Plains Elementary School

Q: Is Plains Elementary School a good school?

Plains Elementary School ranks 84 th of 332 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Plains Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Plains, Montana, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 247 students. The school is part of the Plains K-12 District, which is ranked 153 out of 300 districts in Montana and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Plains Elementary School consistently outperforms the state and its local district in standardized test scores across Mathematics, Reading, and Science. In the 2022-2023 school year, 54.07% of students were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 44.4% for the Plains K-12 district and 36.59% for the state. In Reading, 49.63% of students were proficient or better, compared to 47.41% for the district and 46.03% for the state. In Science, 48.57% of students were proficient or better, compared to 31.48% for the district and 37.03% for the state. The school has also maintained a strong statewide ranking, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranking as high as 19 out of 123 schools in the 2018-2019 school year.

Compared to the nearby schools of Superior Elementary, St Regis School, and Hot Springs School, Plains Elementary School stands out with its higher academic performance and statewide ranking. The school also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.2 to 14.5 over the past three school years, and a lower spending per student of $9,115 in the 2018-2019 school year, compared to the nearby schools.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

412 Rittenour
Plains, MT 59859

(406) 826-3642

District: Plains K-12

SchoolDigger Rank:
84^th of 332 Montana Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,108

Students who attend Plains Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Plains 7-8
High:	Plains High School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.9

Number of students: 235

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.5%

Hispanic:

6.4%

Two or more races:

2.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 63.8%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Plains Elementary School ranks better than 74.7% of elementary schools in Montana. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 75.13. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (88.5%), Hispanic (6.4%), two or more races (2.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 63.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Plains Elementary School is 12.9. (See more...)

Compare Plains Elementary School employs 18.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Plains Elementary School is $12,108.

Schooldigger Rankings:

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

Plains K-12:

SchoolDigger ranks Plains K-12 153^rd of 300 Montana school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Plains Elementary School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MT State Percentile
2019	80.74	19^th	123	84.6%
2021	63.33	148^th	356	58.4%
2022	84.50	61^st	329	81.5%
2023	75.13	84^th	332	74.7%

See the entire list of Montana Elementary School Rankings!

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

Data source: Montana Office of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Plains Elementary School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2018	209	1	2	9	8	1	4	234
2019	227	0	3	8	6	0	4	248
2020	218	0	3	6	7	0	6	240
2021	201	4	1	7	6	0	6	225
2022	221	0	1	9	6	0	3	240
2023	228	0	1	7	5	0	6	247
2024	208	0	2	15	4	1	5	235

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 Plains Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2018	234	16.8	13.8	64.1
2019	248	16.5	15.0	59.3
2020	240	16.8	14.2	57.5
2021	225	16.9	13.2	n/a
2022	240	16.4	14.5	n/a
2023	247	17.1	14.4	n/a
2024	235	18.1	12.9	63.8

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 Plains Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2018	234	16.8	13.8	64.1
2019	248	16.5	15.0	59.3
2020	240	16.8	14.2	57.5
2021	225	16.9	13.2	n/a
2022	240	16.4	14.5	n/a
2023	247	17.1	14.4	n/a
2024	235	18.1	12.9	63.8

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 Plains Elementary School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$9,115
2021	$10,539
2022	$11,051
2023	$12,108

Data source: Montana Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Plains Elementary School

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 19^th of 123 Elementary schools	Ranks 84^th of 332 Elementary schools	9.9%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	248	247	0.4%
African American	0	0
American Indian	6	5	16.7%
Asian	3	1	66.7%
Hispanic	8	7	12.5%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	227	228	0.4%
Two or More Races	4	6	50%

Schools Near Plains Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				Montana State Tests Mathematics (2023)	Montana State Tests Reading (2023)	Montana State Tests Science (2023)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Montana State Tests Mathematics All Grades	Montana State Tests Reading All Grades	Montana State Tests Science All Grades	Total
Plains Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	412 Rittenour	Plains	59859	Sanders County	Plains K-12	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 826-3642	235	18	12.9	63.8%	208 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.4%)	2 (0.9%)	4 (1.7%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (2.1%)	75.1	84^th of 332 public elementary schools	74.7%		84.5	61^st of 329 public elementary schools	81.5%	23	54.1	49.6	48.6	$12,108
Hot Springs School	Public, Virtual	PK, KG-6	301 Broadway	Hot Springs	59845	Sanders County	Hot Springs K-12	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	Yes	(406) 741-2014	90	9	10.1	63.3%	63 (70.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (15.6%)	41.9	219^th of 332 public elementary schools	34.0%		36.2	248^th of 329 public elementary schools	24.6%	29	29.1	34.6	40.0	$15,911
St Regis School	Public	PK, KG-6	90 Tiger Street	Saint Regis	59866	Mineral County	St Regis K-12 Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 649-2311	93	9	10.2	100.0%	75 (80.6%)	1 (1.1%)	6 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (11.8%)								(n/a)
Superior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1003 5th Ave E	Superior	59872	Mineral County	Superior K-12 Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(406) 822-3600	188	15	12.4	100.0%	175 (93.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.8%)	55.5	164^th of 332 public elementary schools	50.6%		55	176^th of 329 public elementary schools	46.5%	12	26.5	53.0	42.9	$12,687

Frequently Asked Questions about Plains Elementary School

Is Plains Elementary School a good school?

Plains Elementary School ranks 84^th of 332 Montana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Plains Elementary School?

Students at Plains Elementary School are 89% White, 6% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

What district is Plains Elementary School in?

Plains K-12

How many students attend Plains Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 235 students attended Plains Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Plains Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Plains Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Plains 7-8
High : Plains 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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