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School district · Arizona · LEAID 0400001

Cave Creek Unified District (4244)

Cave Creek Unified District (4244) is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Arizona districts (4,475 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Cave Creek Unified District (4244) come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$56,813
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$11,475
Per-pupil spending
4,475
Students enrolled
19th
Pct. in AZ
$56,813

Cave Creek Unified District (4244) is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Arizona districts (4,475 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $56,813, below the national average of $70,245, serving 4,475 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Cave Creek Unified District (4244) is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Arizona districts (4,475 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 19th percentile for Arizona
  • 30th percentile nationally
  • 30% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Arizona ranks #29 of 49 on the salary estimate and #16 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Cave Creek Unified District (4244) ranks #123 of 152 Arizona districts by estimated teacher salary and #133 of 152 by per-pupil spending. Safford Unified District (4218) pay #1 at $99,366 is not Red Mesa Unified District (4159) spending #1 at $38,950 per pupil
  • +22.7% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Arizona median

Among 213 Arizona districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Cave Creek Unified District (4244)'s instructional payroll puts 13.1% into special education , 2.3 points above the state median of 10.8%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Arizona peer.

Program Cave Creek AZ median Gap
Regular program 84.4% 84.0% +0.5 pp
Special education 13.1% 10.8% +2.3 pp
Vocational programs 2.5% 1.7% +0.8 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 213 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 0400001 · FY2023.

LEAID 0400001 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Cave Creek F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -11% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P19 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P30 national PPE-LOW $11K/pupil ENR-MID 4,475 students INSTR-LOW 30% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Yuma FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $56,813 estimated average teacher salary · P19 in Arizona · P30 nationally · 30% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Yuma (+$4est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Cave Creek

Salary neighbourhood · Cave Creek

Cave Creek trails 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 Cave Creek

Cave Creek Unified District (4244)'s estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$56,813 30th percentile higher than 30% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$70,000: 2,402 US districts (22%). Above this entry. $70,000–$80,000: 1,633 US districts (15%). Above this entry. $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

Cave Creek in Arizona's lower-third pay band

Same 152 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Cave Creek Unified District (4244) ranks #123 of 152 Arizona districts by estimated teacher salary and #133 of 152 by per-pupil spending. Safford Unified District (4218) pay #1 at $99,366 is not Red Mesa Unified District (4159) spending #1 at $38,950 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Cave Creek Unified District (4244) is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Red Mesa Unified District (4159) leads spending at $38,950 per pupil; Safford Unified District (4218) leads pay.

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

What stands out about Cave Creek Unified District (4244)

  • Estimated teacher pay here moved +22.7% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Arizona's statewide +25.8% by 3.1 points, a growth rate faster than 50% of the 199 Arizona districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 5,336 to 4,475 students (16.1% 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.

Arizona sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$56,812.83

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Arizona price level
100.7 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$56,394

-1% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Arizona 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 Arizona 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 Cave Creek Unified District (4244)

What the Numbers Say About Cave Creek Unified District (4244)

Cave Creek Unified District (4244) is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Arizona, serving 4,475 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $11,475. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $56,813, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0400001 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Arizona statewide average of $63,921, teacher pay in Cave Creek Unified District (4244) runs materially below the state benchmark, a 11.1% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (19.1% differential). Among enrolling districts in Arizona, it pays more than 19% of them. Arizona itself ranks #29 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Cave Creek Unified District (4244) reports $51.4M in total expenditure against $59.6M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 30% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $11.8M, special-education teacher pay is $1.8M.

How does Cave Creek Unified District (4244) compare?

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

Cave Creek Unified District (4244) $56,813
Mesa Unified District (4235) $67,420
Arizona avg $63,921
National avg $70,245

Cave Creek Unified District (4244) pays -15.7% less than Mesa Unified District (4235) · per-pupil $11,475 vs $14,903

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 Arizona districts

On pay, Cave Creek Unified District (4244) sits closest to Yuma Elementary District (4499); on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Litchfield Elementary District (4281). 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. Yuma Elementary District (4499)
  2. Laveen Elementary District (4276)
  3. Maricopa Unified School District (4441)
  4. Osborn Elementary District (4262)
  5. Florence Unified School District (4437)
  6. Tempe School District (4258)
  7. Flowing Wells Unified District (4405)
  8. Nadaburg Unified School District (4252)
  9. Roosevelt Elementary District (4279)
  10. Thatcher Unified District (4219)
  11. Wickenburg Unified District (4236)
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Litchfield Elementary District (4281)
  2. Gadsden Elementary District (4505)
  3. Laveen Elementary District (4276)
  4. J O Combs Unified School District (4445)
  5. Prescott Unified District (4466)
  6. Crane Elementary District (4501)
  7. Camp Verde Unified District (4470)
  8. Yuma Elementary District (4499)
  9. Florence Unified School District (4437)
  10. Avondale Elementary District (4272)
  11. Globe Unified District (4208)

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Cave Creek Unified District (4244)'s smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Cave Creek Unified District (4244): closest on enrollment (4,475 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($56,813 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

$59.6M
Total Revenue
$51.4M
Total Expenditure
$15.4M
Instruction Salaries
30% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$11.8M
Regular Program
$1.8M
Special Education
$0.3M
Vocational

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Cave Creek Unified District (4244): the regular program, special education and vocational programs. It reports no separate figure for other programs. Together they are 91% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 9% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Arizona Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Arizona districts belongs to Safford Unified District (4218) at $99,366. Placed 105 of 128, Cave Creek Unified District (4244) is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. On BEA's price parity Arizona sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Virginia and Colorado are its nearest price peers.

View all Arizona districts →

Other Arizona Districts

Smaller-district sample from 153 Arizona peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Phoenix Elementary District (4256)
$68,297
4,974 students
Creighton Elementary District (4263)
$61,294
5,004 students
Catalina Foothills Unified District (4410)
$53,004
5,049 students
Prescott Unified District (4466)
$52,624
3,807 students
Douglas Unified District (4174)
$68,263
3,726 students
Fowler Elementary District (4273)
$70,736
3,692 students

This is a sample of 6 from 153 Arizona districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cave Creek Unified District (4244)
What is the average teacher salary in Cave Creek Unified District (4244)?

The average teacher salary in Cave Creek Unified District (4244) is $56,813 (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 Cave Creek Unified District (4244) teacher pay compare to the Arizona average?

Cave Creek Unified District (4244) pays 11.1% less than the Arizona state average of $63,921. The district's average is $56,813.

How does Cave Creek Unified District (4244) teacher pay compare to the national average?

Cave Creek Unified District (4244) pays 19.1% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $56,813.

What is the per-pupil spending in Cave Creek Unified District (4244)?

Cave Creek Unified District (4244) spends approximately $11,475 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Cave Creek Unified District (4244)'s budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 30% of Cave Creek Unified District (4244)'s total expenditure of $51.4M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Cave Creek Unified District (4244)
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. Cave Creek Unified District (4244)'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.