0 425
2013 400 0 1 15 8 0 27 0 451
2014 407 0 1 17 6 1 22 0 454
2015 423 0 0 10 5 1 28 0 467
2016 408 0 0 12 5 1 28 0 454
2017 407 1 0 10 5 1 41 0 465
2018 411 1 0 11 5 1 29 0 458
2019 410 2 0 14 4 1 32 0 463
2020 420 4 0 13 3 1 35 0 476
2021 394 3 0 19 3 1 38 0 458
2022 461 2 0 18 6 1 34 0 522
2023 497 1 0 27 4 1 33 0 563

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Ruder Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1990 168 9.0 18.6 20.2
1991 447 18.7 23.9 26.6
1992 447 16.5 27.0 64.4
1993 420 20.3 20.7 21.2
1994 387 19.3 20.1 20.9
1995 435 21.8 20.0 19.8
1996 435 21.8 20.0 19.8
1997 539 26.0 20.7 23.7
1998 498 24.0 20.8 27.9
1999 493 24.0 20.5 39.4
2000 509 27.5 18.5 43.4
2001 514 28.0 18.4 41.6
2002 483 23.0 21.0 34.6
2003 483 23.0 21.0 34.6
2004 483 25.0 19.3 40
2005 472 25.0 18.9 35.8
2006 479 25.2 19.0 38.2
2007 490 26.3 18.6 33.7
2008 465 26.0 17.9 44.1
2009 448 26.2 17.1 35
2010 431 25.2 17.1 44.1
2011 434 25.5 17.0 47.9
2012 425 27.8 15.2 45.6
2013 451 27.8 16.2 50.6
2014 454 27.0 16.8 47.4
2015 467 28.0 16.6 50.7
2016 454 28.0 16.2 42.5
2017 465 28.7 16.1 43.4
2018 458 27.4 16.7 42.8
2019 463 29.0 15.9 48.2
2020 476 29.0 16.4 40.5
2021 458 30.0 15.2 n/a
2022 522 32.0 16.3 n/a
2023 563 35.0 16.0 n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Ruder Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1990 168 9.0 18.6 20.2
1991 447 18.7 23.9 26.6
1992 447 16.5 27.0 64.4
1993 420 20.3 20.7 21.2
1994 387 19.3 20.1 20.9
1995 435 21.8 20.0 19.8
1996 435 21.8 20.0 19.8
1997 539 26.0 20.7 23.7
1998 498 24.0 20.8 27.9
1999 493 24.0 20.5 39.4
2000 509 27.5 18.5 43.4
2001 514 28.0 18.4 41.6
2002 483 23.0 21.0 34.6
2003 483 23.0 21.0 34.6
2004 483 25.0 19.3 40
2005 472 25.0 18.9 35.8
2006 479 25.2 19.0 38.2
2007 490 26.3 18.6 33.7
2008 465 26.0 17.9 44.1
2009 448 26.2 17.1 35
2010 431 25.2 17.1 44.1
2011 434 25.5 17.0 47.9
2012 425 27.8 15.2 45.6
2013 451 27.8 16.2 50.6
2014 454 27.0 16.8 47.4
2015 467 28.0 16.6 50.7
2016 454 28.0 16.2 42.5
2017 465 28.7 16.1 43.4
2018 458 27.4 16.7 42.8
2019 463 29.0 15.9 48.2
2020 476 29.0 16.4 40.5
2021 458 30.0 15.2 n/a
2022 522 32.0 16.3 n/a
2023 563 35.0 16.0 n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Ruder Elementary

Help

YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $9,838
2021 $11,267
2022 $11,122
2023 $11,107

Data source: Montana Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Ruder Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 46th of 123 Elementary schoolsRanks 135th of 332 Elementary schools
 3.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students463563
 21.6%
African American21
 50%
American Indian44
Asian00
Hispanic1427
 92.9%
Pacific Islander11
White410497
 21.2%
Two or More Races3233
 3.1%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Ruder Elementary

Ruder Elementary ranks 135th of 332 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students at Ruder Elementary are 88% White, 6% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic.

In the 2022-23 school year, 563 students attended Ruder Elementary.

Students who attend Ruder Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Columbia Falls Junior High School
High : Columbia Falls High School


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Montana Office of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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