Blue Creek Elementary

Public school district · Yellowstone County · Montana · NCES district ID 3004230

Blue Creek Elementary spent $10,265 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 95% of the other Montana districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $16,778). Its one school enrolled 145 students in 2024-25; 48.2% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $9,435 per student, down 8.1% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).

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 Blue Creek Elementary in enrollment (176 to 187 students) and Blue Creek Elementary itself.

Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Blue Creek Elementary, FY23St Regis K-12 Schools $21,374; White Sulphur Spgs K-12 $20,168; Powell County High School $19,242; Fairview Elementary $18,170; Culbertson Elementary $17,251; Philipsburg K-12 Schools $16,635; Red Lodge High School $16,625; Sun River Valley Elementary $15,579; Seeley Lake Elementary $14,160; Blue Creek Elementary $10,265; State median, under 1,000 students $16,778.5k10k15k20k25kSt Regis K-12 Schools$21,374White Sulphur Spgs K-12$20,168Powell County High School$19,242Fairview Elementary$18,170Culbertson Elementary$17,251Philipsburg K-12 Schools$16,635Red Lodge High School$16,625Sun River Valley Elementary$15,579Seeley Lake Elementary$14,160Blue Creek Elementary$10,265State median, under 1,000 students $16,778
Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Blue Creek Elementary, FY23St Regis K-12 Schools $21,374; White Sulphur Spgs K-12 $20,168; Powell County High School $19,242; Fairview Elementary $18,170; Culbertson Elementary $17,251; Philipsburg K-12 Schools $16,635; Red Lodge High School $16,625; Sun River Valley Elementary $15,579; Seeley Lake Elementary $14,160; Blue Creek Elementary $10,265; State median, under 1,000 students $16,778.5k10k15k20k25kSt Regis K-12 Schools$21,374White Sulphur Spgs K-12$20,168Powell County High School$19,242Fairview Elementary$18,170Culbertson Elementary$17,251Philipsburg K-12 Schools$16,635Red Lodge High School$16,625Sun River Valley Elementary$15,579Seeley Lake Elementary$14,160Blue Creek Elementary$10,265State median, under 1,000 students $16,778
Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Blue Creek Elementary, FY23St Regis K-12 Schools $21,374; White Sulphur Spgs K-12 $20,168; Powell County High School $19,242; Fairview Elementary $18,170; Culbertson Elementary $17,251; Philipsburg K-12 Schools $16,635; Red Lodge High School $16,625; Sun River Valley Elementary $15,579; Seeley Lake Elementary $14,160; Blue Creek Elementary $10,265; State median, under 1,000 students $16,778.5k15k25kSt Regis K-12 Schools$21,374White Sulphur Spgs K-12$20,168Powell County High School$19,242Fairview Elementary$18,170Culbertson Elementary$17,251Philipsburg K-12 Schools$16,635Red Lodge High School$16,625Sun River Valley Elementary$15,579Seeley Lake Elementary$14,160Blue Creek Elementary$10,265State median, under 1,000 students $16,778
Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Blue Creek Elementary, FY23St Regis K-12 Schools $21,374; White Sulphur Spgs K-12 $20,168; Powell County High School $19,242; Fairview Elementary $18,170; Culbertson Elementary $17,251; Philipsburg K-12 Schools $16,635; Red Lodge High School $16,625; Sun River Valley Elementary $15,579; Seeley Lake Elementary $14,160; Blue Creek Elementary $10,265; State median, under 1,000 students $16,778.5k15k25kSt Regis K-12 Schools$21,374White Sulphur Spgs K-12$20,168Powell County High School$19,242Fairview Elementary$18,170Culbertson Elementary$17,251Philipsburg K-12 Schools$16,635Red Lodge High School$16,625Sun River Valley Elementary$15,579Seeley Lake Elementary$14,160Blue Creek Elementary$10,265State median, under 1,000 students $16,778

Where the money came from

$1,961,000 in revenue: 48.2% state, 39.4% local and 12.4% federal. Total spending including $79,000 of capital outlay was $2,072,000, or $11,448 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Blue Creek Elementary revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $945,000; Local $772,000; Federal $244,000; total $1,961,000.
  • State$945,000 48%
  • Local$772,000 39%
  • Federal$244,000 12%

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

181 students in 2022-23, 177 students in 2023-24, 145 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Blue Creek Elementary enrollment by school year2022-23: 181, 2023-24: 177, 2024-25: 1450501001502002022-231812023-241772024-25145
Blue Creek Elementary enrollment by school year2022-23: 181, 2023-24: 177, 2024-25: 1450501001502002022-231812023-241772024-25145
Blue Creek Elementary enrollment by school year2022-23: 181, 2023-24: 177, 2024-25: 1450501001502002022-231812023-241772024-25145
Blue Creek Elementary enrollment by school year2022-23: 181, 2023-24: 177, 2024-25: 1450501001502002022-231812023-241772024-25145

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2318115.012.1
2023-2417712.514.2
2024-2514513.011.1

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

$510,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $2,818 per student

Blue Creek Elementary booked $510,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 15 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 $34,000 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 2 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$495,00097.1%
Special education$15,0002.9%

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

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,099 in 2018-19, $2,974 in 2019-20, $3,486 in 2020-21, $3,625 in 2021-22, $2,818 in 2022-23.

Blue Creek Elementary teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,099, 2019-20: $2,974, 2020-21: $3,486, 2021-22: $3,625, 2022-23: $2,81801k2k3k4k2018-19$3,0992019-20$2,9742020-21$3,4862021-22$3,6252022-23$2,818
Blue Creek Elementary teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,099, 2019-20: $2,974, 2020-21: $3,486, 2021-22: $3,625, 2022-23: $2,81801k2k3k4k2018-19$3,0992019-20$2,9742020-21$3,4862021-22$3,6252022-23$2,818
Blue Creek Elementary teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,099, 2019-20: $2,974, 2020-21: $3,486, 2021-22: $3,625, 2022-23: $2,81801k2k3k4k2018-19$3,0992019-20$2,9742020-21$3,4862021-22$3,6252022-23$2,818
Blue Creek Elementary teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,099, 2019-20: $2,974, 2020-21: $3,486, 2021-22: $3,625, 2022-23: $2,81801k2k3k4k2018-19$3,0992019-20$2,9742020-21$3,4862021-22$3,6252022-23$2,818

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 Blue Creek Elementary scored proficient or above: 40-44% in reading and 30-34% 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%98
Math30-34%35.2%98

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.

1 elementary school, 145 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Blue Creek School14511.1not reportedTargeted 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 Blue Creek Elementary

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 Blue Creek Elementary

  1. Montana districts by spending per studentBlue Creek Elementary ranks 342 of 361 Montana districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($10,265).#342 of 361
  2. Every school district in MontanaBlue Creek Elementary is the number 152 by size of 398 Montana districts, with 181 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#152 of 398
  3. Fairview ElementaryThe next larger Montana district: 182 students in fall 2022, $18,170 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,170
  4. St Regis K-12 SchoolsThe next smaller Montana district: 179 students in fall 2022, $21,374 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$21,374
  5. Compare Blue Creek Elementary with Fairview ElementaryEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Teacher salary spending across MontanaBlue Creek Elementary spent $34,000 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $53,321); spending, not a salary.$34,000
  7. 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 Blue Creek Elementary

  1. How many schools and students are in Blue Creek Elementary?
    One school was open in 2024-25 (1 elementary), enrolling 145 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Blue Creek Elementary spend per student?
    $10,265 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 $9,435 per student, down 8.1% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Blue Creek Elementary's money come from?
    $1,961,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 48.2% state, 39.4% local and 12.4% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Blue Creek Elementary live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 15 of the 279 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 5.4%, 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 Blue Creek Elementary spend on teacher salaries?
    $510,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $2,818 per student. Divided by the 15 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $34,000 per teacher, more than 2 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 Blue Creek Elementary do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Blue Creek Elementary scored proficient or above: 40-44% in reading and 30-34% 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 Blue Creek Elementary's NCES district ID?
    3004230. 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 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 .