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School district · Montana · LEAID 3027790

Whitefish H S

Whitefish H S is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Montana districts (581 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Whitefish H S come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$85,560
Est. avg teacher salary

Well above benchmark

$15,055
Per-pupil spending
581
Students enrolled
98th
Pct. in MT
$85,560

Whitefish H S is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Montana districts (581 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $85,560, above the national average of $70,245, serving 581 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Whitefish H S is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Montana districts (581 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 98th percentile for Montana
  • 80th percentile nationally
  • 42% 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 H S ranks #3 of 140 Montana districts by estimated teacher salary and #65 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
  • +27.3% 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

$3,656,000 ÷ 42.73 reported teacher FTE = $85,560

  • Regular program $2,884,000 · 78.9%
  • Special education $491,000 · 13.4%
  • Vocational programs $281,000 · 7.7%

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, Whitefish H S's instructional payroll puts 78.9% into regular program , 11.1 points below the state median of 90.0%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Whitefish H MT median Gap
Regular program 78.9% 90.0% -11.1 pp
Special education 13.4% 6.7% +6.7 pp
Vocational programs 7.7% 0.0% +7.7 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 3027790 · FY2023.

LEAID 3027790 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Whitefish H F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +45% vs state RANK-ST-TOP P98 in state RANK-NAT-MID P80 national PPE-MID $15K/pupil ENR-SMALL 581 students INSTR-MID 42% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Whitefish FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $85,560 estimated average teacher salary · P98 in Montana · P80 nationally · 42% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Whitefish ($616est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Whitefish H

Salary neighbourhood · Whitefish H

Whitefish H 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 H

Whitefish H S's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$85,560 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 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

Whitefish H 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 H S ranks #3 of 140 Montana districts by estimated teacher salary and #65 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 H S 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 H S

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +27.3% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Montana's statewide +12.5% by 14.7 points, a growth rate faster than 86% of the 277 Montana districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment grew 10.9% here, from 524 students in FY2019 to 581 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
$85,560.496

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
$94,008

+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 H S

What the Numbers Say About Whitefish H S

Whitefish H S is a small school district in Montana, serving 581 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $15,055. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $85,560, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3027790 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 H S runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 44.9% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (21.8% differential). Among enrolling districts in Montana, it pays more than 98% 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 H S reports $8.7M in total expenditure against $9.7M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 42% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $2.9M, special-education teacher pay is $0.5M.

How does Whitefish 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.

Whitefish H S $85,560
Billings Elem $74,295
Montana avg $59,058
National avg $70,245

Whitefish H S pays +15.2% more than Billings Elem · per-pupil $15,055 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 H S sits closest to Whitefish Elem; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Centerville 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. Whitefish Elem
  2. Evergreen Elem
  3. Rocky Boy Elem
  4. Polson Elem
  5. Arlee Elem
  6. Columbus H S
  7. Poplar Elem
  8. Anaconda Elem
  9. Harlem Elem
  10. Box Elder Elem
  11. Columbia Falls H S
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Centerville Elem
  2. Polson H S
  3. Cut Bank Elem
  4. Glendive Elem
  5. Livingston Elem
  6. Clinton Elem
  7. Conrad Elem
  8. Shelby Elem
  9. West Yellowstone K-12
  10. Columbus H S
  11. Chinook Elem

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Whitefish H S's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Whitefish H S: closest on enrollment (581 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($85,560 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

$9.7M
Total Revenue
$8.7M
Total Expenditure
$3.7M
Instruction Salaries
42% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$2.9M
Regular Program
$0.5M
Special Education
$0.3M
Vocational

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Whitefish 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. Only third place separates it from the ceiling: among the 64 districts of comparable size, Whitefish H S is paid at the very top of the state, and the state average sits well below it. 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.

Glendive Elem
$64,581
782 students
Target Range Elem
$62,787
574 students
Poplar Elem
$73,007
596 students
Browning H S
$49,653
563 students
Shepherd Elem
$50,579
562 students
Somers Elem
$52,956
555 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 H S
What is the average teacher salary in Whitefish H S?

The average teacher salary in Whitefish H S is $85,560 (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 H S teacher pay compare to the Montana average?

Whitefish H S pays 44.9% more than the Montana state average of $59,058. The district's average is $85,560.

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

Whitefish H S pays 21.8% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $85,560.

What is the per-pupil spending in Whitefish H S?

Whitefish H S spends approximately $15,055 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 42% of Whitefish H S's total expenditure of $8.7M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Whitefish 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. Whitefish 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.