Montana · NCES F-33 finance data

School Spending in Montana

Schools in Montana ranked by their district's per-pupil expenditure, limited to schools with 50 or more students.

Compiled from official source data by PlainSchools Editorial. · Updated June 2026

The spending picture in one line

Ashland School tops the list: its district, Ashland Elem, spends $32,512 per student, against a Montana average of $19,282.

$32,512
per-student spend in Ashland Elem: $19,282
Montana average: $16,593
national average

Note: Spending reflects district-wide averages from NCES F-33 (FY 2021-22). Schools in the same district share the same figure.

#	School	District	Students	Per Student
1	Ashland School Ashland · other	Ashland Elem	71	$32,512
2	Colstrip High School Colstrip · high	Colstrip H S	155	$32,190
3	Gardiner High School Gardiner · high	Gardiner H S	55	$31,438
4	Frazer Elementary Frazer · other	Frazer Elem	63	$29,253
5	North Star High School Rudyard · high	North Star Hs	56	$28,813
6	Plevna School Plevna · other	Plevna K-12 Schools	60	$27,327
7	Arrow Creek Elem School Pryor · other	Pryor Elem	55	$27,254
8	Absarokee High School Absarokee · high	Absarokee H S	74	$26,672
9	Shields Valley High Schl Clyde Park · high	Shields Valley H S	59	$26,453
10	Wyola Elementary Wyola · other	Wyola Elem	62	$26,261
11	Plenty Coups High School Pryor · high	Plenty Coups H S	64	$26,200
12	Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hs Chester · high	Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hs	54	$26,067
13	Circle High School Circle · high	Circle H S	74	$25,828
14	Heart Butte Elementary Heart Butte · other	Heart Butte K-12 Schools	60	$25,591
15	Shelby High School Shelby · high	Shelby H S	143	$24,964
16	Barbara Gilligan School Brockton · other	Brockton Elem	76	$24,693
17	Garfield Co Dist Hs Jordan · high	Garfield County H S	57	$24,529
18	Fort Benton High School Fort Benton · high	Fort Benton H S	112	$24,446
19	Bainville School Bainville · other	Bainville K-12 Schools	108	$24,190
20	Broadview High School Broadview · high	Broadview H S	50	$24,023
21	Sunburst Elementary Sunburst · other	Sunburst K-12 Schools	57	$23,602
22	Browning Middle School Browning · middle	Browning Elem	368	$23,537
23	Kw-Vc Elementary Browning · other	Browning Elem	328	$23,537
24	Napi School Browning · elementary	Browning Elem	278	$23,537
25	Browning Elementary Browning · elementary	Browning Elem	258	$23,537
26	Powder River Co Dist High Broadus · high	Powder River Co Dist H S	70	$23,333
27	Culbertson High School Culbertson · high	Culbertson H S	77	$23,128
28	Centerville High School Sand Coulee · high	Centerville H S	73	$22,857
29	Hysham School Hysham · other	Hysham K-12 Schools	53	$22,846
30	Lodge Pole School Hays · other	Hays-Lodge Pole K-12 Schls	144	$22,663
31	Hays-Lodge Pole High Sch Hays · high	Hays-Lodge Pole K-12 Schls	84	$22,663
32	Sheridan High School Sheridan · high	Sheridan H S	58	$22,551
33	Stanford School Stanford · other	Stanford K-12 Schools	54	$22,410
34	Noxon High School Noxon · high	Noxon H S	56	$22,353
35	Rocky Boy School Box Elder · other	Rocky Boy Elem	348	$22,283
36	Rocky Boy 7-8 Box Elder · middle	Rocky Boy Elem	73	$22,283
37	Frontier School Wolf Point · other	Frontier Elem	108	$21,915
38	Forsyth High School Forsyth · high	Forsyth H S	103	$21,686
39	Box Elder School Box Elder · other	Box Elder Elem	232	$21,589
40	Box Elder 7-8 Box Elder · middle	Box Elder Elem	66	$21,589
41	Box Elder High School Box Elder · high	Box Elder H S	86	$21,504
42	Lodge Grass High School Lodge Grass · high	Lodge Grass H S	174	$21,455
43	Wibaux Elementary School Wibaux · other	Wibaux K-12 Schools	85	$21,052
44	Sweet Grass Co High Schl Big Timber · high	Sweet Grass County H S	161	$21,030
45	Poplar High School Poplar · high	Poplar H S	275	$20,761
46	Powell County High School Deer Lodge · high	Powell County H S	181	$20,714
47	Poplar School Poplar · other	Poplar Elem	329	$20,654
48	Poplar 5-6 School Poplar · elementary	Poplar Elem	124	$20,654
49	Poplar 7-8 Poplar · middle	Poplar Elem	117	$20,654
50	Belt High School Belt · high	Belt H S	92	$20,578
51	Broadus School Broadus · other	Broadus Elem	129	$20,341
52	Hot Springs School Hot Springs · other	Hot Springs K-12	111	$20,218
53	Hot Springs High School Hot Springs · high	Hot Springs K-12	60	$20,218
54	Lambert School Lambert · other	Lambert Elem	66	$20,198
55	Ekalaka Elementary School Ekalaka · other	Ekalaka Elem	69	$20,144
56	Fairview High School Fairview · high	Fairview H S	92	$20,058
57	Lame Deer High School Lame Deer · high	Lame Deer H S	170	$20,005
58	Lodge Grass School Lodge Grass · other	Lodge Grass Elem	175	$19,885
59	Lodge Grass 7-8 Lodge Grass · middle	Lodge Grass Elem	55	$19,885
60	Arlee Elementary Arlee · other	Arlee Elem	206	$19,579
61	Arlee 7-8 Arlee · middle	Arlee Elem	57	$19,579
62	Fairfield High School Fairfield · high	Fairfield H S	107	$19,355
63	Lame Deer School Lame Deer · other	Lame Deer Elem	278	$19,212
64	Lame Deer 7-8 Lame Deer · middle	Lame Deer Elem	75	$19,212
65	Fairview School Fairview · other	Fairview Elem	134	$19,041
66	Fairview 7-8 Fairview · middle	Fairview Elem	59	$19,041
67	Bridger Elementary School Bridger · other	Bridger K-12 Schools	114	$18,906
68	Bridger High School Bridger · high	Bridger K-12 Schools	58	$18,906
69	St Regis School St Regis · other	St Regis K-12 Schools	105	$18,872
70	St Regis High School St Regis · high	St Regis K-12 Schools	54	$18,872
71	Noxon School Noxon · other	Noxon Elem	62	$18,832
72	Cascade High School Cascade · high	Cascade H S	111	$18,821
73	Desmet School Missoula · other	Desmet Elem	90	$18,614
74	Choteau High School Choteau · high	Choteau H S	109	$18,486
75	Alberton School Alberton · other	Alberton K-12 Schools	89	$18,453
76	Hillcrest School Harlowton · other	Harlowton K-12	195	$18,101
77	Harlowton High School Harlowton · high	Harlowton K-12	66	$18,101
78	Hobson School Hobson · other	Hobson K-12 Schools	68	$18,076
79	Rocky Boy High School Box Elder · high	Rocky Boy H S	125	$18,071
80	Chinook High School Chinook · high	Chinook H S	115	$18,044
81	Pine Butte Elementary Sch Colstrip · other	Colstrip Elem	217	$17,881
82	Frank Brattin Middle Schl Colstrip · middle	Colstrip Elem	119	$17,881
83	Boulder Elementary School Boulder · other	Boulder Elem	166	$17,722
84	White Sulphur Springs El White Sulphur Springs · other	White Sulphur Spgs K-12	91	$17,608
85	White Sulphur Springs Hs White Sulphur Springs · high	White Sulphur Spgs K-12	54	$17,608
86	Longfellow School Baker · elementary	Baker K-12 Schools	158	$17,598
87	Baker High School Baker · high	Baker K-12 Schools	133	$17,598
88	Lincoln School Baker · other	Baker K-12 Schools	101	$17,598
89	Baker 7-8 Baker · middle	Baker K-12 Schools	72	$17,598
90	Potomac School Bonner · other	Potomac Elem	60	$17,592
91	Absarokee School Absarokee · other	Absarokee Elem	79	$17,393
92	Simms High School Simms · high	Simms H S	91	$17,143
93	Drummond High School Drummond · high	Drummond H S	70	$17,115
94	Troy High School Troy · high	Troy H S	132	$17,079
95	Harlem Elementary School Harlem · other	Harlem Elem	350	$16,993
96	Harlem 7-8 Harlem · middle	Harlem Elem	104	$16,993
97	F E Miley School Big Sandy · other	Big Sandy K-12	94	$16,989
98	Big Sandy High School Big Sandy · high	Big Sandy K-12	59	$16,989
99	Highwood School Highwood · other	Highwood K-12	62	$16,931
100	Fort Shaw Elem School Fort Shaw · other	Sun River Valley Elem	88	$16,922

Per-pupil expenditure from NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22). Figures are district-wide averages. View national school spending rankings.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.