Enrollment
389
Elementary
DISTRICT 386 · STATE 369
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MONTABELLA COMMUNITY SCHOOLS·NCES 261296004993
Montabella Elementary
1456 E NORTH COUNTY LINE RD, BLANCHARD, MI 49310 · (989) 427-5414 · Montcalm County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL389 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.4:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.3:1 · STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
68%
265 students
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 55%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 72 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 69 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 59 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 67 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 51 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 71 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (72) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (71).
Student demographics
25%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 23% · STATE 56% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Montabella Elementary→Montabella JuniorSenior High
Based on grade levels within Montabella Community Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
25.9%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
32.1%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 26 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 32 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Michigan schools, those numbers are about 48 and 45.
Source: M-STEP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
29.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.1%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 29% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 36% typical for Michigan schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Michigan's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Montabella Elementary
Montabella Elementary's state test result (29.1% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montabella Elementary this school | 389 | 68.1% | 29.1% |
| Siple Elementary School DAVISON | 381 | 68.2% | 43.9% |
| Pathfinder Elementary School FREMONT | 418 | 66.3% | N/A |
| Woodview Elementary School BELDING | 372 | 67.2% | 33.6% |
| Carter Elementary School MONTROSE | 367 | 65.9% | 48.5% |
| Patricia St Clair Elementary School HESPERIA | 354 | 70.6% | N/A |
Matched among Michigan elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Montabella Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Montcalm County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 29.1% | #959 of 1,085 | #9 of 9 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.1% | #867 of 1,072 | #8 of 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 25.9% | #1,051 of 1,139 | #9 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 389 | #708 of 1,630 | #3 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.4:1 | #349 of 1,424 | #6 of 10 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 24.9% | #958 of 1,424 | #3 of 10 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 68.1% | #544 of 1,563 | #3 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -0.5% | #963 of 979 | #8 of 8 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
389
-4 (-1%) vs 2020
+25% since 1990-91, when it was 311
Student : Teacher
14.4:1
was 15.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 389 | 27 | 14.4:1 | 68% (265) |
| 2023-24 | 380 | 26.4 | 14.4:1 | 74% (282) |
| 2022-23 | 363 | 26.4 | 13.7:1 | 71% (259) |
| 2020-21 | 393 | 26 | 15.1:1 | 67% (265) |
| 2017-18 | 391 | 24.6 | 15.9:1 | 70% (273) |
| 2015-16 | 396 | 24 | 16.5:1 | 67% (265) |
| 2010-11 | 438 | 25 | 17.5:1 | 75% (327) |
| 2000-01 | 267 | 16 | 16.7:1 | 53% (141) |
| 1990-91 | 311 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Montabella Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (391 to 389); teachers up 10% (24.6 to 27).
About Montabella Elementary
Montabella Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Michigan, located in BLANCHARD. Total enrollment is 389 students, and the grades served are pre-K through 5.
Montabella Community Schools has a total of 2 schools and 772 students, Montabella Elementary among them.
White students account for 86% of the school's enrollment. The school is also 8% Hispanic and 4% multiracial. Among Montcalm County residents, the White share is about 88%. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 25, compared with 70 nationally.
Montabella Elementary has a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.4:1, with 27 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average for elementary schools in Michigan is 15.8:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher. A common income measure, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, is 68% at Montabella Elementary. Public schools in Montcalm County average 57%.
On BeatsExpectations, Montabella Elementary is 7.0 points below its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Michigan schools.
Looking at the county, Montcalm County, the median household earns about $67,344 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 16%, and about 9% of people live in poverty. Counting Montabella Elementary, Montcalm County has 33 public schools.
Of the public schools around it, Montabella Elementary is closest to Montabella JuniorSenior High, about 0.1 miles away. Inside a ten-mile radius, there are 5 other public schools. Montabella Elementary is 4th of 4 nearby schools by average proficiency rate.
The school is in rural territory far from an urban area, according to its NCES locale (Rural: Remote).
Enrollment went from 393 in 2020-21 to 389 in 2024-25, a change of 4 students.
This community page is for conversations about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Montcalm County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
67,816
Census ACS
Median income
$67,344
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
33
11,168 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Montabella Community Schools
- Montabella JuniorSenior HighHigh · 383 students
Nearby schools
- Montabella JuniorSenior High0.1 mi · 383
- Vestaburg Community Alternative Education School8.8 mi · 282
- Vestaburg Community High School8.8 mi · 307
- Vestaburg Community Elem School8.8 mi · 247
- Success Virtual Learning Centers of Michigan8.8 mi · 1,644
- Mosaic School10.0 mi · 89
Frequently asked questions
About Montabella ElementaryHow many students attend Montabella Elementary?
Montabella Elementary enrolls approximately 389 students in grades PK-05.
Is Montabella Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Montabella Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Montabella Elementary have?
Montabella Elementary employs 27 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.4:1.
How diverse is Montabella Elementary?
Montabella Elementary reports a student body of 86% White, 8% Hispanic, 1% Black, 4% Two or more.
What district is Montabella Elementary in?
Montabella Elementary is part of Montabella Community Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.