Helena High School
Public school district · Lewis and Clark County · Montana · NCES district ID 3013830
Helena High School spent $13,044 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 76% of the other Montana districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $12,120). Its 2 schools enrolled 2,272 students in 2024-25; 46.3% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $13,476 per student, up 3.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 87% (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 Helena High School in enrollment (1,666 to 3,101 students) and Helena High School itself.
Where the money came from
$34,573,000 in revenue: 46.3% state, 48.3% local and 5.4% federal. Total spending including $832,000 of capital outlay was $34,390,000, or $13,679 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$15,998,000 46%
- Local$16,713,000 48%
- Federal$1,862,000 5%
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 30 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25
2,514 students in 2022-23, 2,454 students in 2023-24, 2,272 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 2,514 | 169.5 | 14.8 |
| 2023-24 | 2,454 | 159.4 | 15.4 |
| 2024-25 | 2,272 | 142.2 | 16.0 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$17,717,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $7,047 per student
Helena High School booked $17,717,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 170 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 $104,507 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 99 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).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $14,104,000 | 79.6% |
| Special education | $1,069,000 | 6.0% |
| Vocational | $1,644,000 | 9.3% |
| Other programs | $900,000 | 5.1% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $5,860 in 2018-19, $6,302 in 2019-20, $6,211 in 2020-21, $6,766 in 2021-22, $7,047 in 2022-23.
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 Helena High School scored proficient or above: 44% in reading and 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.
| Subject | This district | Montana | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 44% | 45.7% | 498 |
| Math | 34% | 35.2% | 499 |
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
87% of the 585 students in Helena 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.
| This district | Montana | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 87% | 85.5% |
| Students in the class | 585 | 10,838 |
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.
2 high schools, 2,272 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital High School | 1,293 | 16.3 | 22.2% | Not Title I |
| Helena High School | 979 | 15.6 | 27.1% | 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 Helena High School
- Website: helenaschools.org
- Phone: (406) 324-2001
- Office: 1325 Poplar Street, Helena, MT 59601
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 Helena High School
- Montana districts by spending per studentHelena High School ranks 8 of 30 Montana districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($13,044).#8 of 30
- Every school district in MontanaHelena High School is the number 13 by size of 398 Montana districts, with 2,514 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#13 of 398
- Bozeman School District 7The next larger Montana district: 2,631 students in fall 2022, $13,794 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,794
- Belgrade ElementaryThe next smaller Montana district: 2,374 students in fall 2022, $11,571 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,571
- Compare Helena High School with Bozeman School District 7Enrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Capital High School, its largest high school1,293 students in 2024-25, 16.3 per teacher.1,293
- Teacher salary spending across MontanaHelena High School spent $104,507 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $53,321); spending, not a salary.$104,507
- 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 Helena High School
How many schools and students are in Helena High School?
2 schools were open in 2024-25 (2 high), enrolling 2,272 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Helena High School spend per student?
$13,044 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 at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $12,120 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $13,476 per student, up 3.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Helena High School's money come from?
$34,573,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 46.3% state, 48.3% local and 5.4% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Helena High School live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 181 of the 3,055 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 5.9%, 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.How much does Helena High School spend on teacher salaries?
$17,717,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $7,047 per student. Divided by the 170 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $104,507 per teacher, more than 99 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).How do students in Helena High School do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Helena High School scored proficient or above: 44% in reading and 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.What is the graduation rate in Helena High School?
87% of the 585 students in Helena 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.What is Helena High School's NCES district ID?
3013830. 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