Fergus High School

Public school district · Fergus County · Montana · NCES district ID 3010530

Fergus High School spent $14,051 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 69% of the other Montana districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $16,778). Its one school enrolled 347 students in 2024-25; 44.1% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,631 per student, up 4.1% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 85-89% (Montana: 85.5%).

Spending per student among Montana districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Fergus High School in enrollment (339 to 382 students) and Fergus High School itself.

Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Fergus High School, FY23Lame Deer Public Schools $20,335; Colstrip School District 19 $19,131; Beaverhead County High School $16,794; Stevensville High School $16,573; Plentywood Schools $14,367; Fergus High School $14,051; Conrad Public Schools $13,892; Bonner Elementary $13,657; Dawson County High School $13,329; Bigfork High School $12,895; State median, under 1,000 students $16,778.10k12.5k15k17.5k20k22.5kLame Deer Public Schools$20,335Colstrip School District 19$19,131Beaverhead County High School$16,794Stevensville High School$16,573Plentywood Schools$14,367Fergus High School$14,051Conrad Public Schools$13,892Bonner Elementary$13,657Dawson County High School$13,329Bigfork High School$12,895State median, under 1,000 students $16,778
Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Fergus High School, FY23Lame Deer Public Schools $20,335; Colstrip School District 19 $19,131; Beaverhead County High School $16,794; Stevensville High School $16,573; Plentywood Schools $14,367; Fergus High School $14,051; Conrad Public Schools $13,892; Bonner Elementary $13,657; Dawson County High School $13,329; Bigfork High School $12,895; State median, under 1,000 students $16,778.10k12.5k15k17.5k20k22.5kLame Deer Public Schools$20,335Colstrip School District 19$19,131Beaverhead County High School$16,794Stevensville High School$16,573Plentywood Schools$14,367Fergus High School$14,051Conrad Public Schools$13,892Bonner Elementary$13,657Dawson County High School$13,329Bigfork High School$12,895State median, under 1,000 students $16,778
Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Fergus High School, FY23Lame Deer Public Schools $20,335; Colstrip School District 19 $19,131; Beaverhead County High School $16,794; Stevensville High School $16,573; Plentywood Schools $14,367; Fergus High School $14,051; Conrad Public Schools $13,892; Bonner Elementary $13,657; Dawson County High School $13,329; Bigfork High School $12,895; State median, under 1,000 students $16,778.10k15k20k22.5kLame Deer Public Schools$20,335Colstrip School District 19$19,131Beaverhead County High School$16,794Stevensville High School$16,573Plentywood Schools$14,367Fergus High School$14,051Conrad Public Schools$13,892Bonner Elementary$13,657Dawson County High School$13,329Bigfork High School$12,895State median, under 1,000 students $16,778
Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Fergus High School, FY23Lame Deer Public Schools $20,335; Colstrip School District 19 $19,131; Beaverhead County High School $16,794; Stevensville High School $16,573; Plentywood Schools $14,367; Fergus High School $14,051; Conrad Public Schools $13,892; Bonner Elementary $13,657; Dawson County High School $13,329; Bigfork High School $12,895; State median, under 1,000 students $16,778.10k15k20k22.5kLame Deer Public Schools$20,335Colstrip School District 19$19,131Beaverhead County High School$16,794Stevensville High School$16,573Plentywood Schools$14,367Fergus High School$14,051Conrad Public Schools$13,892Bonner Elementary$13,657Dawson County High School$13,329Bigfork High School$12,895State median, under 1,000 students $16,778

Where the money came from

$5,676,000 in revenue: 44.1% state, 54.5% local and 1.4% federal. Total spending including $107,000 of capital outlay was $5,126,000, or $14,399 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Fergus High School revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $2,501,000; Local $3,094,000; Federal $81,000; total $5,676,000.
  • State$2,501,000 44%
  • Local$3,094,000 55%
  • Federal$81,000 1%

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

356 students in 2022-23, 355 students in 2023-24, 347 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Fergus High School enrollment by school year2022-23: 356, 2023-24: 355, 2024-25: 34701002003004002022-233562023-243552024-25347
Fergus High School enrollment by school year2022-23: 356, 2023-24: 355, 2024-25: 34701002003004002022-233562023-243552024-25347
Fergus High School enrollment by school year2022-23: 356, 2023-24: 355, 2024-25: 34701002003004002022-233562023-243552024-25347
Fergus High School enrollment by school year2022-23: 356, 2023-24: 355, 2024-25: 34701002003004002022-233562023-243552024-25347

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2335625.114.2
2023-2435524.114.8
2024-2534724.914.0

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

$1,691,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,750 per student

Fergus High School booked $1,691,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 25 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 $67,451 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 86 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$1,332,00078.8%
Special education$143,0008.5%
Vocational$216,00012.8%

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

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $4,395 in 2018-19, $4,902 in 2019-20, $4,395 in 2020-21, $4,416 in 2021-22, $4,750 in 2022-23.

Fergus High School teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,395, 2019-20: $4,902, 2020-21: $4,395, 2021-22: $4,416, 2022-23: $4,75002k4k6k2018-19$4,3952019-20$4,9022020-21$4,3952021-22$4,4162022-23$4,750
Fergus High School teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,395, 2019-20: $4,902, 2020-21: $4,395, 2021-22: $4,416, 2022-23: $4,75002k4k6k2018-19$4,3952019-20$4,9022020-21$4,3952021-22$4,4162022-23$4,750
Fergus High School teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,395, 2019-20: $4,902, 2020-21: $4,395, 2021-22: $4,416, 2022-23: $4,75002k4k6k2018-19$4,3952019-20$4,9022020-21$4,3952021-22$4,4162022-23$4,750
Fergus High School teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,395, 2019-20: $4,902, 2020-21: $4,395, 2021-22: $4,416, 2022-23: $4,75002k4k6k2018-19$4,3952019-20$4,9022020-21$4,3952021-22$4,4162022-23$4,750

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 Fergus High School scored proficient or above: 35-39% in reading and 25-29% 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 arts35-39%45.7%73
Math25-29%35.2%74

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

85-89% of the 78 students in Fergus High School'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 rate85‑89%85.5%
Students in the class7810,838

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 high school, 347 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Fergus High School34714.034.3%Schoolwide 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 Fergus High School

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 Fergus High School

  1. Montana districts by spending per studentFergus High School ranks 249 of 361 Montana districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($14,051).#249 of 361
  2. Every school district in MontanaFergus High School is the number 88 by size of 398 Montana districts, with 356 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#88 of 398
  3. Colstrip School District 19The next larger Montana district: 366 students in fall 2022, $19,131 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$19,131
  4. Bigfork High SchoolThe next smaller Montana district: 354 students in fall 2022, $12,895 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,895
  5. Compare Fergus High School with Colstrip School District 19Enrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Fergus High School, its largest high school347 students in 2024-25, 14.0 per teacher.347
  7. Teacher salary spending across MontanaFergus High School spent $67,451 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $53,321); spending, not a salary.$67,451
  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 Fergus High School

  1. How many schools and students are in Fergus High School?
    One school was open in 2024-25 (1 high), enrolling 347 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Fergus High School spend per student?
    $14,051 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 $14,631 per student, up 4.1% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Fergus High School's money come from?
    $5,676,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 44.1% state, 54.5% local and 1.4% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Fergus High School live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 50 of the 481 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 10.4%, 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 Fergus High School spend on teacher salaries?
    $1,691,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,750 per student. Divided by the 25 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $67,451 per teacher, more than 86 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 Fergus High School do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Fergus High School scored proficient or above: 35-39% in reading and 25-29% 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 Fergus High School?
    85-89% of the 78 students in Fergus High School'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 Fergus High School's NCES district ID?
    3010530. 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