Independent Elementary
Public school district · Yellowstone County · Montana · NCES district ID 3014820
Independent Elementary spent $9,953 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 96% of the other Montana districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $16,778). Its one school enrolled 272 students in 2024-25; 53.3% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $9,789 per student, down 1.6% 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 Independent Elementary in enrollment (280 to 306 students) and Independent Elementary itself.
Where the money came from
$3,418,000 in revenue: 53.3% state, 40.3% local and 6.5% federal. Total spending including $92,000 of capital outlay was $3,277,000, or $11,034 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$1,821,000 53%
- Local$1,376,000 40%
- Federal$221,000 6%
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
297 students in 2022-23, 299 students in 2023-24, 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 | 297 | 18.9 | 15.8 |
| 2023-24 | 299 | 18.4 | 16.3 |
| 2024-25 | 272 | 19.6 | 13.8 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$1,196,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,027 per student
Independent Elementary booked $1,196,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 19 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 $63,448 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 80 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 | $1,079,000 | 90.2% |
| Special education | $117,000 | 9.8% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,184 in 2018-19, $3,142 in 2019-20, $3,578 in 2020-21, $4,010 in 2021-22, $4,027 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 Independent Elementary scored proficient or above: 45-49% in reading and 50-54% 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 | 45-49% | 45.7% | 171 |
| Math | 50-54% | 35.2% | 171 |
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, 272 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent School | 272 | 13.8 | 26.1% | 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.
Contact Independent Elementary
- Website: independent.k12.mt.us
- Phone: (406) 259-8109
- Office: 2907 Roundup Road, Billings, MT 59105
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 Independent Elementary
- Montana districts by spending per studentIndependent Elementary ranks 347 of 361 Montana districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($9,953).#347 of 361
- Every school district in MontanaIndependent Elementary is the number 104 by size of 398 Montana districts, with 297 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#104 of 398
- Box Elder Public SchoolsThe next larger Montana district: 303 students in fall 2022, $21,294 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$21,294
- West Yellowstone K-12The next smaller Montana district: 287 students in fall 2022, $13,324 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,324
- Compare Independent Elementary with Box Elder Public SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Teacher salary spending across MontanaIndependent Elementary spent $63,448 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $53,321); spending, not a salary.$63,448
- 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 Independent Elementary
How many schools and students are in Independent Elementary?
One school was open in 2024-25 (1 elementary), enrolling 272 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Independent Elementary spend per student?
$9,953 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 $9,789 per student, down 1.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Independent Elementary's money come from?
$3,418,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 53.3% state, 40.3% local and 6.5% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Independent Elementary live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 24 of the 496 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 4.8%, 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 Independent Elementary spend on teacher salaries?
$1,196,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,027 per student. Divided by the 19 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $63,448 per teacher, more than 80 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 Independent Elementary do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Independent Elementary scored proficient or above: 45-49% in reading and 50-54% 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 Independent Elementary's NCES district ID?
3014820. 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