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A−

Bigfork Elementary School District

Public school districtGrades PK–8Regional · 3 towns

Serves Bigfork, Woods Bay and Bear Dance.

Bigfork’s School Grade B+ better than 74% of Montana school districts

Students
579
Schools
2
Spent per student
$10,729
MT $13,570
Students per teacher
16:1
Free or reduced lunch
28%
Debt
$14M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Bigfork Elementary School District

  • Its letter, A−: results better than 76% of Montana districts
  • Reading proficiency 15 pts above the state
  • Spends 21% less per student than the MT average
  • 16 students per teacher
  • Debt of $14M, about $24,180 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

A−: better than 76% of the 241 Montana school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well above the state, 2021–22
A−
The towns it serves, and their School Grades

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Bigfork. Grade by grade →

PK–52 elementary schoolsThis district
6–82 middle schoolsThis district
9–12Bigfork High SchoolBigfork High School District

Test scores vs. MT

2021–22
Math proficiency36%
State average 35.2% · 435 students tested
Reading / language arts61%
State average 45.7% · 434 students tested

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Graduation rate 92% at Bigfork High School District, which runs the high school (state 85.5%) · class of 2023.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$10,729 per student · 21% below MT
Spending
Classroom instruction 66%Support & administration 34%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 52%State 36%Federal 12%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
582’20
605’21
610’22
598’23
579’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 92%Hispanic 4%American Indian/Alaska Native 2%Two or more races 1%Asian <1%Black <1%

Schools in the district

2 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Montana’s other public schools.

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Montana.