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School district · Montana · LEAID 3016200

Laurel Elem

Laurel Elem's estimated average teacher salary is $61,853 against a Montana statewide mean of $59,058. Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Laurel Elem come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$61,853
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$13,976
Per-pupil spending
1,272
Students enrolled
64th
Pct. in MT
$61,853

Laurel Elem's estimated average teacher salary is $61,853 against a Montana statewide mean of $59,058. Estimated average teacher salary is $61,853, below the national average of $70,245, serving 1,272 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Mid-pack pay posture: Laurel Elem's estimated average teacher salary is $61,853 against a Montana statewide mean of $59,058.
  • 64th percentile for Montana
  • 41st percentile nationally
  • 34% 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.
  • Laurel Elem ranks #51 of 140 Montana districts by estimated teacher salary and #83 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
  • +39.9% 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, Laurel Elem's instructional payroll puts 92.6% into regular program , 2.6 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 Laurel Elem MT median Gap
Regular program 92.6% 90.0% +2.6 pp
Special education 7.4% 6.7% +0.6 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 3016200 · FY2023.

LEAID 3016200 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Laurel Elem F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-ABOVE +5% vs state RANK-ST-MID P64 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P41 national PPE-LOW $14K/pupil ENR-SMALL 1,272 students INSTR-LOW 34% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Libby FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $61,853 estimated average teacher salary · P64 in Montana · P41 nationally · 34% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Libby (+$55est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Laurel Elem

Salary neighbourhood · Laurel Elem

Laurel Elem sits mid-pack among in-state peers; the chart brackets it between the top and bottom pay poles (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 Laurel Elem

Laurel Elem's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$61,853 41st percentile higher than 41% 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. Laurel 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 Laurel Elem

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +39.9% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Montana's statewide +12.5% by 27.4 points, a growth rate faster than 95% of the 277 Montana districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 1,445 to 1,272 students (12.0% down) across FY2019–FY2023 while the instructional salary pool per teacher went up. Districts on that path are usually holding staffing steady against a falling roll, which lifts the per-teacher figure without anyone getting a raise, so read this page's salary estimate alongside the enrolment line rather than on its own.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$61,853.395

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
$67,960

+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 Laurel Elem

What the Numbers Say About Laurel Elem

Laurel Elem is a small school district in Montana, serving 1,272 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $13,976. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $61,853, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3016200 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Montana statewide average of $59,058, teacher pay in Laurel Elem runs roughly in line with the state benchmark, a 4.7% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (11.9% differential). Among enrolling districts in Montana, it pays more than 64% 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, Laurel Elem reports $17.8M in total expenditure against $17.1M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 34% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $4.7M, special-education teacher pay is $0.4M.

How does Laurel Elem compare?

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

Laurel Elem $61,853
Billings Elem $74,295
Montana avg $59,058
National avg $70,245

Laurel Elem pays -16.7% less than Billings Elem · per-pupil $13,976 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, Laurel Elem sits closest to Libby K-12 Schools; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Elysian 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. Libby K-12 Schools
  2. Stevensville H S
  3. Hardin Elem
  4. Colstrip Elem
  5. Dillon Elem
  6. Columbia Falls Elem
  7. Havre H S
  8. Target Range Elem
  9. Browning Elem
  10. Polson H S
  11. Hellgate Elem
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Elysian Elem
  2. Libby K-12 Schools
  3. Columbus Elem
  4. Ronan Elem
  5. Dawson H S
  6. Columbia Falls H S
  7. Polson Elem
  8. Ronan H S
  9. Flathead H S
  10. Florence-Carlton K-12 Schls
  11. Kalispell Elem

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Nationwide districts with profiles like Laurel Elem

Two out-of-state peer sets for Laurel Elem: closest on enrollment (1,272 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($61,853 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

$17.1M
Total Revenue
$17.8M
Total Expenditure
$6.1M
Instruction Salaries
34% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$4.7M
Regular Program
$0.4M
Special Education

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 2 programs in Laurel Elem: the regular program and special education. It reports no separate figure for vocational programs and other programs. Together they are 83% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 17% 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. Laurel Elem places 34 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

The bar behind each salary shows its magnitude within this Montana sample (including Laurel Elem). Hover or focus a value for the exact comparison.

Whitefish H S
$85,560
581 students
Target Range Elem
$62,787
574 students
Browning H S
$49,653
563 students
Shepherd Elem
$50,579
562 students
Somers Elem
$52,956
555 students
Cut Bank Elem
$56,837
551 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 Laurel Elem
What is the average teacher salary in Laurel Elem?

The average teacher salary in Laurel Elem is $61,853 (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 Laurel Elem teacher pay compare to the Montana average?

Laurel Elem pays 4.7% more than the Montana state average of $59,058. The district's average is $61,853.

How does Laurel Elem teacher pay compare to the national average?

Laurel Elem pays 11.9% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $61,853.

What is the per-pupil spending in Laurel Elem?

Laurel Elem spends approximately $13,976 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 34% of Laurel Elem's total expenditure of $17.8M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Laurel 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. Laurel 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.