Public schools in Montana

The NCES directory lists 842 public schools operating in Montana in 2024-25; 818 of them reported 145,443 students, averaging 11.6 students per teacher, tied for 42nd with New Jersey of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Billings Elementary, with 11,148 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools818416 elementary, 225 middle, 173 high, 4 other
Students145,4430.3% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher11.6U.S. 15.3

Montana has fewer students per teacher than the U.S. average

Montana ranks 42nd of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Missouri12.3
  2. Connecticut12.2
  3. Massachusetts12.0
  4. Montana11.6
  5. New Jersey11.6
  6. New York11.4
  7. Vermont11.1

Eight in ten larger Montana districts spent between $10,585 and $13,794 per student

Among the 30 Montana districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $10,585 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $13,794; the median was $12,120. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Montana districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2330 values from $10,003 to $21,449; ; state median $12,120.$10,585$13,794the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$10k$15k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $12,120
Current spending per student, Montana districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2330 values from $10,003 to $21,449; ; state median $12,120.$10,585$13,794the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$10k$15k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $12,120
Current spending per student, Montana districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2330 values from $10,003 to $21,449; ; state median $12,120.$10,585$13,794the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$10k$15k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $12,120
Current spending per student, Montana districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2330 values from $10,003 to $21,449; ; state median $12,120.$10,585$13,794the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$10k$15k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $12,120

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 46% of the Montana students tested met the state's reading standard and 36.6% its math standard. Montana writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Montana's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 85.5% of 10,838 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Montana almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Billings West High School, 2,115 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Poplar 5-6 School, 7.8 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Poplar Elementary, $22,549 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Helena High School, $104,507 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Red Lodge High School, 5.7% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Lockwood High School, 62 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Monforton Elementary, 51 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Montana

  1. Billings Elementary11,148
  2. Great Falls Elementary6,593
  3. Billings High School5,286
  4. Missoula Elementary5,190
  5. Helena Elementary4,880
  6. Bozeman Elementary4,657
  7. Missoula High School3,860
  8. Kalispell Elementary3,097

Every Montana school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Billings18,390 students42 schools
  2. Missoula11,100 students23 schools
  3. Kalispell8,524 students22 schools
  4. Great Falls9,609 students21 schools
  5. Bozeman8,357 students21 schools
  6. Helena7,152 students15 schools
  7. Miles City1,508 students11 schools
  8. Cut Bank761 students11 schools
  9. Lewistown1,183 students8 schools
  10. Havre1,856 students8 schools
  11. Butte4,195 students8 schools
  12. Belgrade3,257 students7 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Montana's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Montana?
    The NCES directory lists 842 operating in 2024-25; 818 of them reported students: 416 elementary, 225 middle, 173 high and 4 other, enrolling 145,443 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in Montana?
    11.6 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in Montana?
    Billings Elementary, with 11,148 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does Montana spend per public-school student?
    $13,612 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .