Montana · NCES F-33 finance data
School Funding Equity in Montana 141 districts ranked by how equitably school funding is distributed, scored from NCES F-33 school finance data covering districts in all 50 states.
38 State avg score
49 National avg score
141 Districts ranked The equity picture in one line
Heart Butte K-12 Schools ranks first in Montana for funding equity at 74/100, in a state whose districts average 38 against a national average of 49.
74/100 top score (Heart Butte K-12 Schools)
$25,591 per-pupil spending in the top district
4 districts scoring 70 or higher
50 districts below 30 # District Enrollment $/Pupil Free Lunch Local Rev % Score 1 Heart Butte K-12 Schools 208 $25,591 - 12.1% 74 2 Poplar Elem 596 $20,654 - 12.8% 72 3 Browning Elem 1,266 $23,537 - 13.7% 71 4 Arlee Elem 270 $19,579 - 16.1% 71 5 Hays-Lodge Pole K-12 Schls 248 $22,663 - 9.8% 69 6 Wolf Point Elem 511 $15,716 - 10.7% 68 7 St Ignatius K-12 Schools 480 $16,672 - 22.1% 68 8 Lodge Grass Elem 274 $19,885 - 13.1% 68 9 Hardin Elem 1,284 $15,447 - 17.3% 67 10 Harlem Elem 467 $16,993 - 12.5% 66 11 Wolf Point H S 225 $15,841 - 26.7% 65 12 Lame Deer Elem 382 $19,212 - 8.8% 64 13 Anaconda Elem 740 $15,529 - 28.5% 62 14 Poplar H S 276 $20,761 - 14.2% 62 15 Livingston Elem 837 $15,061 - 34.9% 61 16 Rocky Boy Elem 486 $22,283 - 5.5% 61 17 Victor K-12 Schools 236 $15,330 - 31.3% 61 18 Troy Elem 283 $16,524 - 27.0% 60 19 Colstrip Elem 366 $17,881 - 42.1% 59 20 Box Elder Elem 303 $21,589 - 10.6% 59 21 Evergreen Elem 651 $14,266 - 32.7% 58 22 Park City Elem 224 $12,725 - 30.7% 56 23 Baker K-12 Schools 451 $17,598 - 40.0% 55 24 Sidney H S 387 $16,106 - 36.7% 55 25 Bonner Elem 356 $13,346 - 34.1% 55 26 Chinook Elem 228 $15,692 - 37.5% 54 27 Boulder Elem 218 $17,722 - 29.3% 54 28 Cut Bank Elem 551 $13,475 - 32.3% 53 29 Harlowton K-12 258 $18,101 - 49.3% 52 30 Centerville Elem 237 $12,232 - 31.0% 52 31 Ronan Elem 1,105 $12,324 - 14.8% 51 32 Malta K-12 Schools 519 $13,204 - 38.5% 51 33 Superior K-12 Schools 324 $13,172 - 40.8% 51 34 Whitehall Elem 328 $12,620 - 20.8% 50 35 Thompson Falls Elem 320 $14,776 - 43.4% 50 36 Forsyth Elem 202 $13,376 - 43.9% 49 37 Stevensville H S 349 $14,982 - 43.4% 48 38 Darby K-12 Schools 326 $13,880 - 43.9% 48 39 Lone Rock Elem 254 $12,188 - 31.7% 48 40 Miles City Elem 953 $12,469 - 28.5% 46 41 Glendive Elem 782 $12,917 - 39.1% 46 42 Huntley Project K-12 Schools 773 $15,443 - 38.8% 46 43 Twin Bridges K-12 Schools 210 $15,771 - 49.8% 46 44 Browning H S 563 $15,349 - 18.2% 45 45 Ronan H S 416 $14,412 - 24.8% 45 46 Cut Bank H S 227 $14,767 - 53.3% 45 47 Plains K-12 453 $12,424 - 31.2% 43 48 Park H S 418 $14,969 - 55.7% 43 49 Plentywood K-12 Schools 371 $14,214 - 48.0% 43 50 Hamilton K-12 Schools 1,666 $11,709 - 35.7% 42 51 Corvallis K-12 Schools 1,342 $11,701 - 29.3% 41 52 Fort Benton Elem 249 $10,272 - 36.9% 41 53 Smith Valley Elem 224 $11,142 - 29.4% 41 54 Helena H S 2,514 $13,331 - 44.0% 40 55 Frenchtown K-12 Schools 1,443 $10,960 - 34.7% 40 56 Polson Elem 1,173 $11,418 - 32.6% 40 57 Glasgow K-12 Schools 769 $12,942 - 46.4% 40 58 Deer Lodge Elem 426 $13,715 - 41.6% 40 59 Dawson H S 343 $13,944 - 49.2% 40 60 Red Lodge Elem 328 $12,784 - 47.9% 40 61 Shepherd H S 253 $13,868 - 54.7% 40 62 Lewistown Elem 888 $12,033 - 34.4% 39 63 Helena Elem 5,225 $13,560 - 41.1% 38 64 Missoula H S 3,966 $13,212 - 47.8% 38 65 Big Sky School K-12 432 $13,830 - 83.8% 38 66 Great Falls Elem 7,032 $12,418 - 33.9% 37 67 Missoula Elem 5,280 $12,776 - 42.2% 37 68 Polson H S 524 $13,826 - 46.4% 37 69 Roundup Elem 407 $12,906 - 39.1% 37 70 Manhattan High School 239 $13,915 - 53.5% 37 71 Clinton Elem 214 $14,764 - 37.5% 37 72 Butte H S 1,317 $15,132 - 37.9% 36 73 Lolo Elem 507 $12,563 - 42.5% 36 74 Manhattan School 483 $10,775 - 40.9% 36 75 Choteau Elem 255 $14,121 - 34.0% 36 76 Lockwood K-12 1,718 $12,267 - 43.9% 35 77 Libby K-12 Schools 1,164 $11,799 - 26.3% 35 78 Eureka Elem 497 $12,724 - 29.7% 35 79 Florence-Carlton K-12 Schls 790 $11,943 - 45.3% 34 80 Shepherd Elem 562 $11,221 - 31.8% 34 81 Billings Elem 10,988 $12,537 - 36.9% 33 82 Sidney Elem 856 $11,705 - 34.3% 33 83 Fergus H S 356 $14,029 - 57.8% 33 84 Columbia Falls H S 687 $13,247 - 42.4% 32 85 Anaconda H S 281 $11,795 - 43.9% 32 86 Joliet Elem 270 $10,985 - 40.8% 32 87 Laurel Elem 1,272 $12,716 - 43.6% 31 88 Ennis K-12 Schools 422 $13,754 - 64.2% 31 89 Conrad Elem 342 $11,606 - 37.0% 31 90 Fairfield Elem 207 $10,888 - 42.5% 31 91 Hardin H S 512 $11,741 - 35.1% 30 92 Columbia Falls Elem 1,562 $11,667 - 43.9% 29 93 Havre Elem 1,199 $11,930 - 29.6% 29 94 Townsend K-12 Schools 706 $12,223 - 49.1% 29 95 Whitefish H S 581 $14,111 - 60.3% 29 96 Somers Elem 555 $11,095 - 47.3% 29 97 Jefferson H S 284 $15,206 - 47.1% 29 98 Canyon Creek Elem 234 $10,618 - 39.7% 29 99 Cascade Elem 221 $12,460 - 36.0% 29 100 Thompson Falls H S 201 $13,909 - 50.2% 29 101 Scobey K-12 Schools 286 $14,835 - 51.2% 28 102 Kalispell Elem 3,095 $12,023 - 41.8% 27 103 Belgrade Elem 2,374 $11,061 - 43.9% 27 104 Montana City Elem 475 $10,400 - 42.3% 27 105 Dillon Elem 780 $11,553 - 35.8% 26 106 Three Forks Elem 523 $9,885 - 36.1% 26 107 Bigfork H S 354 $13,344 - 55.1% 26 108 Beaverhead County H S 339 $16,412 - 57.9% 26 109 Lincoln County H S 306 $10,488 - 44.1% 26 110 Independent Elem 297 $9,560 - 36.3% 26 111 West Yellowstone K-12 287 $12,130 - 59.5% 26 112 Helena Flats Elem 280 $8,793 - 28.1% 26 113 Target Range Elem 574 $10,898 - 32.3% 25 114 Cayuse Prairie Elem 304 $11,681 - 36.7% 25 115 Belt Elem 271 $9,473 - 37.5% 25 116 Butte Elem 2,966 $10,930 - 40.4% 24 117 Custer County H S 495 $11,996 - 47.4% 24 118 Billings H S 5,610 $11,891 - 41.5% 23 119 West Valley Elem 762 $10,202 - 37.2% 22 120 East Helena K-12 1,952 $10,320 - 38.9% 21 121 Hellgate Elem 1,498 $11,930 - 45.3% 21 122 Whitefish Elem 1,313 $12,144 - 58.2% 21 123 Havre H S 531 $12,544 - 48.0% 21 124 Columbus H S 244 $13,632 - 61.8% 21 125 Laurel H S 619 $11,124 - 53.4% 20 126 Anderson Elem 209 $12,244 - 53.4% 20 127 Bozeman Elem 4,651 $11,190 - 49.6% 19 128 Columbus Elem 469 $11,705 - 55.5% 18 129 Belgrade H S 994 $10,493 - 57.0% 17 130 Stevensville Elem 656 $9,009 - 45.3% 16 131 Big Timber Elem 318 $9,811 - 50.4% 16 132 Flathead H S 3,101 $10,924 - 51.2% 15 133 Great Falls H S 3,095 $10,688 - 52.2% 15 134 Bozeman H S 2,631 $12,268 - 67.9% 14 135 Elder Grove Elem 689 $9,364 - 43.4% 12 136 Shelby Elem 390 $10,605 - 45.7% 12 137 Elysian Elem 451 $10,084 - 53.5% 11 138 Monforton Elem 669 $8,674 - 47.6% 10 139 Clancy Elem 385 $8,957 - 50.8% 10 140 Bigfork Elem 610 $10,150 - 53.4% 6 141 Three Forks H S 278 $9,765 - 53.6% 5
How the Equity Score Works
The equity score (0-100) evaluates four dimensions of school funding fairness. According to
the National Center for Education Statistics F-33 Finance Survey (FY 2021-22, released in 2024),
which covers more than 17,000 districts nationwide, local property wealth drives most of the
spending differences the score captures; our methodology
documents each weight:
Per-Pupil Spending (0-25)
Higher spending relative to peers
Need-Adjusted Spending (0-25)
Spending weighted by poverty level, rewards districts that spend more where need is greatest
Funding Diversity (0-25)
Less reliance on local property taxes, more state/federal support
Resource Access (0-25)
Lower student-teacher ratios = more individualized attention
Read our methodology
- how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.