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School district · Montana · LEAID 3013050

Great Falls H S

Great Falls H S is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Montana districts (3,095 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Great Falls H S come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$65,774
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$12,605
Per-pupil spending
3,095
Students enrolled
77th
Pct. in MT
$65,774

Great Falls H S is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Montana districts (3,095 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $65,774, below the national average of $70,245, serving 3,095 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Large enrollment scale: Great Falls H S is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Montana districts (3,095 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 77th percentile for Montana
  • 50th percentile nationally
  • 33% 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.
  • Great Falls H S ranks #32 of 140 Montana districts by estimated teacher salary and #107 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
  • -12.1% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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How the salary estimate is built

FY2023 teacher salary expenditure

$12,851,000 ÷ 195.38 reported teacher FTE = $65,774

  • Regular program $10,944,000 · 85.2%
  • Special education $1,100,000 · 8.6%
  • Vocational programs $807,000 · 6.3%

These NCES F-33 program totals make up the numerator of the district-level average; they do not describe an individual teacher's pay or contract.

Instructional payroll mix vs Montana median

Among 317 Montana districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Great Falls H S's instructional payroll puts 6.3% into vocational programs , 6.3 points above the state median of 0.0%. That heavier vocational share usually means career/technical programs claim more of the teacher-salary pool than at a typical Montana peer.

Program Great Falls MT median Gap
Regular program 85.2% 90.0% -4.8 pp
Special education 8.6% 6.7% +1.8 pp
Vocational programs 6.3% 0.0% +6.3 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 3013050 · FY2023.

LEAID 3013050 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Great Falls F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +11% vs state RANK-ST-MID P77 in state RANK-NAT-MID P50 national PPE-LOW $13K/pupil ENR-MID 3,095 students INSTR-LOW 33% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Glendive FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $65,774 estimated average teacher salary · P77 in Montana · P50 nationally · 33% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Glendive ($1,194est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Great Falls

Salary neighbourhood · Great Falls

Great Falls 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 Great Falls

Great Falls H S's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$65,774 Top 50% higher than 50% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Great Falls H S $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 Great Falls H S

  • Estimated teacher pay here moved -12.1% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Montana's statewide +12.5% by 24.6 points, a growth rate faster than 13% of the 277 Montana districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment grew 8.1% here, from 2,864 students in FY2019 to 3,095 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.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$65,774.388

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
$72,268

+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 Great Falls H S

What the Numbers Say About Great Falls H S

Great Falls H S is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Montana, serving 3,095 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $12,605. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $65,774, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3013050 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Montana statewide average of $59,058, teacher pay in Great Falls H S runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 11.4% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (6.4% differential). Among enrolling districts in Montana, it pays more than 77% 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, Great Falls H S reports $39.0M in total expenditure against $41.3M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 33% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $10.9M, special-education teacher pay is $1.1M.

How does Great Falls H S compare?

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

Great Falls H S $65,774
Billings Elem $74,295
Montana avg $59,058
National avg $70,245

Great Falls H S pays -11.5% less than Billings Elem · per-pupil $12,605 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, Great Falls H S sits closest to Glendive Elem; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Hamilton K-12 Schools. 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. Glendive Elem
  2. Huntley Project K-12 Schools
  3. Butte Elem
  4. Belgrade Elem
  5. Ronan Elem
  6. Browning Elem
  7. Columbia Falls Elem
  8. Dillon Elem
  9. Hardin Elem
  10. Libby K-12 Schools
  11. Laurel Elem
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Hamilton K-12 Schools
  2. Belgrade H S
  3. Billings Elem
  4. Billings H S
  5. Butte Elem
  6. Hellgate Elem
  7. Sidney Elem
  8. Miles City Elem
  9. Lockwood K-12
  10. Whitefish Elem
  11. Frenchtown K-12 Schools

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Great Falls H S's enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Great Falls H S: closest on enrollment (3,095 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($65,774 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

$41.3M
Total Revenue
$39.0M
Total Expenditure
$12.9M
Instruction Salaries
33% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$10.9M
Regular Program
$1.1M
Special Education
$0.8M
Vocational

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Great Falls H S: the regular program, special education and vocational programs. It reports no separate figure for other programs. Together they are 100% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 0% 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. Great Falls H S places 22 of 64 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

Large-district sample from 139 Montana peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

Townsend K-12 Schools
$53,691
706 students
Elder Grove Elem
$50,475
689 students
Columbia Falls H S
$70,683
687 students
Monforton Elem
$59,000
669 students
Stevensville Elem
$42,329
656 students
Evergreen Elem
$84,090
651 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 Great Falls H S
What is the average teacher salary in Great Falls H S?

The average teacher salary in Great Falls H S is $65,774 (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 Great Falls H S teacher pay compare to the Montana average?

Great Falls H S pays 11.4% more than the Montana state average of $59,058. The district's average is $65,774.

How does Great Falls H S teacher pay compare to the national average?

Great Falls H S pays 6.4% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $65,774.

What is the per-pupil spending in Great Falls H S?

Great Falls H S spends approximately $12,605 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Great Falls H S's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 33% of Great Falls H S's total expenditure of $39.0M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Great Falls H S
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. Great Falls H S'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.