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School district · Montana · LEAID 3011240

Fort Benton Elem

Fort Benton Elem sits in the lowest third of Montana districts on estimated teacher pay at $32,982 (above only 0% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Fort Benton Elem come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$32,982
Est. avg teacher salary

Well below benchmark

$11,253
Per-pupil spending
249
Students enrolled
0th
Pct. in MT
$32,982

Fort Benton Elem sits in the lowest third of Montana districts on estimated teacher pay at $32,982 (above only 0% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $32,982, below the national average of $70,245, serving 249 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Fort Benton Elem sits in the lowest third of Montana districts on estimated teacher pay at $32,982 (above only 0% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 0th percentile for Montana
  • 0th percentile nationally
  • 39% 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.
  • Fort Benton Elem ranks #140 of 140 Montana districts by estimated teacher salary and #128 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
  • -16.7% 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, Fort Benton Elem's instructional payroll puts 10.2% into special education , 3.5 points above the state median of 6.7%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Montana peer.

Program Fort Benton MT median Gap
Regular program 89.0% 90.0% -1.0 pp
Special education 10.2% 6.7% +3.5 pp
Vocational programs 0.8% 0.0% +0.8 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 3011240 · FY2023.

LEAID 3011240 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Fort Benton F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -44% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P0 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P0 national PPE-LOW $11K/pupil ENR-TINY 249 students INSTR-MID 39% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Harlowton FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $32,982 estimated average teacher salary · P0 in Montana · P0 nationally · 39% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Livingston (+$9,719est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Fort Benton

Salary neighbourhood · Fort Benton

Fort Benton trails 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 Fort Benton

Fort Benton Elem's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$32,982 0th percentile higher than 0% of 10,684 US districts

Show national distribution $30,000–$40,000: 155 US districts (1%). This entry sits in this band. $40,000–$50,000: 1,360 US districts (13%). Above this entry. $50,000–$60,000: 2,382 US districts (22%). Above this entry. $60,000–$70,000: 2,402 US districts (22%). Above this entry. $70,000–$80,000: 1,633 US districts (15%). Above this entry. $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. Fort Benton 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

Fort Benton in Montana's lower-third pay band

Same 140 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Fort Benton Elem ranks #140 of 140 Montana districts by estimated teacher salary and #128 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

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Fort Benton Elem is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Lolo Elem leads spending at $49,777 per pupil; Helena H S leads pay.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

What stands out about Fort Benton Elem

  • It ranks in the bottom 5% nationally for estimated teacher pay, above only 0% of districts.
  • Estimated teacher pay here moved -16.7% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Montana's statewide +12.5% by 29.2 points, a growth rate faster than 8% of the 277 Montana districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment grew 9.7% here, from 227 students in FY2019 to 249 in FY2023, against a national picture where far more districts shrank than grew over the same period. Growth of this kind typically arrives before the funding that follows it, so per-pupil figures often dip while a district absorbs it.
  • It is a very small district (249 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
$32,981.53

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
$36,238

+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 Fort Benton Elem

What the Numbers Say About Fort Benton Elem

Fort Benton Elem is a small school district in Montana, serving 249 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $11,253. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $32,982, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3011240 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Montana statewide average of $59,058, teacher pay in Fort Benton Elem runs materially below the state benchmark, a 44.2% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (53.0% differential). Among enrolling districts in Montana, it pays more than 0% 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, Fort Benton Elem reports $2.8M in total expenditure against $3.0M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 39% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $0.6M, special-education teacher pay is $0.1M.

How does Fort Benton Elem compare?

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

Fort Benton Elem $32,982
Billings Elem $74,295
Montana avg $59,058
National avg $70,245

Fort Benton Elem pays -55.6% less than Billings Elem · per-pupil $11,253 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, Fort Benton Elem sits closest to Harlowton K-12; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Montana City 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. Harlowton K-12
  2. Park H S
  3. Lone Rock Elem
  4. Victor K-12 Schools
  5. Canyon Creek Elem
  6. Stevensville Elem
  7. Livingston Elem
  8. Lincoln County H S
  9. Wolf Point H S
  10. Park City Elem
  11. Roundup Elem
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Montana City Elem
  2. Smith Valley Elem
  3. Lincoln County H S
  4. Big Timber Elem
  5. Independent Elem
  6. Lone Rock Elem
  7. Bigfork Elem
  8. Target Range Elem
  9. Joliet Elem
  10. Dillon Elem
  11. Elder Grove Elem

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Fort Benton Elem's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Fort Benton Elem: closest on enrollment (249 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($32,982 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

$3.0M
Total Revenue
$2.8M
Total Expenditure
$1.1M
Instruction Salaries
39% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$0.6M
Regular Program
$0.1M
Special Education
$0.0M
Vocational

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Fort Benton Elem: the regular program, special education and vocational programs. It reports no separate figure for other programs. Together they are 57% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 43% 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. At the other end, Fort Benton Elem anchors the bottom of the 65-district field, so the gap between it and the state's ceiling is close to the full spread the state average is drawn from. 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.

Fairfield Elem
$49,348
207 students
Forsyth Elem
$55,415
202 students
Independent Elem
$63,448
297 students
Thompson Falls H S
$57,882
201 students
Box Elder Elem
$71,221
303 students
Cayuse Prairie Elem
$46,300
304 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 Fort Benton Elem
What is the average teacher salary in Fort Benton Elem?

The average teacher salary in Fort Benton Elem is $32,982 (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 Fort Benton Elem teacher pay compare to the Montana average?

Fort Benton Elem pays 44.2% less than the Montana state average of $59,058. The district's average is $32,982.

How does Fort Benton Elem teacher pay compare to the national average?

Fort Benton Elem pays 53.0% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $32,982.

What is the per-pupil spending in Fort Benton Elem?

Fort Benton Elem spends approximately $11,253 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Fort Benton Elem's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 39% of Fort Benton Elem's total expenditure of $2.8M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Fort Benton 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. Fort Benton 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.