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Shepherd, Montana - 1 schools
An equity score of 40/100 ranks Shepherd H S #61 of 141 districts in Montana (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,868 per pupil, Shepherd H S ranks #252 of 394 Montana districts by per-pupil spending (Montana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
253
Total Enrollment
1
Schools
$13,868
Per-Pupil Spending
High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Shepherd H S operates 1 public schools serving 253 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Montana. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 high schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Yellowstone County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,868 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 394 Montana districts by per-pupil spending. See how Montana compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 54.7% local, 44.2% state, and 1.0% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 40/100, ranked #61 of 141 in Montana against a state average of 38, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 1 schools offering Advanced Placement (1 AP courses district-wide), a 225:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 31.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 85.8% White, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 3.1% African American across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Shepherd High School, enrolling 225 students (100% of the district's total enrollment).
Shepherd High School accounts for 88.9% of all Shepherd H S student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Shepherd H S a distant remainder — means Shepherd H S-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Shepherd H S student-counselor ratio is 225:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Shepherd H S chronic absenteeism rate is 31.1% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Shepherd H S has 1 school, including 1 high. Total enrollment is 253 students.
How much does Shepherd H S spend per student?
Shepherd H S spends $13,868 per student. The district has an equity score of 40/100, ranking #61 in Montana.
What is the demographic composition of Shepherd H S?
Shepherd H S students are 85.8% White, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 3.1% African American, 1.3% Asian, averaged across 1 school. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Shepherd H S?
Shepherd H S has an equity score of 40/100, ranking #61 out of 141 districts in Montana.