Big Sandy K-12

Public school district · Chouteau County · Montana · NCES district ID 3003750

Big Sandy K-12 spent $17,299 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 53% of the other Montana districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $16,778). Its 3 schools enrolled 181 students in 2024-25; 40.1% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $18,042 per student, up 4.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 80% or more (Montana: 85.5%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Montana districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Big Sandy K-12 in enrollment (187 to 207 students) and Big Sandy K-12 itself.

Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Big Sandy K-12, FY23Bridger K-12 Schools $19,357; Big Sandy K-12 $17,299; Culbertson Elementary $17,251; Thompson Falls High School $14,373; Forsyth Elementary $14,223; Chester-Joplin-Inverness Elementary $13,323; Fairfield Elementary $11,850; Kila Elementary $9,885; Swan River Elementary $8,471; Deer Park Elementary $7,849; State median, under 1,000 students $16,778.5k10k15k20kBridger K-12 Schools$19,357Big Sandy K-12$17,299Culbertson Elementary$17,251Thompson Falls High School$14,373Forsyth Elementary$14,223Chester-Joplin-Inverness Eleme…$13,323Fairfield Elementary$11,850Kila Elementary$9,885Swan River Elementary$8,471Deer Park Elementary$7,849State median, under 1,000 students $16,778
Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Big Sandy K-12, FY23Bridger K-12 Schools $19,357; Big Sandy K-12 $17,299; Culbertson Elementary $17,251; Thompson Falls High School $14,373; Forsyth Elementary $14,223; Chester-Joplin-Inverness Elementary $13,323; Fairfield Elementary $11,850; Kila Elementary $9,885; Swan River Elementary $8,471; Deer Park Elementary $7,849; State median, under 1,000 students $16,778.5k10k15k20kBridger K-12 Schools$19,357Big Sandy K-12$17,299Culbertson Elementary$17,251Thompson Falls High School$14,373Forsyth Elementary$14,223Chester-Joplin-Inverness Elementary$13,323Fairfield Elementary$11,850Kila Elementary$9,885Swan River Elementary$8,471Deer Park Elementary$7,849State median, under 1,000 students $16,778
Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Big Sandy K-12, FY23Bridger K-12 Schools $19,357; Big Sandy K-12 $17,299; Culbertson Elementary $17,251; Thompson Falls High School $14,373; Forsyth Elementary $14,223; Chester-Joplin-Inverness Elementary $13,323; Fairfield Elementary $11,850; Kila Elementary $9,885; Swan River Elementary $8,471; Deer Park Elementary $7,849; State median, under 1,000 students $16,778.5k10k15k20kBridger K-12 Schools$19,357Big Sandy K-12$17,299Culbertson Elementary$17,251Thompson Falls High School$14,373Forsyth Elementary$14,223Chester-Joplin-Inverness Elementary$13,323Fairfield Elementary$11,850Kila Elementary$9,885Swan River Elementary$8,471Deer Park Elementary$7,849State median, under 1,000 students $16,778
Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Big Sandy K-12, FY23Bridger K-12 Schools $19,357; Big Sandy K-12 $17,299; Culbertson Elementary $17,251; Thompson Falls High School $14,373; Forsyth Elementary $14,223; Chester-Joplin-Inverness Elementary $13,323; Fairfield Elementary $11,850; Kila Elementary $9,885; Swan River Elementary $8,471; Deer Park Elementary $7,849; State median, under 1,000 students $16,778.5k10k15k20kBridger K-12 Schools$19,357Big Sandy K-12$17,299Culbertson Elementary$17,251Thompson Falls High School$14,373Forsyth Elementary$14,223Chester-Joplin-Inverness Elementary$13,323Fairfield Elementary$11,850Kila Elementary$9,885Swan River Elementary$8,471Deer Park Elementary$7,849State median, under 1,000 students $16,778

Where the money came from

$3,654,000 in revenue: 40.1% state, 47.2% local and 12.7% federal. Total spending was $3,456,000, or $17,543 per student; the district reported no capital outlay that year.

Big Sandy K-12 revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $1,467,000; Local $1,723,000; Federal $464,000; total $3,654,000.
  • State$1,467,000 40%
  • Local$1,723,000 47%
  • Federal$464,000 13%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 361 districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

197 students in 2022-23, 192 students in 2023-24, 181 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Big Sandy K-12 enrollment by school year2022-23: 197, 2023-24: 192, 2024-25: 1810501001502002022-231972023-241922024-25181
Big Sandy K-12 enrollment by school year2022-23: 197, 2023-24: 192, 2024-25: 1810501001502002022-231972023-241922024-25181
Big Sandy K-12 enrollment by school year2022-23: 197, 2023-24: 192, 2024-25: 1810501001502002022-231972023-241922024-25181
Big Sandy K-12 enrollment by school year2022-23: 197, 2023-24: 192, 2024-25: 1810501001502002022-231972023-241922024-25181

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2319718.011.0
2023-2419219.69.8
2024-2518119.69.2

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$793,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,025 per student

Big Sandy K-12 booked $793,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 18 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $44,154 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 17 in 100 Montana districts with a figure (state median $53,321, 282 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Montana teacher salary at $53,628 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$735,00092.7%
Other programs$58,0007.3%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $4,579 in 2018-19, $4,181 in 2019-20, $4,938 in 2020-21, $4,905 in 2021-22, $4,025 in 2022-23.

Big Sandy K-12 teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,579, 2019-20: $4,181, 2020-21: $4,938, 2021-22: $4,905, 2022-23: $4,02502k4k6k2018-19$4,5792019-20$4,1812020-21$4,9382021-22$4,9052022-23$4,025
Big Sandy K-12 teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,579, 2019-20: $4,181, 2020-21: $4,938, 2021-22: $4,905, 2022-23: $4,02502k4k6k2018-19$4,5792019-20$4,1812020-21$4,9382021-22$4,9052022-23$4,025
Big Sandy K-12 teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,579, 2019-20: $4,181, 2020-21: $4,938, 2021-22: $4,905, 2022-23: $4,02502k4k6k2018-19$4,5792019-20$4,1812020-21$4,9382021-22$4,9052022-23$4,025
Big Sandy K-12 teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,579, 2019-20: $4,181, 2020-21: $4,938, 2021-22: $4,905, 2022-23: $4,02502k4k6k2018-19$4,5792019-20$4,1812020-21$4,9382021-22$4,9052022-23$4,025

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Big Sandy K-12 scored proficient or above: 40-44% in reading and 35-39% in math, against 45.7% in reading and 35.2% in math across Montana. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Montana, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtMontanaStudents tested
Reading and language arts40-44%45.7%113
Math35-39%35.2%113

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

80% or more of the 19 students in Big Sandy K-12's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 85.5% across Montana. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtMontana
Four-year graduation rate80% or more85.5%
Students in the class1910,838

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

1 elementary school, 94 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
F E Miley School949.647.9%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 middle school, 28 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Big Sandy 7-82811.457.1%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 high school, 59 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Big Sandy High School598.037.3%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Big Sandy K-12

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Big Sandy K-12

  1. Montana districts by spending per studentBig Sandy K-12 ranks 169 of 361 Montana districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($17,299).#169 of 361
  2. Every school district in MontanaBig Sandy K-12 is the number 144 by size of 398 Montana districts, with 197 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#144 of 398
  3. Bridger K-12 SchoolsThe next larger Montana district: 199 students in fall 2022, $19,357 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$19,357
  4. Chester-Joplin-Inverness ElementaryThe next smaller Montana district: 195 students in fall 2022, $13,323 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,323
  5. Compare Big Sandy K-12 with Bridger K-12 SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Big Sandy High School, its largest high school59 students in 2024-25, 8.0 per teacher.59
  7. Teacher salary spending across MontanaBig Sandy K-12 spent $44,154 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $53,321); spending, not a salary.$44,154
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Big Sandy K-12

  1. How many schools and students are in Big Sandy K-12?
    3 schools were open in 2024-25 (1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high), enrolling 181 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Big Sandy K-12 spend per student?
    $17,299 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Montana median for districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $16,778 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $18,042 per student, up 4.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Big Sandy K-12's money come from?
    $3,654,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 40.1% state, 47.2% local and 12.7% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Big Sandy K-12 live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 30 of the 192 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 15.6%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Big Sandy K-12 spend on teacher salaries?
    $793,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,025 per student. Divided by the 18 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $44,154 per teacher, more than 17 in 100 Montana districts (state median $53,321). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Montana teacher salary at $53,628 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Big Sandy K-12 do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Big Sandy K-12 scored proficient or above: 40-44% in reading and 35-39% in math, against 45.7% in reading and 35.2% in math across Montana. Montana's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Big Sandy K-12?
    80% or more of the 19 students in Big Sandy K-12's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 85.5% across Montana. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Big Sandy K-12's NCES district ID?
    3003750. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .