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School district · Iowa · LEAID 1903540

Ames Comm School District

Ames Comm School District spends $18,731 per pupil, in the highest third among comparable Iowa districts with a reliable figure. Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Ames Comm School District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$71,165
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$18,731
Per-pupil spending
4,645
Students enrolled
87th
Pct. in IA
$71,165

Ames Comm School District spends $18,731 per pupil, in the highest third among comparable Iowa districts with a reliable figure. Estimated average teacher salary is $71,165, near the national average of $70,245, serving 4,645 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • High per-pupil spending: Ames Comm School District spends $18,731 per pupil, in the highest third among comparable Iowa districts with a reliable figure.
  • 87th percentile for Iowa
  • 61st percentile nationally
  • 32% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Iowa ranks #30 of 49 on the salary estimate and #29 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Ames Comm School District ranks #38 of 303 Iowa districts by estimated teacher salary and #70 of 303 by per-pupil spending. Linn-Mar Comm School District pay #1 at $82,552 is not Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District spending #1 at $59,531 per pupil
  • +15.3% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Iowa median

Among 327 Iowa districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Ames Comm School District's instructional payroll puts 17.0% into special education , 4.4 points above the state median of 12.6%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Iowa peer.

Program Ames Comm IA median Gap
Regular program 66.2% 68.8% -2.5 pp
Special education 17.0% 12.6% +4.4 pp
Vocational programs 2.7% 4.7% -2.0 pp
Other programs 14.1% 13.9% +0.2 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 327 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 1903540 · FY2023.

LEAID 1903540 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Ames Comm F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +12% vs state RANK-ST-MID P87 in state RANK-NAT-MID P61 national PPE-MID $19K/pupil ENR-MID 4,645 students INSTR-LOW 32% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near MOC-Floyd FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $71,165 estimated average teacher salary · P87 in Iowa · P61 nationally · 32% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Ankeny ($69est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Ames Comm

Salary neighbourhood · Ames Comm

Ames Comm already leads most of its in-state peer set; the chart plots it against the top and bottom pay poles for context (NCES F-33 FY2023, not a full state reprint).

est. salary
Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey As of FY2023
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Ames Comm

Ames Comm School District's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$71,165 Top 39% higher than 61% of 10,684 US districts

Show national distribution $30,000–$40,000: 155 US districts (1%). Below this entry. $40,000–$50,000: 1,360 US districts (13%). Below this entry. $50,000–$60,000: 2,382 US districts (22%). Below this entry. $60,000–$70,000: 2,402 US districts (22%). Below this entry. $70,000–$80,000: 1,633 US districts (15%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$90,000: 1,097 US districts (10%). Above this entry. $90,000–$100,000: 662 US districts (6%). Above this entry. $100,000–$110,000: 371 US districts (3%). Above this entry. $110,000–$120,000: 249 US districts (2%). Above this entry. $120,000–$130,000: 156 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $130,000–$140,000: 112 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $140,000–$150,000: 57 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $150,000–$160,000: 25 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $160,000–$170,000: 13 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $170,000–$180,000: 10 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $180,000–$190,000: 0 US districts (0%). Above this entry. Ames Comm School District $30,000 $190,000 every reliable-salary US district, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $10K-wide band; taller bars hold more US districts. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 · FY2023

Ames Comm in Iowa's upper-third pay band

Same 303 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Ames Comm School District ranks #38 of 303 Iowa districts by estimated teacher salary and #70 of 303 by per-pupil spending. Linn-Mar Comm School District pay #1 at $82,552 is not Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District spending #1 at $59,531 per pupil

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Ames Comm School District is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District leads spending at $59,531 per pupil; Linn-Mar Comm School District leads pay.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

What stands out about Ames Comm School District

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +15.3% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Iowa's statewide +9.0% by 6.3 points, a growth rate faster than 73% of the 324 Iowa districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$71,165.211

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Iowa price level
88.8 / 100

BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.

National-price equivalent
$80,169

+13% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Iowa run below the national average, so this salary has roughly the buying power of the national-price equivalent above. A district in a costlier state can advertise a larger nominal salary and still leave a teacher with less.

Regional price parity: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2023 all-items RPP by state. The adjustment applies a statewide index to a district figure, so it captures how Iowa compares nationally, not how this district compares with others in its own state. Compare every state on this basis.

How this salary figure is calculated
Full NCES reading for Ames Comm School District

What the Numbers Say About Ames Comm School District

Ames Comm School District is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Iowa, serving 4,645 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $18,731. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $71,165, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 1903540 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Iowa statewide average of $63,660, teacher pay in Ames Comm School District runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 11.8% gap, and near the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (1.3% differential). Among enrolling districts in Iowa, it pays more than 87% of them. Iowa itself ranks #30 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Ames Comm School District reports $87.0M in total expenditure against $92.7M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 32% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $16.0M, special-education teacher pay is $4.1M.

How does Ames Comm School District compare?

Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Iowa average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.

Ames Comm School District $71,165
Des Moines Independent Comm School District $69,203
Iowa avg $63,660
National avg $70,245

Ames Comm School District pays +2.8% more than Des Moines Independent Comm School District · per-pupil $18,731 vs $18,580

Derived from NCES F-33 teacher salary expenditure (Z35-Z38) and CCD Staff Universe teacher FTE (FY2023); a small minority use the documented fallback. Unreliable service entities are excluded.

Data-derived comparison paths

Find comparable Iowa districts

On pay, Ames Comm School District sits closest to MOC-Floyd Valley Comm School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Council Bluffs Comm School District. These are not simply nearby districts: each group is selected from the same NCES FY2023 dataset using a matching salary or per-pupil-investment signal and a comparable enrollment range.

Closest on estimated pay
  1. MOC-Floyd Valley Comm School District
  2. Ankeny Comm School District
  3. Hampton-Dumont Comm School District
  4. Sioux City Comm School District
  5. Pleasant Valley Comm School District
  6. Southeast Polk Comm School District
  7. Cedar Falls Comm School District
  8. Carroll Comm School District
  9. Harlan Comm School District
  10. Algona Comm School District
  11. Waukee Comm School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Council Bluffs Comm School District
  2. Iowa City Comm School District
  3. Waukee Comm School District
  4. Mason City Comm School District
  5. College Comm School District
  6. Oskaloosa Comm School District
  7. West Liberty Comm School District
  8. Centerville Comm School District
  9. Burlington Comm School District
  10. Mid-Prairie Comm School District
  11. Urbandale Comm School District

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Ames Comm School District's pay band

Two out-of-state peer sets for Ames Comm School District: closest on enrollment (4,645 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($71,165 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood.

Similar enrollment

Nearest other districts by NCES student count (floored at ≥200).

Similar estimated salary

Nearest other districts by F-33-derived average teacher salary, distinct from the enrollment row.

Enrollment and salaries from NCES CCD F-33; estimated teacher pay can diverge widely at the same student count because of state funding, cost of living, and local bargaining.

Revenue & Expenditure

$92.7M
Total Revenue
$87.0M
Total Expenditure
$27.7M
Instruction Salaries
32% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$16.0M
Regular Program
$4.1M
Special Education
$0.7M
Vocational
$3.4M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Ames Comm School District: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 87% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 13% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Iowa Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Iowa districts belongs to Linn-Mar Comm School District at $82,552. Ames Comm School District sits in the upper quarter of that field at 36 of 237, nearer the ceiling than the floor. Louisiana and Oklahoma are the states closest to Iowa on BEA's price parity, which makes them the fair comparison; against a costlier state this salary goes further than its number suggests.

View all Iowa districts →

Other Iowa Districts

The bar behind each salary shows its magnitude within this Iowa sample (including Ames Comm). Hover or focus a value for the exact comparison.

Denison Comm School District
$69,264
2,245 students
Le Mars Comm School District
$77,298
2,236 students
Spencer Comm School District
$67,348
2,230 students
Marion Independent School District
$60,374
2,229 students
North Polk Comm School District
$64,922
2,224 students
Oskaloosa Comm School District
$59,223
2,081 students

This is a sample of 6 from 302 Iowa districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ames Comm School District
What is the average teacher salary in Ames Comm School District?

The average teacher salary in Ames Comm School District is $71,165 (NCES CCD FY2023), from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by the district's reported teacher headcount (NCES CCD Staff Universe Survey).

How does Ames Comm School District teacher pay compare to the Iowa average?

Ames Comm School District pays 11.8% more than the Iowa state average of $63,660. The district's average is $71,165.

How does Ames Comm School District teacher pay compare to the national average?

Ames Comm School District pays 1.3% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $71,165.

What is the per-pupil spending in Ames Comm School District?

Ames Comm School District spends approximately $18,731 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Ames Comm School District's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 32% of Ames Comm School District's total expenditure of $87.0M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Ames Comm School District
Disclaimer & data sources

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainTeacher

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Editorial standards & source notes

According to the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, PlainTeacher's figures are computed directly, no number is typed in by an editor. Ames Comm School District's salary and finance figures are computed directly from its FY2023 F-33 submission, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Data current as of FY2023.