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Teachers: what resource would make the biggest difference at Sandstone School this year?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
393
Elementary
DISTRICT 345 · STATE 167
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BILLINGS ELEM·NCES 300387000083
Sandstone School
1440 Nutter Blvd, Billings, MT 59105 · (406) 281-6220 · Yellowstone County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL393 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
This school has no state test results for 2023-24 or 2024-25 to grade, which is common for schools that end before third grade. How grades work
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.6:1 · STATE 11.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
55%
216 students
DISTRICT 52% · STATE 58%
Community
1
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 | 57 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 56 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 68 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 66 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 76 | 19% |
| Grade 5 | 70 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (57) is 19% smaller than its 5th grade class (70).
Student demographics
48%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 40% · 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
Test scores
EDFacts (federal) 2020-21 . % Proficient (SY 20-21)English Language Arts
42.0%
MT avg 47.2%
Math
47.0%
MT avg 36.0%
What this means: On the EDFacts (federal), Montana's statewide test, about 42 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 47 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Montana schools, those numbers are about 47 and 36.
Source: EDFacts (federal). All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Schools most like Sandstone School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandstone School this school | 393 | 55.0% | N/A |
| CORE School at Morningside El Great Falls | 297 | 57.6% | N/A |
| Chief Joseph School Great Falls | 260 | 55.8% | N/A |
| Beartooth School Billings | 373 | 59.2% | N/A |
| Lewis & Clark School Great Falls | 338 | 59.8% | N/A |
| Daly School Hamilton | 539 | 55.8% | N/A |
Matched among Montana 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 Sandstone School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Montana | In Yellowstone County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 47.0% | #48 of 199 | #7 of 32 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #123 of 201 | #18 of 32 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 393 | #45 of 421 | #8 of 39 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.5:1 | #126 of 160 | #23 of 31 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 48.0% | #34 of 160 | #13 of 31 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 55.0% | #104 of 226 | #19 of 35 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -2.7% | #102 of 107 | #13 of 13 |
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
393
-18 (-4%) vs 2020
-15% since 1990-91, when it was 463
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
was 18.7:1
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 | 393 | 23.8 | 16.5:1 | 55% (216) |
| 2023-24 | 390 | 21.8 | 17.9:1 | 37% (144) |
| 2022-23 | 416 | 24 | 17.4:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 411 | 22 | 18.7:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 404 | 24.1 | 16.8:1 | 40% (160) |
| 2015-16 | 518 | 27 | 19.2:1 | 49% (253) |
| 2010-11 | 476 | 25 | 19.0:1 | 38% (182) |
| 2000-01 | 373 | 20 | 18.6:1 | 27% (102) |
| 1990-91 | 463 | 20 | 23.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sandstone School.
Since 2017-18: students down 3% (404 to 393); teachers down 1% (24.1 to 23.8).
About Sandstone School
Sandstone School serves students in Billings, Montana, as a large elementary school. It reports enrollment of 393 students in pre-K through 5. Across elementary schools in Montana, the average enrollment is about 167.
Billings Elem has a total of 29 schools and 11,377 students, Sandstone School among them.
More than half of the students at Sandstone School are White (70%). Other reported shares: 12% Hispanic, 9% Native American, and 6% multiracial. That is lower than the 86% White share among all Yellowstone County residents. A diversity index of 48% means there is a 48% chance two randomly chosen students at Sandstone School are from different groups.
Its staff includes 23.8 full-time-equivalent teachers, for about 16.5 students per teacher. Compared with the 11.9:1 average for elementary schools in Montana, this school's ratio is higher. Roughly 55% of students at Sandstone School can receive free or reduced-price lunch.
For the population of Yellowstone County, median household income comes to about $76,570, 34% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Yellowstone County counts 68 public schools with about 23,853 students.
The closest school to Sandstone School is Castle Rock Middle School, located about 0.4 miles away. Sandstone School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles.
Sandstone School is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000, a location NCES labels City: Mid-size.
The 2020-21-to-2024-25 change in enrollment was a 4% decline, from 411 to 393. Its ratio of students to teachers was 18.7:1 in 2020-21, and 16.5:1 in 2024-25.
On allk12, people connected to Sandstone School can post about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Yellowstone County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
168,957
Census ACS
Median income
$76,570
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
68
23,853 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Billings Elem
- Lewis & Clark Middle SchoolMiddle · 741 students
- Ben Steele Middle SchoolMiddle · 740 students
- Castle Rock Middle SchoolMiddle · 691 students
- Meadowlark SchoolElementary · 691 students
- Will James Middle SchoolMiddle · 634 students
- Medicine Crow Middle SchoolMiddle · 517 students
Other schools in Billings
- Billings West High SchoolHigh · 2,115 students
- Billings Sr High SchoolHigh · 1,629 students
- Skyview High SchoolHigh · 1,542 students
- Lewis & Clark Middle SchoolMiddle · 741 students
- Ben Steele Middle SchoolMiddle · 740 students
- Castle Rock Middle SchoolMiddle · 691 students
Other Sandstone schools
One other US public school is named Sandstone. Sandstone School is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- Sandstone SchoolST GEORGE, UT · 518 students
Nearby schools
- Castle Rock Middle School0.4 mi · 691
- Alkali Creek School1.0 mi · 310
- Skyview High School1.0 mi · 1,542
- Eagle Cliffs Elementary1.1 mi · 443
- Bench School1.3 mi · 332
- Bitterroot School1.6 mi · 264
Frequently asked questions
About Sandstone SchoolHow large is Sandstone School?
Sandstone School enrolls approximately 393 students in grades PK-05.
Is Sandstone School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Sandstone School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Sandstone School have?
Sandstone School employs 24 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.5:1.
What is the student diversity at Sandstone School?
Student demographics at Sandstone School are roughly 70% White, 12% Hispanic, 2% Black, 0% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is Sandstone School public or private?
Sandstone School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Billings Elem.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.