Melstone Elementary
Public school district · Musselshell County · Montana · NCES district ID 3018240
Melstone Elementary spent $20,170 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 64% of the other Montana districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $16,778). Its 2 schools enrolled 37 students in 2024-25; 50.9% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $29,229 per student, up 44.9% 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 Melstone Elementary in enrollment (44 to 50 students) and Melstone Elementary itself.
Where the money came from
$981,000 in revenue: 50.9% state, 30.3% local and 18.9% federal. Total spending was $960,000, or $20,426 per student; the district reported no capital outlay that year.
- State$499,000 51%
- Local$297,000 30%
- Federal$185,000 19%
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
47 students in 2022-23, 35 students in 2023-24, 37 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 | 47 | 6.2 | 7.6 |
| 2023-24 | 35 | 6.2 | 5.7 |
| 2024-25 | 37 | 5.5 | 6.7 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Melstone Elementary scored proficient or above: 40-59% in reading and 40-59% 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 | 40-59% | 45.7% | 29 |
| Math | 40-59% | 35.2% | 29 |
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, 24 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melstone School | 24 | 5.6 | 95.8% | 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.
1 middle school, 13 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melstone Middle School | 13 | 10.2 | 92.3% | 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 Melstone Elementary
- Website: melstonepublicschools.org
- Phone: (406) 358-2352
- Office: 5 6th Avenue N, Melstone, MT 59054
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 Melstone Elementary
- Montana districts by spending per studentMelstone Elementary ranks 129 of 361 Montana districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($20,170).#129 of 361
- Every school district in MontanaMelstone Elementary is the number 281 by size of 398 Montana districts, with 47 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#281 of 398
- Moore ElementaryThe next larger Montana district: 48 students in fall 2022, $19,354 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$19,354
- Rosebud K-12The next smaller Montana district: 46 students in fall 2022, $34,130 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$34,130
- Compare Melstone Elementary with Moore ElementaryEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- 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 Melstone Elementary
How many schools and students are in Melstone Elementary?
2 schools were open in 2024-25 (1 elementary, 1 middle), enrolling 37 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Melstone Elementary spend per student?
$20,170 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 $29,229 per student, up 44.9% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Melstone Elementary's money come from?
$981,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 50.9% state, 30.3% local and 18.9% federal (NCES F-33).How do students in Melstone Elementary do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Melstone Elementary scored proficient or above: 40-59% in reading and 40-59% 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 Melstone Elementary's NCES district ID?
3018240. 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
- 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