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School district · Montana · LEAID 3004440

Box Elder Elem

Box Elder Elem is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Montana districts (303 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Box Elder Elem come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$71,221
Est. avg teacher salary

Well above benchmark

$22,119
Per-pupil spending
303
Students enrolled
84th
Pct. in MT
$71,221

Box Elder Elem is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Montana districts (303 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $71,221, near the national average of $70,245, serving 303 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Box Elder Elem is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Montana districts (303 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 84th percentile for Montana
  • 61st percentile nationally
  • 40% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Montana ranks #36 of 49 on the salary estimate and #43 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Box Elder Elem ranks #23 of 140 Montana districts by estimated teacher salary and #14 of 140 by per-pupil spending. Helena H S pay #1 at $104,507 is not Lolo Elem spending #1 at $49,777 per pupil
  • +1.9% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Montana median

Among 317 Montana districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Box Elder Elem's instructional payroll puts 93.6% into regular program , 3.6 points above the state median of 90.0%. Regular-program teachers claim more of the instructional salary pool here than at the median Montana district.

Program Box Elder MT median Gap
Regular program 93.6% 90.0% +3.6 pp
Special education 6.4% 6.7% -0.3 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 317 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 3004440 · FY2023.

LEAID 3004440 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Box Elder F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +21% vs state RANK-ST-MID P84 in state RANK-NAT-MID P61 national PPE-HIGH $22K/pupil ENR-TINY 303 students INSTR-MID 40% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Harlem FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $71,221 estimated average teacher salary · P84 in Montana · P61 nationally · 40% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Billings (+$1,400est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Box Elder

Salary neighbourhood · Box Elder

Box Elder already leads most of its in-state peer set; the chart plots it against the top and bottom pay poles for context (NCES F-33 FY2023, not a full state reprint).

est. salary
Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey As of FY2023
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Box Elder

Box Elder Elem's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$71,221 Top 39% higher than 61% of 10,684 US districts

Show national distribution $30,000–$40,000: 155 US districts (1%). Below this entry. $40,000–$50,000: 1,360 US districts (13%). Below this entry. $50,000–$60,000: 2,382 US districts (22%). Below this entry. $60,000–$70,000: 2,402 US districts (22%). Below this entry. $70,000–$80,000: 1,633 US districts (15%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$90,000: 1,097 US districts (10%). Above this entry. $90,000–$100,000: 662 US districts (6%). Above this entry. $100,000–$110,000: 371 US districts (3%). Above this entry. $110,000–$120,000: 249 US districts (2%). Above this entry. $120,000–$130,000: 156 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $130,000–$140,000: 112 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $140,000–$150,000: 57 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $150,000–$160,000: 25 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $160,000–$170,000: 13 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $170,000–$180,000: 10 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $180,000–$190,000: 0 US districts (0%). Above this entry. Box Elder Elem $30,000 $190,000 every reliable-salary US district, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $10K-wide band; taller bars hold more US districts. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 · FY2023

What stands out about Box Elder Elem

  • Estimated teacher pay here moved +1.9% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Montana's statewide +12.5% by 10.7 points, a growth rate faster than 33% of the 277 Montana districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • It is a very small district (303 students), where the enrollment-based salary estimate is more sensitive to staffing mix.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$71,220.557

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Montana price level
91.0 / 100

BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.

National-price equivalent
$78,252

+10% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Montana run below the national average, so this salary has roughly the buying power of the national-price equivalent above. A district in a costlier state can advertise a larger nominal salary and still leave a teacher with less.

Regional price parity: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2023 all-items RPP by state. The adjustment applies a statewide index to a district figure, so it captures how Montana compares nationally, not how this district compares with others in its own state. Compare every state on this basis.

How this salary figure is calculated
Full NCES reading for Box Elder Elem

What the Numbers Say About Box Elder Elem

Box Elder Elem is a small school district in Montana, serving 303 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $22,119. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $71,221, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3004440 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Montana statewide average of $59,058, teacher pay in Box Elder Elem runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 20.6% gap, and near the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (1.4% differential). Among enrolling districts in Montana, it pays more than 84% of them. Montana itself ranks #36 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Box Elder Elem reports $6.7M in total expenditure against $7.6M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 40% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $1.6M, special-education teacher pay is $0.1M.

How does Box Elder Elem compare?

Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Montana average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.

Box Elder Elem $71,221
Billings Elem $74,295
Montana avg $59,058
National avg $70,245

Box Elder Elem pays -4.1% less than Billings Elem · per-pupil $22,119 vs $12,841

Derived from NCES F-33 teacher salary expenditure (Z35-Z38) and CCD Staff Universe teacher FTE (FY2023); a small minority use the documented fallback. Unreliable service entities are excluded.

Data-derived comparison paths

Find comparable Montana districts

On pay, Box Elder Elem sits closest to Harlem Elem; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Lame Deer Elem. These are not simply nearby districts: each group is selected from the same NCES FY2023 dataset using a matching salary or per-pupil-investment signal and a comparable enrollment range.

Closest on estimated pay
  1. Harlem Elem
  2. Columbia Falls H S
  3. Lame Deer Elem
  4. Baker K-12 Schools
  5. Anaconda Elem
  6. Beaverhead County H S
  7. Poplar Elem
  8. Columbus H S
  9. Arlee Elem
  10. Polson Elem
  11. Fergus H S
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Lame Deer Elem
  2. Townsend K-12 Schools
  3. Lodge Grass Elem
  4. Rocky Boy Elem
  5. Arlee Elem
  6. Baker K-12 Schools
  7. Three Forks Elem
  8. Twin Bridges K-12 Schools
  9. Beaverhead County H S
  10. Harlowton K-12
  11. Browning H S

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Box Elder Elem's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Box Elder Elem: closest on enrollment (303 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($71,221 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood.

Similar enrollment

Nearest other districts by NCES student count (floored at ≥200).

Similar estimated salary

Nearest other districts by F-33-derived average teacher salary, distinct from the enrollment row.

Enrollment and salaries from NCES CCD F-33; estimated teacher pay can diverge widely at the same student count because of state funding, cost of living, and local bargaining.

Revenue & Expenditure

$7.6M
Total Revenue
$6.7M
Total Expenditure
$2.7M
Instruction Salaries
40% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$1.6M
Regular Program
$0.1M
Special Education

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 2 programs in Box Elder Elem: the regular program and special education. It reports no separate figure for vocational programs and other programs. Together they are 62% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 38% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Montana Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Montana districts belongs to Helena H S at $104,507. Box Elder Elem places 19 of 65 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. New Mexico and Missouri are the states closest to Montana on BEA's price parity, which makes them the fair comparison; against a costlier state this salary goes further than its number suggests.

View all Montana districts →

Other Montana Districts

Smaller-district sample from 139 Montana peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Joliet Elem
$47,202
270 students
Beaverhead County H S
$69,966
339 students
Conrad Elem
$56,014
342 students
Dawson H S
$47,469
343 students
Harlowton K-12
$40,075
258 students
Stevensville H S
$62,013
349 students

This is a sample of 6 from 139 Montana districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Box Elder Elem
What is the average teacher salary in Box Elder Elem?

The average teacher salary in Box Elder Elem is $71,221 (NCES CCD FY2023), from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by the district's reported teacher headcount (NCES CCD Staff Universe Survey).

How does Box Elder Elem teacher pay compare to the Montana average?

Box Elder Elem pays 20.6% more than the Montana state average of $59,058. The district's average is $71,221.

How does Box Elder Elem teacher pay compare to the national average?

Box Elder Elem pays 1.4% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $71,221.

What is the per-pupil spending in Box Elder Elem?

Box Elder Elem spends approximately $22,119 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Box Elder Elem's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 40% of Box Elder Elem's total expenditure of $6.7M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Box Elder Elem
Disclaimer & data sources

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainTeacher

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Editorial standards & source notes

According to the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, PlainTeacher's figures are computed directly, no number is typed in by an editor. Box Elder Elem's salary and finance figures are computed directly from its FY2023 F-33 submission, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Data current as of FY2023.