Big Horn County Schools & Education
Big Horn County, Montana
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
31/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
74.8%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
74.8%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 83.7%
Per-Pupil Spending
$7,791
National avg $13,239
State avg $9,334
School Score
31/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 55/100
State Score Position
#54
of 56 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Big Horn County
Measured School Summary
Big Horn County faces educational challenges with a school score of 31/100 and a graduation rate of 74.8%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $7,791 per pupil, Big Horn County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 43% below the Montana average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 8.9 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 17% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Big Horn County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
15 public schools and 8 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
31/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #54 of 56 Montana counties with school score data.
Completion
74.8%
8.9 pts below the state average
Funding context
$7,791
$1,543 below the state average
School coverage
15
8 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Big Horn County has 15 public schools across 8 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Big Horn County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Review-carefully county
Big Horn County has a lower measured county-level school signal. Use the school table to look for specific districts or grade bands that may differ from the county average.
State position
#54
of 56 Montana counties with school score data. The county score is 24 points below the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Hardin Elem
Elementary and middle visible
1,284 students
5 listed schools in this county slice.
Hardin H S
High school only in this slice
512 students
1 listed school in this county slice.
Lodge Grass Elem
Elementary and middle visible
274 students
2 listed schools in this county slice.
Lodge Grass H S
High school only in this slice
172 students
1 listed school in this county slice.
District reality check
Hardin Elem is the largest listed district slice, with 5 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Big Horn County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Big Horn County district systems?
Where do students transition after the visible grade band, and is that next school inside the same district path?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Big Horn County Per-Pupil Spending Below State and National Averages
Education data brief for Big Horn County, Montana.
Big Horn County reports a per-pupil expenditure of $7,791, a figure significantly lower than the Montana state average of $9,334 and the national average of approximately $13,000. The county’s graduation rate of 74.8% is below the state average of 83.7% and the national benchmark of 87.0%. Additionally, the composite school score for the county is 31.1, compared to a state average of 55.0 and a national median of 50.0. NCES data shows the county manages 15 public schools with a total enrollment of 2,466 students. The largest district is Hardin Elementary, which serves 1,284 students across five schools, including Hardin Primary and Hardin Intermediate. The school landscape is entirely rural and town-based with no charter presence. Compare district boundaries before drawing conclusions.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
15
in Big Horn County
Reported Enrollment
2,466
15 schools reporting
School Districts
8
districts
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
8 School Districts in Big Horn County
Hardin Elem
Hardin H S
Lodge Grass Elem
Lodge Grass H S
Wyola Elem
Pryor Elem
Plenty Coups H S
Spring Creek Elem
15 Public Schools in Big Horn County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 15 of 15 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin High School | Record | Hardin H S | Hardin, 59034Town: Remote | 9–12 | High | 512 |
| Hardin Middle School | Record | Hardin Elem | Hardin, 59034Town: Remote | 6–8 | Middle | 404 |
| Hardin Primary | Record | Hardin Elem | Hardin, 59034Town: Remote | PK–2 | Primary | 329 |
| Crow Agency School | Record | Hardin Elem | Hardin, 59034Rural: Remote | PK–5 | Primary | 271 |
| Hardin Intermediate | Record | Hardin Elem | Hardin, 59034Town: Remote | 3–5 | Primary | 258 |
| Lodge Grass School | Record | Lodge Grass Elem | Lodge Grass, 59050Rural: Remote | PK–6 | Primary | 189 |
| Lodge Grass High School | Record | Lodge Grass H S | Lodge Grass, 59050Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 172 |
| Lodge Grass 7-8 | Record | Lodge Grass Elem | Lodge Grass, 59050Rural: Remote | 7–8 | Middle | 85 |
| Plenty Coups High School | Record | Plenty Coups H S | Pryor, 59066Rural: Distant | 9–12 | High | 58 |
| Wyola Elementary | Record | Wyola Elem | Wyola, 59089Rural: Remote | PK–5 | Primary | 56 |
| Arrow Creek Elem School | Record | Pryor Elem | Pryor, 59066Rural: Distant | PK–6 | Primary | 47 |
| Wyola 6-8 | Record | Wyola Elem | Wyola, 59089Rural: Remote | 6–8 | Middle | 32 |
| Pryor 7-8 | Record | Pryor Elem | Pryor, 59066Rural: Distant | 7–8 | Middle | 24 |
| Fort Smith School | Record | Hardin Elem | Hardin, 59034Rural: Remote | PK–5 | Primary | 22 |
| Spring Creek School | Record | Spring Creek Elem | Decker, 59025Rural: Remote | PK–8 | Primary | 7 |
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$7,791
State avg $9,334
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Big Horn County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
Open CompareBrowse Public Schools
See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
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What is the graduation rate in Big Horn County?
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Counties with Similar School Profile
Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.