| Vital Statistics |
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| Public schools | 858 |
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| Public school teachers | 10,301 |
| Pre-K-12 students | 148,356 |
| Annual pre-K-12 expenditures | $1.1 billion |
| Minority students | 14.9% |
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| Children in poverty | 19% |
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| Students with disabilities | 13% |
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| English-language learners | 4.5% |
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Summary of Grades
Montana scores below average on all four of the graded policy categories in Quality Counts.
The state lags far behind in standards and accountability, ranking second-to-last in the nation. Montana’s English, mathematics, and social studies standards have not been rated clear and specific by the American Federation of Teachers. In addition, the state does not sanction or provide assistance to all low-performing schools.
Montana also falls below average in efforts to improve teacher quality. Montana is one of only three states that do not require prospective teachers to pass basic-skills, subject-knowledge, or subject-specific-pedagogy tests for their initial licenses. Montana also lacks key policies for holding teacher-preparation institutions accountable for the success of their graduates in the classroom.
Montana outscores only a handful of states in school climate. Its grade suffers in this area partly because it lacks all of the schoolsafety policies that are tracked in Quality Counts. The state has no law that enforces specific penalties for school violence and no regulations or funding related to reducing school bullying or harassment.
Montana is among the lowest-performing states In resource equity. Its coefficient-of-variation score is second-to-worst in the nation, indicating a high level of disparity in per-pupil funding levels across school districts in the state.
| State Policy Report Card |
| Montana | Avg. State Score |
|---|
| Standards and accountability | D | B- | | Efforts to improve teacher quality | D+ | C+ | | School climate | C- | C+ | | Resource equity | D- | C | | Overall Grade | D | C+ |
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| Quality Counts Grading Breakdown |
| Standards and accountability | Points awarded | Points possible | | Standards | 19.17 | 40 | | Assessment | 22.5 | 30 | | School accountability | 21 | 30 | | 63 | 100 |
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| Efforts to improve teacher quality | Points awarded | Points possible | | Teacher education and qualifications | 25.9 | 35 | | Teacher assessment | 15 | 30 | | Professional support and training | 15 | 20 | | Accountability for teacher quality | 11.55 | 15 | | 67 | 100 |
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| School climate | Points awarded | Points possible | | Engagement | 9.5 | 15 | | School safety | 10.75 | 20 | | Parent involvement | 12.15 | 15 | | Choice and autonomy | 15 | 20 | | Class size | 8.33 | 10 | | School size | 10 | 10 | | School facilities | 5 | 10 | | 71 | 100 |
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| Resource equity | Points awarded | Points possible | | Wealth-neutrality score | 25 | 33.3 | | McLoone Index | 20.67 | 33.3 | | Coefficient of variation | 16.67 | 33.3 | | 62 | 100 |
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Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.
