operational schools · 2023–24
School district or education agency · NCES 3014820
Independent Elementary
Billings, MT
Students299
Student membership reported by NCES for 2023–24.
students in linked records
federal comparable series
per student
District, state and country
How does this district compare?
State and national figures use the same measure and reporting period. They are weighted by students or staffing whenever the source provides a denominator.
MeasureDistrictMTUnited States
Academic standing2023
53rd percentile48th percentile44th percentileThis district is 5 percentile points higher than the state figure and 9 percentile points higher than the U.S. figure.
Students chronically absent2022–23
27.7%35.9%27.8%This district is 8.2 percentage points lower than the state figure and 0.1 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Revenue per studentFY 2023
$11,508$16,089$19,509This district is $4,581 per student lower than the state figure and $8,001 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Spending per studentFY 2023
$9,953$13,612$15,859This district is $3,659 per student lower than the state figure and $5,906 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Capital outlay per studentFY 2023
$310$1,531$1,964This district is $1,221 per student lower than the state figure and $1,654 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Equipment spending per studentFY 2023
$290$510$336This district is $220 per student lower than the state figure and $46 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Special-education spending per studentFY 2023
$1,013$1,199$1,793This district is $186 per student lower than the state figure and $780 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Salaries per studentFY 2023
$5,259$7,819$8,742This district is $2,560 per student lower than the state figure and $3,483 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Benefits per studentFY 2023
$1,596$2,427$3,769This district is $831 per student lower than the state figure and $2,173 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Debt outstanding per studentFY 2023
$4,899$10,437$11,715This district is $5,538 per student lower than the state figure and $6,816 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Debt retired per studentFY 2023
$724$540$869This district is $184 per student higher than the state figure and $145 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Students per teacher2023–24
16:114:115:1This district is 2.0 students per teacher higher than the state figure and 1.0 students per teacher higher than the U.S. figure.
Students per counselor2023–24
299:1288:1376:1This district is 11 students per counselor higher than the state figure and 77 students per counselor lower than the U.S. figure.
District staff per 1,000 students2023–24
111.9145.3138.9This district is 33.4 staff per 1,000 students lower than the state figure and 27.0 staff per 1,000 students lower than the U.S. figure.
Instructional aides per 1,000 students2023–24
18.219.118.5This district is 0.9 aides per 1,000 students lower than the state figure and 0.3 aides per 1,000 students lower than the U.S. figure.
School psychologists per 1,000 students2023–24
0.01.00.9This district is 1.0 psychologists per 1,000 students lower than the state figure and 0.9 psychologists per 1,000 students lower than the U.S. figure.
Pre-K students as a share of enrollment2023–24
2.7%0.7%2.9%This district is 2.0 percentage points higher than the state figure and 0.2 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Students learning English2021–22 · reporting schools
0.3%6.5%12.0%This district is 6.1 percentage points lower than the state figure and 11.7 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Students receiving IDEA services2021–22 · reporting schools
14.3%13.7%14.0%This district is 0.7 percentage points higher than the state figure and 0.3 percentage points higher than the U.S. figure.
Students with Section 504 plans2021–22 · reporting schools
1.3%3.6%3.9%This district is 2.3 percentage points lower than the state figure and 2.6 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Teachers reported as certified2021–22 · reporting schools
100.0%97.7%95.8%This district is 2.3 percentage points higher than the state figure and 4.2 percentage points higher than the U.S. figure.
Enrollment change2021–22 to 2023–24
-1.0%-0.1%+0.5%This district is 0.9 percentage points lower than the state figure and 1.5 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Out-of-school suspension rate · students without disabilities2021–22 · matched enrollment
0.0%3.6%4.5%This district is 3.6 percentage points lower than the state figure and 4.5 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Out-of-school suspension rate · students receiving IDEA services2021–22 · matched enrollment
0.0%6.8%9.0%This district is 6.8 percentage points lower than the state figure and 9.0 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Out-of-school suspension rate · students with Section 504 plans2021–22 · matched enrollment
0.0%3.1%6.7%This district is 3.1 percentage points lower than the state figure and 6.7 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
School-age children in poverty2024 Census estimate
4.8%10.6%14.4%This district is 5.8 percentage points lower than the state figure and 9.6 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Enrollment · 2023–24
Who attends this district?
Pre-K8 students
2.7%Kindergarten–grade 5250 students
83.6%Grades 6–841 students
13.7%See enrollment for every grade
Pre-Kindergarten8
Kindergarten34
Grade 134
Grade 242
Grade 346
Grade 450
Grade 544
Grade 641
Students by race and ethnicity
Final NCES Common Core of Data membership file, 2023–24. Suppressed or missing cells are not estimated.
Early learning · 2023–24
How much public pre-K is reported?
Pre-K students as a share of district enrollment
Final NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2023–24. Enrollment shows children attending district-run public pre-K. It does not show open seats, waitlists, private providers, program hours, eligibility or the cost to families.
Current staffing · 2023–24
How many staff members support students?
See detailed staffing
Kindergarten teachers2.2 FTE
Elementary teachers16.2 FTE
Elementary school counselors1 FTE
Instructional coordinators0 FTE
District administrators1.2 FTE
Other support staff5.6 FTE
Final NCES Common Core of Data staff file, 2023–24. These are full-time-equivalent positions, not employee headcounts, vacancies or caseloads.
Learning support · 2021–22 federal snapshot
How many students may need specialized support?
Counts and shares use only schools with a usable value for that measure. The reporting-school denominator prevents missing schools from being counted as zero.
0.3%Students learning English1 students · 1 of 1 schools reported both this measure and enrollment
14.3%Students receiving IDEA special-education services43 students · 1 of 1 schools reported both this measure and enrollment
1.3%Students with Section 504 plans4 students · 1 of 1 schools reported both this measure and enrollment
0.0%English learners also receiving IDEA services0 students · 1 of 1 schools reported both this measure and enrollment
U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021–22. Public-use counts are privacy-protected. These figures describe the reporting year, not current enrollment, diagnoses, service quality or unmet need.
Teacher quality and early learning · 2021–22
What did the district report about teachers and preschool?
Teacher certification comparison
U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021–22. Certification status is district-reported and may not match current staffing. Preschool counts cover the federal reporting year and are not a measure of available seats.
Community context · 2024
How many school-age children live in poverty?
This Census estimate provides context about families in the district. It does not measure school quality or describe every student enrolled in the district.
U.S. Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. The estimate covers related children ages 5 to 17 in families in poverty and uses 2024–25 district boundaries.
District geography · 2024–25
What area does this district cover?
NCES publishes a geographic boundary for traditional school districts. Charter agencies and some special-purpose agencies may not have one.
Loading the official district boundary…
Source: NCES EDGE School District Boundaries, school year 2024–25.
Comparable districts
Districts serving a similar student population
These peers are matched using enrollment and available student population measures. Districts in MT receive geographic preference, but a closer national match may appear when it is more comparable. Open any profile for a full comparison.
Jefferson H SBoulder, MT297 studentsSimilar enrollment, community poverty, special-education enrollment · View profile →Cayuse Prairie ElementaryKalispell, MT306 studentsSimilar enrollment, community poverty, special-education enrollment · View profile →Big Timber ElementaryBig Timber, MT305 studentsSimilar enrollment, community poverty, special-education enrollment · View profile →Anaconda H SAnaconda, MT298 studentsSimilar enrollment, community poverty, special-education enrollment · View profile →Lincoln County H SEureka, MT305 studentsSimilar enrollment, community poverty, special-education enrollment · View profile →
District makeup
What kinds of schools are in the district?
School levels, settings and types use the NCES 2021–22 directory matched to the federal civil-rights collection.
District finances
How is the district funded, and how does it spend?
Sources of funds
Where the money comes from
Share of district revenue supplied by each level of government.
Uses of funds
Where the money goes
Annual spending for each enrolled student.
Revenue by source: percentages and dollars
How operating money was used
People costs
Equipment, buildings and debt
Selected federal program revenue
What changed since FY 2022
FY 2022$9,560
→FY 2023$9,953
FY 2022$132
→FY 2023$310
FY 2022$5,530
→FY 2023$4,899
Revenue shares and spending categories answer different questions and should not be added together. Source: NCES F-33 district finance, FY 2023.
Attendance
How has chronic absence changed?
66 of 288 students
124 of 302 students
82 of 296 students
Specialized support and security · 2021–22
What specialized roles were reported?
Staffing is reported as full-time equivalents in the 2021–22 CRDC collection.
Learning opportunities
What do district schools offer?
Gifted programs1 reporting schools
100%
Shares use only schools for which the program was applicable and reported. A districtwide percentage does not guarantee availability at every grade or campus. Source: 2021–22 CRDC.
Safety and discipline
What was reported across district schools?
0Out-of-school suspensions1 reporting schoolsSee schools →0In-school suspensions1 reporting schoolsSee schools →0Law-enforcement referrals1 reporting schoolsSee schools →0School-related arrests1 reporting schoolsSee schools →
Counts are from the 2021–22 CRDC collection. Open a measure to see the schools behind the district total.
Technology and safety · 2021–22
What access and incident data is available?
Technology and incident figures are from the 2021–22 CRDC collection. Device counts describe the reporting year, not current inventory.
Six questions parents ask
What the available data says
Each answer shows its reporting year and opens a deeper comparison. Missing and suppressed results are never shown as zero.
Are students making academic progress?3 years of resultsLatest research estimate: 2023Explore and compare →Are students missing too much school?27.7% chronically absent2022–23 · 296 students measuredExplore and compare →Is the district improving?Declined overallCompare the earliest and latest available yearsExplore and compare →Where are student-group gaps largest?No comparable group resultSuppressed or unavailableExplore and compare →How much does the district spend?$9,953current spending per studentExplore and compare →Does the district have enough support staff?299:1 counselor ratioStudents per counselor in the 2023–24 federal staffing fileExplore and compare →
8 of 8 national data layers are matched to this NCES district ID. Identity and school counts use NCES records. Academic estimates use SEDA, attendance uses EDFacts, finance uses NCES F-33, staffing and enrollment use 2023–24 NCES CCD where available, teacher certification, preschool and policy fields use the 2021–22 CRDC, and community poverty context uses Census SAIPE. Four-year graduation rates use 2022–23 EDFacts. Every detailed view preserves its reporting year.
See all sources →