Russell School

Russell School is one of the medium-sized primary schools in Kalispell, Montana, one of the schools within Kalispell Elem, with 223 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5. By comparison, Montana's public schools average about 167 students each, so Russell School sits 34% larger than that benchmark.

Across the 7 schools in Kalispell Elem (3,097 students total), Russell School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Russell School records that 85% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. The remainder looks like 8% multiracial, 4% Hispanic, 2% Native American.

On the resource side, On paper, Russell School has 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.9:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 11.9:1 average. Roughly 100% of students at Russell School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Flathead County runs at roughly 75%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Flathead County put the typical household earns roughly $73,925 per year, roughly 37% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. Russell School is one of 48 public schools in Flathead County (combined enrollment of about 14,957 students).

Nearest neighbor: Elrod School, around 0.8 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 17%: 268 students in 2018 compared to 223 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 89% to 85% across the same window. Class-load math has widened: from 14.1:1 in 2018 to 15.9:1 in 2025.

On this page, the feed for Russell School typically covers classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.