State profile · NCES F-33 FY2022
Montana Teacher Salaries
Estimated teacher pay and per-pupil spending across 315 public school districts in Montana, from the NCES Common Core of Data finance survey.
- $76,056
- Est. state avg salary
- -7.6%
- vs national
- #31
- National rank
- 315
- Districts
What does the NCES F-33 data show for Montana?
Montana reports 315 public school districts in the NCES Common Core of Data FY2022 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, with an estimated average teacher salary of $76,056. That places the state in the middle third of US teacher-pay rankings — #31 of 51, below the national F-33 estimate of $82,292 (-7.6%). The state's public schools serve 148,055 students across these districts.
Among enrolling districts, pay varies widely: Box Elder Elem reports the highest estimated average salary at $134,846, while Elder Grove Elem sits at the lower end at $50,438 — a spread of $84,408 between top and bottom reporting districts. Licensing rules, state aid formulas, collective bargaining density, and local tax bases all drive this intra-state variation. Urban and suburban districts with larger tax bases typically lead, while rural districts often lag despite lower cost of living.
Teacher compensation here reflects both state policy choices — the statutory minimum salary schedule, pension funding levels, licensure reciprocity — and the funding formula that determines how much state aid each district receives per pupil. A #31 national rank signals where Montana sits in the competition for teachers against neighboring states; teacher shortage areas typically correlate with lower pay rank. Figures below are per-district estimates derived from the F-33 instructional salary expenditure field (Z33) divided by estimated teacher FTE — a district-level aggregate, not individual salary records.
Highest-paying districts in Montana
Estimated average teacher salary, enrolling districts (200+ students)
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$134,846 Est. avg salary
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$124,665 Est. avg salary
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$116,434 Est. avg salary
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$115,440 Est. avg salary
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$114,067 Est. avg salary
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$110,608 Est. avg salary
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$102,033 Est. avg salary
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$101,489 Est. avg salary
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$101,093 Est. avg salary
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$99,531 Est. avg salary
What this shows Box Elder Elem leads Montana on the F-33 instructional-salary estimate. Service entities (CTCs, county offices) are excluded — their enrollment-based ratios are not reliable salary figures.
Districts by Estimated Teacher Salary
| District | Est. Avg Salary | Enrollment | Per-Pupil Exp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box Elder Elem | $134,846 | 292 | $26,017 |
| Poplar Elem | $124,665 | 627 | $22,780 |
| Browning Elem | $116,434 | 1,203 | $25,505 |
| Arlee Elem | $115,440 | 273 | $21,758 |
| Heart Butte K-12 Schools | $114,067 | 225 | $27,284 |
| Rocky Boy Elem | $110,608 | 452 | $22,832 |
| Troy Elem | $102,033 | 273 | $18,839 |
| Helena H S | $101,489 | 2,478 | $14,301 |
| Harlem Elem | $101,093 | 453 | $17,766 |
| Baker K-12 Schools | $99,531 | 480 | $18,408 |
| St Ignatius K-12 Schools | $97,737 | 475 | $18,086 |
| Harlowton K-12 | $96,101 | 268 | $18,854 |
| Colstrip Elem | $95,772 | 395 | $19,152 |
| Hays-Lodge Pole K-12 Schls | $95,365 | 288 | $24,535 |
| Chinook Elem | $93,846 | 234 | $16,654 |
| Evergreen Elem | $91,944 | 702 | $16,500 |
| Lodge Grass Elem | $91,168 | 244 | $20,980 |
| Helena Elem | $90,501 | 5,181 | $14,602 |
| Choteau Elem | $90,500 | 240 | $14,754 |
| Livingston Elem | $88,408 | 848 | $16,601 |
| Poplar H S | $88,025 | 243 | $21,300 |
| Superior K-12 Schools | $87,894 | 349 | $14,226 |
| Beaverhead County H S | $87,508 | 325 | $19,172 |
| Missoula H S | $87,254 | 3,834 | $14,663 |
| Victor K-12 Schools | $87,126 | 261 | $17,230 |
| Anaconda Elem | $86,926 | 766 | $15,966 |
| Butte H S | $86,525 | 1,295 | $15,907 |
| Lame Deer Elem | $86,209 | 364 | $19,712 |
| Whitefish H S | $86,146 | 576 | $14,720 |
| Whitefish Elem | $86,003 | 1,306 | $13,037 |
| Polson H S | $84,070 | 511 | $14,616 |
| Polson Elem | $83,880 | 1,152 | $12,655 |
| Stevensville H S | $83,225 | 383 | $33,843 |
| Huntley Project K-12 Schools | $83,001 | 748 | $18,385 |
| Twin Bridges K-12 Schools | $82,286 | 210 | $17,105 |
| Missoula Elem | $82,081 | 5,385 | $13,532 |
| Plentywood K-12 Schools | $82,019 | 359 | $15,312 |
| Deer Lodge Elem | $81,900 | 400 | $13,890 |
| Wolf Point Elem | $81,818 | 528 | $16,498 |
| Billings Elem | $81,043 | 11,079 | $13,071 |
| Whitehall Elem | $80,602 | 324 | $14,065 |
| Darby K-12 Schools | $80,029 | 349 | $15,014 |
| Clinton Elem | $80,025 | 203 | $17,335 |
| Red Lodge Elem | $79,702 | 319 | $14,298 |
| Big Timber Elem | $79,369 | 333 | $9,916 |
| Bonner Elem | $78,977 | 347 | $13,899 |
| Jefferson H S | $78,041 | 291 | $17,244 |
| Kalispell Elem | $77,994 | 3,136 | $13,273 |
| Hardin Elem | $77,871 | 1,348 | $17,950 |
| Smith Valley Elem | $77,260 | 219 | $11,845 |
| Bozeman Elem | $77,101 | 4,711 | $12,124 |
| Cut Bank Elem | $76,848 | 552 | $14,025 |
| Malta K-12 Schools | $76,621 | 509 | $13,847 |
| Eureka Elem | $76,484 | 475 | $13,061 |
| Ronan Elem | $75,450 | 1,099 | $13,817 |
| Great Falls Elem | $75,323 | 7,114 | $13,469 |
| Ennis K-12 Schools | $75,292 | 411 | $14,815 |
| Manhattan High School | $75,058 | 260 | $15,431 |
| Lolo Elem | $75,000 | 538 | $64,623 |
| Forsyth Elem | $74,587 | 218 | $14,161 |
| Fairfield Elem | $74,563 | 206 | $13,874 |
| Florence-Carlton K-12 Schls | $74,502 | 813 | $21,715 |
| Big Sky School K-12 | $74,438 | 400 | $32,408 |
| Miles City Elem | $74,289 | 949 | $12,652 |
| Hellgate Elem | $74,168 | 1,478 | $12,622 |
| Columbus H S | $73,462 | 234 | $15,675 |
| Townsend K-12 Schools | $73,448 | 667 | $28,471 |
| Centerville Elem | $73,355 | 228 | $14,382 |
| Anderson Elem | $73,317 | 205 | $23,322 |
| Glasgow K-12 Schools | $73,142 | 791 | $14,058 |
| Thompson Falls Elem | $73,138 | 290 | $16,352 |
| Dawson H S | $72,933 | 341 | $13,959 |
| Laurel Elem | $72,929 | 1,275 | $13,113 |
| Roundup Elem | $72,677 | 381 | $14,394 |
| Libby K-12 Schools | $72,657 | 1,165 | $14,852 |
| Sidney H S | $72,642 | 388 | $16,168 |
| Cut Bank H S | $72,500 | 240 | $15,371 |
| West Yellowstone K-12 | $72,120 | 276 | $13,138 |
| Corvallis K-12 Schools | $71,984 | 1,323 | $12,524 |
| Dillon Elem | $71,979 | 730 | $12,023 |
| Sidney Elem | $71,919 | 886 | $11,781 |
| Somers Elem | $71,514 | 568 | $13,445 |
| Park H S | $71,055 | 422 | $17,268 |
| Belgrade Elem | $70,486 | 2,356 | $12,958 |
| Columbia Falls Elem | $69,942 | 1,551 | $25,195 |
| Shepherd H S | $69,736 | 265 | $18,928 |
| Target Range Elem | $69,322 | 568 | $11,023 |
| Shepherd Elem | $69,288 | 520 | $15,913 |
| Scobey K-12 Schools | $69,140 | 279 | $15,832 |
| Glendive Elem | $69,022 | 803 | $14,538 |
| Flathead H S | $68,782 | 3,037 | $12,062 |
| Columbus Elem | $68,753 | 461 | $14,080 |
| Three Forks Elem | $68,337 | 511 | $19,477 |
| Anaconda H S | $68,294 | 293 | $11,898 |
| Plains K-12 | $68,100 | 450 | $13,591 |
| Browning H S | $67,866 | 553 | $16,837 |
| Bigfork H S | $67,391 | 343 | $16,603 |
| Columbia Falls H S | $67,355 | 671 | $13,677 |
| Lockwood K-12 | $66,968 | 1,537 | $14,336 |
| Lone Rock Elem | $66,831 | 213 | $14,009 |
Showing top 100 of 139 enrolling districts. Specialized non-enrolling agencies (career/technical centers, county offices, service co-ops) are excluded from the salary ranking — their enrollment-based estimates are not reliable.
Compare Nearby-Ranked States
Data: NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2022. Salary estimates based on instructional expenditure variable Z33 divided by estimated teacher FTE. Not individual salary data. Read our methodology.
Related
| Publisher | PlainTeacher |
| Sources | Public official public datasets |