School Funding Equity in Montana 141 districts ranked by equity score — how equitably is school funding distributed? Equity is computed from NCES F-33 school finance data covering districts in all 50 states. See our methodology .
# District Enrollment $/Pupil Free Lunch Local Rev % Score 1 Poplar Elem 596 $22,780 — 12.8% 71 2 Arlee Elem 270 $21,758 — 16.1% 70 3 Heart Butte K-12 Schools 208 $27,284 — 12.1% 69 4 Browning Elem 1,266 $25,505 — 13.7% 68 5 Hays-Lodge Pole K-12 Schls 248 $24,535 — 9.8% 67 6 Hardin Elem 1,284 $17,950 — 17.3% 66 7 St Ignatius K-12 Schools 480 $18,086 — 22.1% 66 8 Box Elder Elem 303 $26,017 — 10.6% 66 9 Harlem Elem 467 $17,766 — 12.5% 64 10 Wolf Point Elem 511 $16,498 — 10.7% 63 11 Poplar H S 276 $21,300 — 14.2% 63 12 Wolf Point H S 225 $20,444 — 26.7% 62 13 Victor K-12 Schools 236 $17,230 — 31.3% 61 14 Livingston Elem 837 $16,601 — 34.9% 59 15 Anaconda Elem 740 $15,966 — 28.5% 58 16 Troy Elem 283 $18,839 — 27.0% 58 17 Evergreen Elem 651 $16,500 — 32.7% 57 18 Rocky Boy Elem 486 $22,832 — 5.5% 57 19 Lame Deer Elem 382 $19,712 — 8.8% 57 20 Baker K-12 Schools 451 $18,408 — 40.0% 56 21 Colstrip Elem 366 $19,152 — 42.1% 56 22 Chinook Elem 228 $16,654 — 37.5% 56 23 Boulder Elem 218 $18,390 — 29.3% 56 24 Stevensville H S 349 $33,843 — 43.4% 55 25 Centerville Elem 237 $14,382 — 31.0% 55 26 Lolo Elem 507 $64,623 — 42.5% 54 27 Clinton Elem 214 $17,335 — 37.5% 52 28 Cut Bank Elem 551 $14,025 — 32.3% 51 29 Harlowton K-12 258 $18,854 — 49.3% 51 30 Park City Elem 224 $13,638 — 30.7% 51 31 Browning H S 563 $16,837 — 18.2% 50 32 Three Forks Elem 523 $19,477 — 36.1% 50 33 Lone Rock Elem 254 $14,009 — 31.7% 50 34 Superior K-12 Schools 324 $14,226 — 40.8% 49 35 Lodge Grass Elem 274 $20,980 — 13.1% 49 36 Ronan Elem 1,105 $13,817 — 14.8% 48 37 Malta K-12 Schools 519 $13,847 — 38.5% 48 38 Bonner Elem 356 $13,899 — 34.1% 48 39 Darby K-12 Schools 326 $15,014 — 43.9% 48 40 Thompson Falls Elem 320 $16,352 — 43.4% 48 41 Huntley Project K-12 Schools 773 $18,385 — 38.8% 47 42 Townsend K-12 Schools 706 $28,471 — 49.1% 47 43 Sidney H S 387 $16,168 — 36.7% 47 44 Twin Bridges K-12 Schools 210 $17,105 — 49.8% 47 45 Columbia Falls Elem 1,562 $25,195 — 43.9% 46 46 Lewistown Elem 888 $15,203 — 34.4% 46 47 Glendive Elem 782 $14,538 — 39.1% 45 48 Park H S 418 $17,268 — 55.7% 45 49 Florence-Carlton K-12 Schls 790 $21,715 — 45.3% 44 50 Whitehall Elem 328 $14,065 — 20.8% 44 51 Forsyth Elem 202 $14,161 — 43.9% 44 52 Miles City Elem 953 $12,652 — 28.5% 43 53 Big Sky School K-12 432 $32,408 — 83.8% 43 54 Fairfield Elem 207 $13,874 — 42.5% 43 55 Libby K-12 Schools 1,164 $14,852 — 26.3% 41 56 Shepherd Elem 562 $15,913 — 31.8% 41 57 Hardin H S 512 $16,928 — 35.1% 41 58 Plentywood K-12 Schools 371 $15,312 — 48.0% 40 59 Shepherd H S 253 $18,928 — 54.7% 40 60 Glasgow K-12 Schools 769 $14,058 — 46.4% 39 61 Corvallis K-12 Schools 1,342 $12,524 — 29.3% 38 62 Ronan H S 416 $15,418 — 24.8% 38 63 Missoula H S 3,966 $14,663 — 47.8% 37 64 Hamilton K-12 Schools 1,666 $12,755 — 35.7% 37 65 Polson H S 524 $14,616 — 46.4% 37 66 Choteau Elem 255 $14,754 — 34.0% 37 67 Fort Benton Elem 249 $10,671 — 36.9% 37 68 Manhattan High School 239 $15,431 — 53.5% 37 69 Anderson Elem 209 $23,322 — 53.4% 37 70 Polson Elem 1,173 $12,655 — 32.6% 36 71 Plains K-12 453 $13,591 — 31.2% 36 72 Deer Lodge Elem 426 $13,890 — 41.6% 36 73 Red Lodge Elem 328 $14,298 — 47.9% 36 74 Canyon Creek Elem 234 $11,707 — 39.7% 36 75 Roundup Elem 407 $14,394 — 39.1% 35 76 Cut Bank H S 227 $15,371 — 53.3% 35 77 Great Falls Elem 7,032 $13,469 — 33.9% 34 78 Missoula Elem 5,280 $13,532 — 42.2% 34 79 Helena Elem 5,225 $14,602 — 41.1% 34 80 Frenchtown K-12 Schools 1,443 $11,877 — 34.7% 34 81 Sidney Elem 856 $11,781 — 34.3% 34 82 Eureka Elem 497 $13,061 — 29.7% 34 83 Ennis K-12 Schools 422 $14,815 — 64.2% 34 84 Conrad Elem 342 $12,447 — 37.0% 34 85 Anaconda H S 281 $11,898 — 43.9% 34 86 Fergus H S 356 $15,796 — 57.8% 33 87 Jefferson H S 284 $17,244 — 47.1% 33 88 Billings Elem 10,988 $13,071 — 36.9% 32 89 Butte Elem 2,966 $14,590 — 40.4% 32 90 Helena H S 2,514 $14,301 — 44.0% 32 91 Lockwood K-12 1,718 $14,336 — 43.9% 32 92 Whitefish H S 581 $14,720 — 60.3% 32 93 Somers Elem 555 $13,445 — 47.3% 32 94 Manhattan School 483 $11,771 — 40.9% 32 95 Cascade Elem 221 $14,772 — 36.0% 32 96 Butte H S 1,317 $15,907 — 37.9% 31 97 Joliet Elem 270 $11,445 — 40.8% 31 98 Dawson H S 343 $13,959 — 49.2% 30 99 Belgrade Elem 2,374 $12,958 — 43.9% 29 100 Stevensville Elem 656 $14,453 — 45.3% 29 101 Havre Elem 1,199 $12,470 — 29.6% 28 102 Columbia Falls H S 687 $13,677 — 42.4% 28 103 Three Forks H S 278 $37,973 — 53.6% 28 104 Belt Elem 271 $10,884 — 37.5% 27 105 Smith Valley Elem 224 $11,845 — 29.4% 27 106 Kalispell Elem 3,095 $13,273 — 41.8% 26 107 West Valley Elem 762 $10,738 — 37.2% 26 108 Montana City Elem 475 $11,071 — 42.3% 26 109 Bigfork H S 354 $16,603 — 55.1% 26 110 Beaverhead County H S 339 $19,172 — 57.9% 26 111 Bozeman H S 2,631 $18,353 — 67.9% 25 112 Dillon Elem 780 $12,023 — 35.8% 24 113 Columbus Elem 469 $14,080 — 55.5% 24 114 Scobey K-12 Schools 286 $15,832 — 51.2% 24 115 Helena Flats Elem 280 $9,483 — 28.1% 24 116 East Helena K-12 1,952 $12,652 — 38.9% 23 117 Whitefish Elem 1,313 $13,037 — 58.2% 23 118 Cayuse Prairie Elem 304 $12,431 — 36.7% 23 119 Laurel Elem 1,272 $13,113 — 43.6% 22 120 Target Range Elem 574 $11,023 — 32.3% 22 121 Bozeman Elem 4,651 $12,124 — 49.6% 21 122 Custer County H S 495 $12,675 — 47.4% 21 123 Shelby Elem 390 $11,637 — 45.7% 21 124 Independent Elem 297 $10,219 — 36.3% 21 125 Lincoln County H S 306 $11,348 — 44.1% 20 126 Thompson Falls H S 201 $14,167 — 50.2% 20 127 West Yellowstone K-12 287 $13,138 — 59.5% 19 128 Billings H S 5,610 $12,352 — 41.5% 18 129 Hellgate Elem 1,498 $12,622 — 45.3% 18 130 Columbus H S 244 $15,675 — 61.8% 18 131 Belgrade H S 994 $11,376 — 57.0% 16 132 Great Falls H S 3,095 $12,166 — 52.2% 15 133 Laurel H S 619 $11,550 — 53.4% 15 134 Havre H S 531 $12,812 — 48.0% 15 135 Flathead H S 3,101 $12,062 — 51.2% 13 136 Elder Grove Elem 689 $10,518 — 43.4% 13 137 Elysian Elem 451 $11,481 — 53.5% 13 138 Monforton Elem 669 $10,016 — 47.6% 12 139 Clancy Elem 385 $9,246 — 50.8% 12 140 Big Timber Elem 318 $9,916 — 50.4% 11 141 Bigfork Elem 610 $10,600 — 53.4% 7
How the Equity Score Works The equity score (0-100) evaluates four dimensions of school funding fairness:
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.