Montana school board elections, 2025
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Elections
No Montana school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2025.
Recalls
- See also:Recall campaigns in Montana andSchool board recalls
| State | Specific grounds required? | Signature requirement | Petition circulation time | When recalls can start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | Yes: "physical or mental lack of fitness, incompetence, violation of oath of office, official misconduct, or conviction of a felony offense"[1] | 20% of registered voters at the last election | Three months | Recalls cannot start in the first two months of an officer's term |
Academic performance
- See also:Public education in Montana
The sections below do not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, considerdonating to Ballotpedia.
| Education terms |
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| For more information on education policy terms, seethis article. |
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NAEP scores
- See also:NAEP scores by state
The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in theNational Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming),Montana had the highest share of eighth grade students who scored at or above proficient in reading.[2]
| Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math - Grade 4 | Math - Grade 8 | Reading - Grade 4 | Reading - Grade 8 | |
| Montana | 45% | 40% | 35% | 40% |
| North Dakota | 48% | 41% | 34% | 34% |
| South Dakota | 40% | 38% | 32% | 36% |
| Wyoming | 48% | 38% | 37% | 38% |
| United States | 41% | 34% | 34% | 34% |
| Source:United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables" | ||||
Graduation, ACT and SAT scores
The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Montana and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[2][3][4]
In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.[5]
Montana schools reported agraduation rate of 84.4 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, second highest among its neighboring states.
In Montana, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning anaverage ACT score of 21.3.
| Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Graduation rate, 2013 | Average ACT composite, 2013 | Average SAT composite, 2013 | ||||
| Percent | Quintile ranking** | Score | Participation rate | Score | Participation rate | ||
| Montana | 84.4% | Third | 21.3 | 72% | 1595 | 25% | |
| North Dakota | 87.5% | First | 20.5 | 98% | 1799 | 2% | |
| South Dakota | 82.7% | Third | 21.9 | 78% | 1760 | 3% | |
| Wyoming | 77% | Fourth | 19.8 | 100% | 1757 | 4% | |
| United States | 81.4% | 20.9 | 54% | 1498 | 50% | ||
| **Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources:United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013" | |||||||
Dropout rate
- See also:Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states
The high school eventdropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Montana was higher than the national average at 4.3 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 4.1 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[6]
State profile
State profile
| Demographic data for Montana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Montana | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,032,073 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 145,546 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 89.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 0.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 0.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 6.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 3.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 92.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 29.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $47,169 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 17% | 11.3% |
| Source:U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Clickhere for more information on the 2020 census andhere for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Montana. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the censushere. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
Montanavoted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted forDonald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting forBarack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won thesePivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in Montana, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties.[7]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won asRetained Pivot Counties and those won byJoe Biden (D) asBoomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Montana had two Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.10 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Montana coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Montana
- United States congressional delegations from Montana
- Public policy in Montana
- Endorsers in Montana
- Montana fact checks
- More...
Pivot Counties
Pivot Counties
- See also:Pivot Counties by state
Three of 56 Montana counties—5.4 percent—arePivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted forBarack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and forDonald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Blaine County, Montana | 2.46% | 15.32% | 19.24% | ||||
| Hill County, Montana | 17.18% | 3.50% | 12.21% | ||||
| Roosevelt County, Montana | 6.49% | 15.58% | 26.27% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election,Donald Trump (R) won Montana with 56.2 percent of the vote.Hillary Clinton (D) received 35.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1892 and 2016, Montana voted Republican 65.6 percent of the time and Democratic 34.4 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Montana voted Republican all five times.[8]
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Montana. Click[show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled byDaily Kos.[9][10]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 34 out of 100 state House districts in Montana with an average margin of victory of 17.6 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 28 out of 100 state House districts in Montana with an average margin of victory of 17.2 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 66 out of 100 state House districts in Montana with an average margin of victory of 28.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 72 out of 100 state House districts in Montana with an average margin of victory of 34.7 points. Trump won 14 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 31.49% | 65.40% | R+33.9 | 24.56% | 69.61% | R+45 | R |
| 2 | 26.19% | 70.62% | R+44.4 | 19.77% | 74.94% | R+55.2 | R |
| 3 | 35.65% | 60.43% | R+24.8 | 30.90% | 61.30% | R+30.4 | D |
| 4 | 24.98% | 72.60% | R+47.6 | 20.50% | 73.71% | R+53.2 | R |
| 5 | 49.18% | 47.36% | D+1.8 | 48.70% | 43.57% | D+5.1 | D |
| 6 | 29.95% | 67.81% | R+37.9 | 28.87% | 65.58% | R+36.7 | R |
| 7 | 40.61% | 55.52% | R+14.9 | 34.89% | 56.46% | R+21.6 | R |
| 8 | 28.89% | 68.40% | R+39.5 | 25.31% | 68.36% | R+43 | R |
| 9 | 27.76% | 69.09% | R+41.3 | 23.24% | 70.16% | R+46.9 | R |
| 10 | 28.59% | 69.10% | R+40.5 | 26.23% | 69.31% | R+43.1 | R |
| 11 | 25.25% | 72.18% | R+46.9 | 21.87% | 72.64% | R+50.8 | R |
| 12 | 42.13% | 55.16% | R+13 | 36.12% | 58.17% | R+22 | R |
| 13 | 26.14% | 70.71% | R+44.6 | 18.54% | 76.04% | R+57.5 | R |
| 14 | 32.60% | 63.22% | R+30.6 | 24.35% | 67.81% | R+43.5 | R |
| 15 | 58.01% | 39.28% | D+18.7 | 55.71% | 37.44% | D+18.3 | D |
| 16 | 71.07% | 26.84% | D+44.2 | 65.23% | 28.59% | D+36.6 | D |
| 17 | 30.65% | 66.42% | R+35.8 | 22.87% | 70.58% | R+47.7 | R |
| 18 | 29.49% | 66.80% | R+37.3 | 21.44% | 71.56% | R+50.1 | R |
| 19 | 34.08% | 63.36% | R+29.3 | 25.01% | 68.81% | R+43.8 | R |
| 20 | 36.11% | 62.06% | R+25.9 | 32.46% | 62.16% | R+29.7 | R |
| 21 | 46.91% | 50.23% | R+3.3 | 36.35% | 56.76% | R+20.4 | D |
| 22 | 47.47% | 48.93% | R+1.5 | 36.16% | 54.87% | R+18.7 | R |
| 23 | 49.89% | 47.11% | D+2.8 | 42.34% | 49.63% | R+7.3 | D |
| 24 | 47.86% | 49.59% | R+1.7 | 40.35% | 51.07% | R+10.7 | D |
| 25 | 50.16% | 46.46% | D+3.7 | 39.34% | 52.01% | R+12.7 | R |
| 26 | 47.24% | 49.05% | R+1.8 | 38.78% | 51.69% | R+12.9 | D |
| 27 | 31.45% | 65.37% | R+33.9 | 24.74% | 68.78% | R+44 | R |
| 28 | 48.35% | 47.62% | D+0.7 | 35.81% | 54.70% | R+18.9 | D |
| 29 | 27.54% | 69.57% | R+42 | 20.97% | 72.91% | R+51.9 | R |
| 30 | 26.49% | 70.76% | R+44.3 | 18.35% | 74.80% | R+56.5 | R |
| 31 | 62.74% | 35.08% | D+27.7 | 49.74% | 41.79% | D+7.9 | D |
| 32 | 62.84% | 35.17% | D+27.7 | 51.75% | 41.33% | D+10.4 | D |
| 33 | 31.92% | 64.62% | R+32.7 | 20.69% | 71.73% | R+51 | R |
| 34 | 30.36% | 66.63% | R+36.3 | 20.38% | 73.24% | R+52.9 | R |
| 35 | 21.57% | 75.57% | R+54 | 13.84% | 80.63% | R+66.8 | R |
| 36 | 26.51% | 69.46% | R+42.9 | 17.30% | 77.71% | R+60.4 | R |
| 37 | 17.49% | 79.95% | R+62.5 | 11.75% | 84.38% | R+72.6 | R |
| 38 | 37.31% | 59.77% | R+22.5 | 24.89% | 67.53% | R+42.6 | R |
| 39 | 27.29% | 69.23% | R+41.9 | 15.87% | 78.77% | R+62.9 | R |
| 40 | 22.65% | 73.92% | R+51.3 | 16.45% | 78.01% | R+61.6 | R |
| 41 | 54.68% | 43.62% | D+11.1 | 42.37% | 52.19% | R+9.8 | D |
| 42 | 58.60% | 39.41% | D+19.2 | 47.51% | 45.39% | D+2.1 | D |
| 43 | 35.34% | 61.61% | R+26.3 | 26.74% | 65.15% | R+38.4 | R |
| 44 | 37.95% | 59.42% | R+21.5 | 30.87% | 59.71% | R+28.8 | R |
| 45 | 33.16% | 64.67% | R+31.5 | 29.98% | 61.13% | R+31.2 | R |
| 46 | 35.28% | 63.06% | R+27.8 | 36.58% | 57.00% | R+20.4 | R |
| 47 | 48.01% | 48.86% | R+0.8 | 47.76% | 44.03% | D+3.7 | D |
| 48 | 46.60% | 50.72% | R+4.1 | 43.66% | 47.69% | R+4 | D |
| 49 | 51.94% | 43.75% | D+8.2 | 44.93% | 43.99% | D+0.9 | D |
| 50 | 46.96% | 49.13% | R+2.2 | 38.01% | 51.03% | R+13 | D |
| 51 | 43.83% | 53.14% | R+9.3 | 35.99% | 54.64% | R+18.6 | R |
| 52 | 45.95% | 50.47% | R+4.5 | 36.84% | 54.25% | R+17.4 | R |
| 53 | 26.88% | 71.64% | R+44.8 | 24.59% | 69.45% | R+44.9 | R |
| 54 | 34.72% | 63.36% | R+28.6 | 31.02% | 61.86% | R+30.8 | R |
| 55 | 38.15% | 58.52% | R+20.4 | 26.81% | 65.43% | R+38.6 | R |
| 56 | 36.68% | 60.59% | R+23.9 | 26.13% | 67.22% | R+41.1 | R |
| 57 | 26.02% | 71.51% | R+45.5 | 18.26% | 75.81% | R+57.5 | R |
| 58 | 36.71% | 60.43% | R+23.7 | 30.64% | 62.81% | R+32.2 | R |
| 59 | 31.67% | 65.41% | R+33.7 | 30.10% | 63.92% | R+33.8 | R |
| 60 | 49.22% | 47.75% | D+1.5 | 42.90% | 48.10% | R+5.2 | D |
| 61 | 52.13% | 45.30% | D+6.8 | 55.16% | 37.34% | D+17.8 | D |
| 62 | 57.33% | 39.68% | D+17.7 | 62.26% | 28.33% | D+33.9 | D |
| 63 | 55.23% | 40.35% | D+14.9 | 49.37% | 36.73% | D+12.6 | D |
| 64 | 40.23% | 56.95% | R+16.7 | 38.79% | 52.50% | R+13.7 | R |
| 65 | 51.99% | 44.48% | D+7.5 | 52.43% | 36.25% | D+16.2 | R |
| 66 | 59.07% | 37.20% | D+21.9 | 60.50% | 27.72% | D+32.8 | D |
| 67 | 36.06% | 60.39% | R+24.3 | 31.16% | 58.18% | R+27 | R |
| 68 | 29.86% | 66.53% | R+36.7 | 26.12% | 64.60% | R+38.5 | R |
| 69 | 27.48% | 69.83% | R+42.3 | 23.90% | 68.84% | R+44.9 | R |
| 70 | 29.72% | 67.70% | R+38 | 23.68% | 69.44% | R+45.8 | R |
| 71 | 30.43% | 67.06% | R+36.6 | 25.87% | 68.31% | R+42.4 | R |
| 72 | 30.12% | 66.71% | R+36.6 | 24.63% | 68.26% | R+43.6 | R |
| 73 | 67.29% | 29.51% | D+37.8 | 51.69% | 39.47% | D+12.2 | D |
| 74 | 67.84% | 28.48% | D+39.4 | 54.64% | 35.06% | D+19.6 | D |
| 75 | 36.01% | 61.13% | R+25.1 | 31.30% | 60.96% | R+29.7 | R |
| 76 | 62.60% | 35.45% | D+27.1 | 54.57% | 37.65% | D+16.9 | D |
| 77 | 54.71% | 41.78% | D+12.9 | 42.42% | 49.42% | R+7 | D |
| 78 | 49.90% | 46.76% | D+3.1 | 34.39% | 56.64% | R+22.3 | D |
| 79 | 52.38% | 45.20% | D+7.2 | 51.09% | 40.64% | D+10.5 | D |
| 80 | 29.81% | 67.67% | R+37.9 | 23.46% | 70.02% | R+46.6 | R |
| 81 | 53.84% | 43.72% | D+10.1 | 46.71% | 44.07% | D+2.6 | D |
| 82 | 50.97% | 46.39% | D+4.6 | 46.83% | 44.43% | D+2.4 | D |
| 83 | 51.40% | 45.43% | D+6 | 48.20% | 43.23% | D+5 | D |
| 84 | 47.66% | 49.40% | R+1.7 | 43.56% | 46.97% | R+3.4 | D |
| 85 | 28.10% | 69.34% | R+41.2 | 23.44% | 71.16% | R+47.7 | R |
| 86 | 38.39% | 58.67% | R+20.3 | 33.89% | 59.62% | R+25.7 | R |
| 87 | 28.26% | 68.87% | R+40.6 | 24.22% | 70.13% | R+45.9 | R |
| 88 | 36.82% | 60.50% | R+23.7 | 30.21% | 63.77% | R+33.6 | R |
| 89 | 55.35% | 42.16% | D+13.2 | 53.30% | 37.59% | D+15.7 | D |
| 90 | 62.36% | 35.39% | D+27 | 60.12% | 31.87% | D+28.3 | D |
| 91 | 74.07% | 23.34% | D+50.7 | 74.47% | 17.31% | D+57.2 | D |
| 92 | 44.75% | 51.56% | R+6.8 | 35.48% | 55.99% | R+20.5 | R |
| 93 | 45.74% | 51.67% | R+5.9 | 36.57% | 57.09% | R+20.5 | D |
| 94 | 52.31% | 44.47% | D+7.8 | 47.39% | 44.39% | D+3 | D |
| 95 | 67.27% | 28.91% | D+38.4 | 63.09% | 24.62% | D+38.5 | D |
| 96 | 45.17% | 51.93% | R+6.8 | 40.48% | 51.14% | R+10.7 | R |
| 97 | 42.65% | 54.90% | R+12.3 | 38.02% | 54.75% | R+16.7 | R |
| 98 | 55.62% | 40.95% | D+14.7 | 48.67% | 42.15% | D+6.5 | D |
| 99 | 53.76% | 43.36% | D+10.4 | 51.66% | 39.94% | D+11.7 | D |
| 100 | 74.33% | 22.27% | D+52.1 | 71.30% | 18.23% | D+53.1 | D |
| Total | 41.71% | 55.36% | R+13.7 | 35.94% | 56.47% | R+20.5 | - |
| Source:Daily Kos | |||||||
Additional elections
- See also:Montana elections, 2025
Historical analysis
Ballotpedia did not cover school board elections in school districts in Montana in 2024.Click here to read the full report on school board election analysis across the country in 2024.
See also
| Montana | School Boards | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Footnotes
- ↑National Conference of State Legislatures, "Recall of Local Officials," accessed July 27, 2021
- ↑2.02.1United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
- ↑StudyPoints, "What's a good SAT score or ACT score?" accessed June 7, 2015
- ↑United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip ofAtlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑270towin.com, "Montana," accessed June 29, 2017
- ↑Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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