Figures released by the State of Montana indicate it costs over $10,500 to educate each student in public schools. | Shutterstock
Figures released by the State of Montana indicate it costs over $10,500 to educate each student in public schools. | Shutterstock
Figures released by the state of Montana indicate it cost an average of $10,474 to educate every student in public schools during the 2018-19 school year.
The information released in the state’s report card is required under the Every Student Succeeds Act. It provides a transparent look at the financial impact of educating students in the state’s public schools and districts.
Total school expenditures were over $1.5 billion, spent on more than 147,000 students enrolled in grades K-12 within the state. The amount spent at each school varies. Each school and district also release student expenditures in addition to grades for student achievement.
The state report card released under the act is the first opportunity for the taxpayer to see the actual cost per student for Montana. State schools are currently closed to coronavirus concerns. Dylan Klapmeier, director of communications and federal relations at the Montana Office of Public Instruction told Yellowstone Public Radio it is hoped once the pandemic passes the report will serve as the foundation for a community conversation on education.
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