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School district · Wisconsin · LEAID 5500390

Appleton Area School District

Appleton Area School District is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Wisconsin districts (15,270 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Appleton Area School District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$77,266
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$15,145
Per-pupil spending
15,270
Students enrolled
83rd
Pct. in WI
$77,266

Appleton Area School District is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Wisconsin districts (15,270 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $77,266, above the national average of $70,245, serving 15,270 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Large enrollment scale: Appleton Area School District is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Wisconsin districts (15,270 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 83rd percentile for Wisconsin
  • 71st percentile nationally
  • 34% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Wisconsin ranks #19 of 49 on the salary estimate and #20 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Appleton Area School District ranks #70 of 403 Wisconsin districts by estimated teacher salary and #355 of 403 by per-pupil spending. Gibraltar Area School District pay #1 at $100,669 is not Nicolet Union High School School District spending #1 at $43,137 per pupil
  • +12.5% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Wisconsin median

Among 421 Wisconsin districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Appleton Area School District's instructional payroll puts 62.3% into regular program , 8.5 points below the state median of 70.7%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Appleton Area WI median Gap
Regular program 62.3% 70.7% -8.5 pp
Special education 25.8% 19.8% +6.0 pp
Vocational programs 3.3% 5.2% -1.9 pp
Other programs 8.6% 3.9% +4.7 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 421 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 5500390 · FY2023.

LEAID 5500390 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Appleton Area F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-ABOVE +10% vs state RANK-ST-MID P83 in state RANK-NAT-MID P71 national PPE-MID $15K/pupil ENR-LARGE 15.3K students INSTR-LOW 34% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Neenah FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $77,266 estimated average teacher salary · P83 in Wisconsin · P71 nationally · 34% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Neenah ($137est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Appleton Area

Salary neighbourhood · Appleton Area

Appleton Area 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 Appleton Area

Appleton Area School District's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$77,266 Top 29% higher than 71% 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. This 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

Appleton Area in Wisconsin's upper-third pay band

Same 403 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Appleton Area School District ranks #70 of 403 Wisconsin districts by estimated teacher salary and #355 of 403 by per-pupil spending. Gibraltar Area School District pay #1 at $100,669 is not Nicolet Union High School School District spending #1 at $43,137 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Appleton Area School District is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Nicolet Union High School School District leads spending at $43,137 per pupil; Gibraltar Area School District leads pay.

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

What stands out about Appleton Area School District

  • Enrolment fell from 16,291 to 15,270 students (6.3% down) across FY2019–FY2023 while the instructional salary pool per teacher went up. Districts on that path are usually holding staffing steady against a falling roll, which lifts the per-teacher figure without anyone getting a raise, so read this page's salary estimate alongside the enrolment line rather than on its own.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$77,265.966

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Wisconsin price level
93.2 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$82,886

+7% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Appleton Area School District

What the Numbers Say About Appleton Area School District

Appleton Area School District is a mid-sized school district in Wisconsin, serving 15,270 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $15,145. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $77,266, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 5500390 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Wisconsin statewide average of $70,465, teacher pay in Appleton Area School District runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 9.7% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (10.0% differential). Among enrolling districts in Wisconsin, it pays more than 83% of them. Wisconsin itself ranks #19 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Appleton Area School District reports $231.3M in total expenditure against $264.5M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 34% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $48.5M, special-education teacher pay is $20.1M.

How does Appleton Area School District compare?

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

Appleton Area School District $77,266
Milwaukee School District $80,043
Wisconsin avg $70,465
National avg $70,245

Appleton Area School District pays -3.5% less than Milwaukee School District · per-pupil $15,145 vs $22,253

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 Wisconsin districts

On pay, Appleton Area School District sits closest to Neenah Joint School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Waukesha 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. Neenah Joint School District
  2. D C Everest Area School District
  3. Hamilton School District
  4. New Berlin School District
  5. Oregon School District
  6. Franklin Public School District
  7. Holmen School District
  8. Green Bay Area Public School District
  9. Germantown School District
  10. De Forest Area School District
  11. Wausau School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Waukesha School District
  2. Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District
  3. Menomonee Falls School District
  4. New Berlin School District
  5. Elmbrook School District
  6. Hamilton School District
  7. Franklin Public School District
  8. West Bend School District
  9. Janesville School District
  10. Oconomowoc Area School District
  11. Sheboygan Area School District

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Appleton Area School District's enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Appleton Area School District: closest on enrollment (15,270 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($77,266 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

$264.5M
Total Revenue
$231.3M
Total Expenditure
$77.9M
Instruction Salaries
34% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$48.5M
Regular Program
$20.1M
Special Education
$2.6M
Vocational
$6.7M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Appleton Area 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 100% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 0% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Wisconsin Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Wisconsin districts belongs to Gibraltar Area School District at $100,669. Appleton Area School District sits in the upper quarter of that field at 62 of 304, nearer the ceiling than the floor. South Carolina and Idaho are the states closest to Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin districts →

Other Wisconsin Districts

Large-district sample from 402 Wisconsin peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

Manitowoc School District
$82,491
4,726 students
Wisconsin Rapids School District
$71,831
4,678 students
De Pere School District
$67,793
4,555 students
Waunakee Community School District
$73,832
4,408 students
Hortonville Area School District
$64,717
4,258 students
New Berlin School District
$76,599
4,256 students

This is a sample of 6 from 402 Wisconsin districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Appleton Area School District
What is the average teacher salary in Appleton Area School District?

The average teacher salary in Appleton Area School District is $77,266 (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 Appleton Area School District teacher pay compare to the Wisconsin average?

Appleton Area School District pays 9.7% more than the Wisconsin state average of $70,465. The district's average is $77,266.

How does Appleton Area School District teacher pay compare to the national average?

Appleton Area School District pays 10.0% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $77,266.

What is the per-pupil spending in Appleton Area School District?

Appleton Area School District spends approximately $15,145 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Appleton Area School District's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 34% of Appleton Area School District's total expenditure of $231.3M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Appleton Area 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. Appleton Area 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.