Wheatland County Schools & Education
Wheatland County, Montana
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
47/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Midrange Signal
Graduation Rate
75.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
75.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 83.7%
Per-Pupil Spending
$10,568
National avg $13,239
State avg $9,334
School Score
47/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 55/100
State Score Position
#32
of 56 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Wheatland County
Measured School Summary
Wheatland County has midrange measured school signals (score: 47/100) with a graduation rate of 75.0%, which warrants review in official state and district records.
Funding Context
Wheatland County spends $10,568 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 14% below the Montana average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 8.7 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 13% higher than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Wheatland 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
6 public schools and 3 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
47/100
Mixed county signal. Ranks #32 of 56 Montana counties with school score data.
Completion
75.0%
8.7 pts below the state average
Funding context
$10,568
$1,234 above the state average
School coverage
6
3 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Wheatland County has 6 public schools across 3 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 Wheatland 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.
Mixed school landscape
Wheatland County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.
State position
#32
of 56 Montana counties with school score data. The county score is 8 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.
Harlowton K-12
Elementary to high school visible
258 students
3 listed schools in this county slice.
Judith Gap Elem
Elementary and middle visible
20 students
2 listed schools in this county slice.
Judith Gap H S
High school only in this slice
3 students
1 listed school in this county slice.
District reality check
Harlowton K-12 is the largest listed district slice, with 3 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 Wheatland County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Wheatland County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
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
Wheatland County Graduation Rate Trails State and National Averages
Education data brief for Wheatland County, Montana.
Wheatland County reports a graduation rate of 75.0%, which is lower than both the Montana state average of 83.7% and the national average of 87.0%. The county's composite school score is 47.3, which falls below the state average of 55.0 and the national median of 50.0. Public education in the county is delivered through six schools across three districts, serving a total of 281 students. All schools are located in rural areas. The largest district is Harlowton K-12, which accounts for 258 students—the vast majority of the county's enrollment—including Hillcrest School with 156 students. Per-pupil spending in Wheatland County is $10,568, which is higher than the state average of $9,334 but lower than the national average of $13,000. Average school size is 47 students. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
6
in Wheatland County
Reported Enrollment
281
6 schools reporting
School Districts
3
districts
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
3 School Districts in Wheatland County
Harlowton K-12
Judith Gap Elem
Judith Gap H S
6 Public Schools in Wheatland 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 6 of 6 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillcrest School | Record | Harlowton K-12 | Harlowton, 59036Rural: Remote | PK–8 | Primary | 156 |
| Harlowton High School | Record | Harlowton K-12 | Harlowton, 59036Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 69 |
| Hillcrest 7-8 | Record | Harlowton K-12 | Harlowton, 59036Rural: Remote | 7–8 | Middle | 33 |
| Judith Gap School | Record | Judith Gap Elem | Judith Gap, 59453Rural: Remote | PK–6 | Primary | 16 |
| Judith Gap 7-8 | Record | Judith Gap Elem | Judith Gap, 59453Rural: Remote | 7–8 | Middle | 4 |
| Judith Gap High School | Record | Judith Gap H S | Judith Gap, 59453Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 3 |
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$10,568
State avg $9,334
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Wheatland 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
Which Montana counties have the highest graduation rates?
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What is the graduation rate in Wheatland County?
How much does Wheatland County spend per student?
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.