Fort Benton School

Located at 1406 Franklin, in Fort Benton, Montana, Fort Benton School is a moderately sized elementary school that educates 162 students (grades pre-K through 6), run under Fort Benton Elem.

Fort Benton Elem comprises 2 schools with combined enrollment of 206 students; Fort Benton School is among them.

Demographically, Fort Benton School reports that 87% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Other groups include 7% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. By comparison, Chouteau County as a whole is about 77% White, so the school skews noticeably more White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Fort Benton School lists 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 11.9:1, putting Fort Benton School higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 49% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Chouteau County) reports that the typical household earns roughly $58,218 per year, roughly 23% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. In all, Chouteau County runs 15 public schools (combined enrollment of about 701 students), of which Fort Benton School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Fort Benton High School, around 0.3 miles off. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools.

The school occupies a countryside site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 6%: 172 students in 2018 compared to 162 in 2025. Class-load math has narrowed: from 16.4:1 in 2018 to 14.3:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.