Mirroring several of its neighbors in northwest Montana, Flathead County has one of the highest yearly dropout rates in the state. According to the Montana Office of Public Instruction, 6.2 percent of high school students in the county dropped out during the 2007-2008 school year...The Alliance for Excellent Education estimates that dropouts from the class of 2008 will cost Montana almost $830 million in lost wages over their lifetimes.