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School district · Virginia · LEAID 5100270

Arlington County Public Schools

Arlington County Public Schools sits in the highest third of Virginia districts on estimated teacher pay at $95,205 (above 98% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Arlington County Public Schools come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$95,205
Est. avg teacher salary

Well above benchmark

$27,287
Per-pupil spending
27,562
Students enrolled
98th
Pct. in VA
$95,205

Arlington County Public Schools sits in the highest third of Virginia districts on estimated teacher pay at $95,205 (above 98% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $95,205, above the national average of $70,245, serving 27,562 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Upper-third pay in state: Arlington County Public Schools sits in the highest third of Virginia districts on estimated teacher pay at $95,205 (above 98% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 98th percentile for Virginia
  • 88th percentile nationally
  • 34% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Virginia ranks #33 of 49 on the salary estimate and #10 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Arlington County Public Schools ranks #2 of 131 Virginia districts by estimated teacher salary and #1 of 131 by per-pupil spending. Falls Church City Public Schools pay #1 at $96,912 is not Arlington County Public Schools spending #1 at $27,287 per pupil
  • +4.3% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2022 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Virginia median

Among 131 Virginia districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Arlington County Public Schools's instructional payroll puts 36.8% into regular program , 36.9 points below the state median of 73.8%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Arlington County VA median Gap
Regular program 36.8% 73.8% -36.9 pp
Special education 36.7% 18.3% +18.4 pp
Vocational programs 3.0% 6.1% -3.1 pp
Other programs 23.5% 0.8% +22.8 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 131 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 5100270 · FY2023.

LEAID 5100270 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Arlington County F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +51% vs state RANK-ST-TOP P98 in state RANK-NAT-MID P88 national PPE-HIGH $27K/pupil ENR-LARGE 27.6K students INSTR-LOW 34% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Alexandria FY-2023-HEAVY FY2023 book

FY2023: $95,205 estimated average teacher salary · P98 in Virginia · P88 nationally · 34% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Alexandria ($980est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Arlington County

Salary neighbourhood · Arlington County

Arlington County 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 Arlington County

Arlington County Public Schools's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$95,205 Top 12% higher than 88% 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%). Below this entry. $80,000–$90,000: 1,097 US districts (10%). Below this entry. $90,000–$100,000: 662 US districts (6%). This entry sits in this band. $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

Arlington County in Virginia's upper-third pay band

Same 131 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Arlington County Public Schools ranks #2 of 131 Virginia districts by estimated teacher salary and #1 of 131 by per-pupil spending. Falls Church City Public Schools pay #1 at $96,912 is not Arlington County Public Schools spending #1 at $27,287 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Arlington County Public Schools is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Arlington County Public Schools leads spending at $27,287 per pupil; Falls Church City Public Schools leads pay.

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

What stands out about Arlington County Public Schools

  • Its per-pupil spending of $27,287 is among the highest in the nation.

Virginia sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$95,204.534

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Virginia price level
101.3 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$93,954

-1% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Virginia sit close to the national average, so the nominal and national-price figures tell nearly the same story here. That is not true in the most and least expensive states.

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 Virginia 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 Arlington County Public Schools

What the Numbers Say About Arlington County Public Schools

Arlington County Public Schools is a mid-sized school district in Virginia, serving 27,562 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $27,287. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $95,205, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 5100270 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Virginia statewide average of $63,048, teacher pay in Arlington County Public Schools runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 51.0% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (35.5% differential). Among enrolling districts in Virginia, it pays more than 98% of them. Virginia itself ranks #33 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Arlington County Public Schools reports $752.1M in total expenditure against $769.3M 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 $83.5M, special-education teacher pay is $83.2M.

How does Arlington County Public Schools compare?

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

Arlington County Public Schools $95,205
Fairfax County Public Schools $93,966
Virginia avg $63,048
National avg $70,245

Arlington County Public Schools pays +1.3% more than Fairfax County Public Schools · per-pupil $27,287 vs $21,040

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 Virginia districts

On pay, Arlington County Public Schools sits closest to Alexandria City Public Schools; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Loudoun County Public Schools. 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. Alexandria City Public Schools
  2. Manassas City Public Schools
  3. Loudoun County Public Schools
  4. Prince William County Public Schools
  5. Fauquier County Public Schools
  6. Albemarle County Public Schools
  7. Rockingham County Public Schools
  8. Chesapeake City Public Schools
  9. Suffolk City Public Schools
  10. Newport News City Public Schools
  11. Culpeper County Public Schools
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Loudoun County Public Schools
  2. Richmond City Public Schools
  3. Alexandria City Public Schools
  4. Roanoke City Public Schools
  5. Albemarle County Public Schools
  6. Frederick County Public Schools
  7. Augusta County Public Schools
  8. Newport News City Public Schools
  9. Norfolk City Public Schools
  10. Manassas City Public Schools
  11. Lynchburg City Public Schools

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Arlington County Public Schools's enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Arlington County Public Schools: closest on enrollment (27,562 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($95,205 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

$769.3M
Total Revenue
$752.1M
Total Expenditure
$252.0M
Instruction Salaries
34% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$83.5M
Regular Program
$83.2M
Special Education
$6.7M
Vocational
$53.4M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Arlington County Public Schools: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 90% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 10% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Virginia Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Virginia districts belongs to Falls Church City Public Schools at $96,912. Only second place separates it from the ceiling: among the 128 districts of comparable size, Arlington County Public Schools is paid at the very top of the state, and the state average sits well below it. On BEA's price parity Virginia sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Colorado and Arizona are its nearest price peers.

View all Virginia districts →

Other Virginia Districts

Large-district sample from 130 Virginia peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

King George County Public Schools
$65,007
4,521 students
Botetourt County Public Schools
$64,035
4,492 students
Charlottesville City Public Schools
$73,875
4,485 students
Caroline County Public Schools
$57,498
4,337 students
Norfolk City Public Schools
$60,556
27,306 students
Newport News City Public Schools
$69,001
26,531 students

This is a sample of 6 from 130 Virginia districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Arlington County Public Schools
What is the average teacher salary in Arlington County Public Schools?

The average teacher salary in Arlington County Public Schools is $95,205 (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 Arlington County Public Schools teacher pay compare to the Virginia average?

Arlington County Public Schools pays 51.0% more than the Virginia state average of $63,048. The district's average is $95,205.

How does Arlington County Public Schools teacher pay compare to the national average?

Arlington County Public Schools pays 35.5% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $95,205.

What is the per-pupil spending in Arlington County Public Schools?

Arlington County Public Schools spends approximately $27,287 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Arlington County Public Schools's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 34% of Arlington County Public Schools's total expenditure of $752.1M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Arlington County Public Schools
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. Arlington County Public Schools'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.