Laurel Elementary

Public school district · Yellowstone County · Montana · NCES district ID 3016200

Laurel Elementary spent $12,438 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 66% of the other Montana districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $12,120). Its 4 schools enrolled 1,157 students in 2024-25; 40.1% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $12,447 per student, up 0.1% 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 Laurel Elementary in enrollment (1,105 to 1,342 students) and Laurel Elementary itself.

Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Laurel Elementary, FY23Browning Elementary $21,449; Hardin Elementary $17,138; Butte High School $14,554; Polson Elementary $12,918; Whitefish Elementary $12,488; Laurel Elementary $12,438; Libby Public Schools $12,407; Ronan Elementary $12,176; Havre Elementary $12,094; Corvallis K-12 Schools $10,829; State median, 1,000+ students $12,120.5k10k15k20k25kBrowning Elementary$21,449Hardin Elementary$17,138Butte High School$14,554Polson Elementary$12,918Whitefish Elementary$12,488Laurel Elementary$12,438Libby Public Schools$12,407Ronan Elementary$12,176Havre Elementary$12,094Corvallis K-12 Schools$10,829State median, 1,000+ students $12,120
Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Laurel Elementary, FY23Browning Elementary $21,449; Hardin Elementary $17,138; Butte High School $14,554; Polson Elementary $12,918; Whitefish Elementary $12,488; Laurel Elementary $12,438; Libby Public Schools $12,407; Ronan Elementary $12,176; Havre Elementary $12,094; Corvallis K-12 Schools $10,829; State median, 1,000+ students $12,120.5k10k15k20k25kBrowning Elementary$21,449Hardin Elementary$17,138Butte High School$14,554Polson Elementary$12,918Whitefish Elementary$12,488Laurel Elementary$12,438Libby Public Schools$12,407Ronan Elementary$12,176Havre Elementary$12,094Corvallis K-12 Schools$10,829State median, 1,000+ students $12,120
Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Laurel Elementary, FY23Browning Elementary $21,449; Hardin Elementary $17,138; Butte High School $14,554; Polson Elementary $12,918; Whitefish Elementary $12,488; Laurel Elementary $12,438; Libby Public Schools $12,407; Ronan Elementary $12,176; Havre Elementary $12,094; Corvallis K-12 Schools $10,829; State median, 1,000+ students $12,120.5k15k25kBrowning Elementary$21,449Hardin Elementary$17,138Butte High School$14,554Polson Elementary$12,918Whitefish Elementary$12,488Laurel Elementary$12,438Libby Public Schools$12,407Ronan Elementary$12,176Havre Elementary$12,094Corvallis K-12 Schools$10,829State median, 1,000+ students $12,120
Current spending per student, Montana districts closest in size to Laurel Elementary, FY23Browning Elementary $21,449; Hardin Elementary $17,138; Butte High School $14,554; Polson Elementary $12,918; Whitefish Elementary $12,488; Laurel Elementary $12,438; Libby Public Schools $12,407; Ronan Elementary $12,176; Havre Elementary $12,094; Corvallis K-12 Schools $10,829; State median, 1,000+ students $12,120.5k15k25kBrowning Elementary$21,449Hardin Elementary$17,138Butte High School$14,554Polson Elementary$12,918Whitefish Elementary$12,488Laurel Elementary$12,438Libby Public Schools$12,407Ronan Elementary$12,176Havre Elementary$12,094Corvallis K-12 Schools$10,829State median, 1,000+ students $12,120

Where the money came from

$17,082,000 in revenue: 40.1% state, 38.6% local and 21.3% federal. Total spending including $1,856,000 of capital outlay was $17,778,000, or $13,976 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Laurel Elementary revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $6,850,000; Local $6,589,000; Federal $3,643,000; total $17,082,000.
  • State$6,850,000 40%
  • Local$6,589,000 39%
  • Federal$3,643,000 21%

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

1,272 students in 2022-23, 1,204 students in 2023-24, 1,157 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Laurel Elementary enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,272, 2023-24: 1,204, 2024-25: 1,15705001k1.5k2022-231,2722023-241,2042024-251,157
Laurel Elementary enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,272, 2023-24: 1,204, 2024-25: 1,15705001k1.5k2022-231,2722023-241,2042024-251,157
Laurel Elementary enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,272, 2023-24: 1,204, 2024-25: 1,15705001k1.5k2022-231,2722023-241,2042024-251,157
Laurel Elementary enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,272, 2023-24: 1,204, 2024-25: 1,15705001k1.5k2022-231,2722023-241,2042024-251,157

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-231,27281.615.6
2023-241,20482.014.7
2024-251,15778.814.7

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

$5,046,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,967 per student

Laurel Elementary booked $5,046,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 82 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 $61,853 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 75 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$4,673,00092.6%
Special education$373,0007.4%

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

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $2,835 in 2018-19, $3,355 in 2019-20, $3,734 in 2020-21, $3,055 in 2021-22, $3,967 in 2022-23.

Laurel Elementary teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,835, 2019-20: $3,355, 2020-21: $3,734, 2021-22: $3,055, 2022-23: $3,96701k2k3k4k2018-19$2,8352019-20$3,3552020-21$3,7342021-22$3,0552022-23$3,967
Laurel Elementary teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,835, 2019-20: $3,355, 2020-21: $3,734, 2021-22: $3,055, 2022-23: $3,96701k2k3k4k2018-19$2,8352019-20$3,3552020-21$3,7342021-22$3,0552022-23$3,967
Laurel Elementary teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,835, 2019-20: $3,355, 2020-21: $3,734, 2021-22: $3,055, 2022-23: $3,96701k2k3k4k2018-19$2,8352019-20$3,3552020-21$3,7342021-22$3,0552022-23$3,967
Laurel Elementary teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,835, 2019-20: $3,355, 2020-21: $3,734, 2021-22: $3,055, 2022-23: $3,96701k2k3k4k2018-19$2,8352019-20$3,3552020-21$3,7342021-22$3,0552022-23$3,967

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 Laurel Elementary scored proficient or above: 37% in reading and 30% 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 arts37%45.7%862
Math30%35.2%862

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.

3 elementary schools, 651 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
West School24813.976.2%Targeted program
Fred W Graff School24516.382.9%Targeted program
South School15813.389.9%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, 506 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Laurel Middle School50614.939.5%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 Laurel 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 Laurel Elementary

  1. Montana districts by spending per studentLaurel Elementary ranks 11 of 30 Montana districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($12,438).#11 of 30
  2. Every school district in MontanaLaurel Elementary is the number 25 by size of 398 Montana districts, with 1,272 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#25 of 398
  3. Hardin ElementaryThe next larger Montana district: 1,284 students in fall 2022, $17,138 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,138
  4. Browning ElementaryThe next smaller Montana district: 1,266 students in fall 2022, $21,449 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$21,449
  5. Compare Laurel Elementary with Hardin ElementaryEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Teacher salary spending across MontanaLaurel Elementary spent $61,853 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $53,321); spending, not a salary.$61,853
  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 Laurel Elementary

  1. How many schools and students are in Laurel Elementary?
    4 schools were open in 2024-25 (3 elementary, 1 middle), enrolling 1,157 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Laurel Elementary spend per student?
    $12,438 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 $12,447 per student, up 0.1% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Laurel Elementary's money come from?
    $17,082,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 40.1% state, 38.6% local and 21.3% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Laurel Elementary live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 124 of the 1,671 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 7.4%, 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 Laurel Elementary spend on teacher salaries?
    $5,046,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,967 per student. Divided by the 82 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $61,853 per teacher, more than 75 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 Laurel Elementary do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Laurel Elementary scored proficient or above: 37% in reading and 30% 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 Laurel Elementary's NCES district ID?
    3016200. 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 .