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School district · Montana · LEAID 3027740

Whitefish Elem

Whitefish Elem sits in the highest third of Montana districts on estimated teacher pay at $84,945 (above 97% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Whitefish Elem come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$84,945
Est. avg teacher salary

Well above benchmark

$13,388
Per-pupil spending
1,313
Students enrolled
97th
Pct. in MT
$84,945

Whitefish Elem sits in the highest third of Montana districts on estimated teacher pay at $84,945 (above 97% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $84,945, above the national average of $70,245, serving 1,313 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Upper-third pay in state: Whitefish Elem sits in the highest third of Montana districts on estimated teacher pay at $84,945 (above 97% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 97th percentile for Montana
  • 80th percentile nationally
  • 44% 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.
  • Whitefish Elem ranks #4 of 140 Montana districts by estimated teacher salary and #96 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
  • +50.2% 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, Whitefish Elem's instructional payroll puts 12.9% into special education , 6.2 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 Whitefish Elem MT median Gap
Regular program 85.7% 90.0% -4.3 pp
Special education 12.9% 6.7% +6.2 pp
Vocational programs 1.4% 0.0% +1.4 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 3027740 · FY2023.

LEAID 3027740 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Whitefish Elem F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +44% vs state RANK-ST-TOP P97 in state RANK-NAT-MID P80 national PPE-LOW $13K/pupil ENR-SMALL 1,313 students INSTR-MID 44% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Helena FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $84,945 estimated average teacher salary · P97 in Montana · P80 nationally · 44% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Helena ($578est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Whitefish Elem

Salary neighbourhood · Whitefish Elem

Whitefish Elem 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 Whitefish Elem

Whitefish Elem's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$84,945 Top 20% higher than 80% 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%). Below this entry. $80,000–$90,000: 1,097 US districts (10%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Whitefish 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

Whitefish Elem in Montana's upper-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 Whitefish Elem ranks #4 of 140 Montana districts by estimated teacher salary and #96 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

Whitefish 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 Whitefish Elem

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +50.2% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Montana's statewide +12.5% by 37.7 points, a growth rate faster than 97% of the 277 Montana districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$84,944.706

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
$93,331

+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 Whitefish Elem

What the Numbers Say About Whitefish Elem

Whitefish Elem is a small school district in Montana, serving 1,313 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $13,388. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $84,945, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3027740 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Montana statewide average of $59,058, teacher pay in Whitefish Elem runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 43.8% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (20.9% differential). Among enrolling districts in Montana, it pays more than 97% 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, Whitefish Elem reports $17.6M in total expenditure against $19.3M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 44% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $6.6M, special-education teacher pay is $1.0M.

How does Whitefish Elem compare?

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

Whitefish Elem $84,945
Billings Elem $74,295
Montana avg $59,058
National avg $70,245

Whitefish Elem pays +14.3% more than Billings Elem · per-pupil $13,388 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, Whitefish Elem sits closest to Helena Elem; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Lockwood K-12. 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. Helena Elem
  2. Whitefish H S
  3. Evergreen Elem
  4. Missoula H S
  5. Bozeman H S
  6. Kalispell Elem
  7. Bozeman Elem
  8. Flathead H S
  9. Rocky Boy Elem
  10. Polson Elem
  11. Poplar Elem
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Lockwood K-12
  2. Miles City Elem
  3. Custer County H S
  4. Whitehall Elem
  5. Helena H S
  6. Plains K-12
  7. Kalispell Elem
  8. Florence-Carlton K-12 Schls
  9. Flathead H S
  10. Ronan H S
  11. Deer Lodge Elem

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Whitefish Elem's pay band

Two out-of-state peer sets for Whitefish Elem: closest on enrollment (1,313 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($84,945 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

$19.3M
Total Revenue
$17.6M
Total Expenditure
$7.8M
Instruction Salaries
44% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$6.6M
Regular Program
$1.0M
Special Education
$0.1M
Vocational

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Whitefish Elem: 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. Whitefish Elem sits in the upper quarter of that field at 4 of 64, nearer the ceiling than the floor. 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 Whitefish Elem). Hover or focus a value for the exact comparison.

Columbia Falls Elem
$62,457
1,562 students
Belgrade H S
$58,705
994 students
Hamilton K-12 Schools
$59,851
1,666 students
Miles City Elem
$49,480
953 students
Lockwood K-12
$56,644
1,718 students
Lewistown Elem
$58,291
888 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 Whitefish Elem
What is the average teacher salary in Whitefish Elem?

The average teacher salary in Whitefish Elem is $84,945 (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 Whitefish Elem teacher pay compare to the Montana average?

Whitefish Elem pays 43.8% more than the Montana state average of $59,058. The district's average is $84,945.

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

Whitefish Elem pays 20.9% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $84,945.

What is the per-pupil spending in Whitefish Elem?

Whitefish Elem spends approximately $13,388 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 44% of Whitefish Elem's total expenditure of $17.6M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Whitefish 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. Whitefish 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.