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School district · New Mexico · LEAID 3500420

Chama Valley Indep. Schools

Chama Valley Indep. Schools sits in the lowest third of New Mexico districts on estimated teacher pay at $55,319 (above only 1% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Chama Valley Indep. Schools come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$55,319
Est. avg teacher salary

Well below benchmark

$24,523
Per-pupil spending
363
Students enrolled
1st
Pct. in NM
$55,319

Chama Valley Indep. Schools sits in the lowest third of New Mexico districts on estimated teacher pay at $55,319 (above only 1% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $55,319, below the national average of $70,245, serving 363 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Chama Valley Indep. Schools sits in the lowest third of New Mexico districts on estimated teacher pay at $55,319 (above only 1% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 1st percentile for New Mexico
  • 26th percentile nationally
  • 28% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • New Mexico ranks #20 of 49 on the salary estimate and #36 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Chama Valley Indep. Schools ranks #69 of 70 New Mexico districts by estimated teacher salary and #18 of 70 by per-pupil spending. Penasco Independent Schools pay #1 at $148,037 is not Jal Public Schools spending #1 at $47,829 per pupil
  • +39.7% estimated-basis panel FY2020→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs New Mexico median

Among 89 New Mexico districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Chama Valley Indep. Schools's instructional payroll puts 6.4% into other programs , 3.2 points above the state median of 3.3%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Chama Valley NM median Gap
Regular program 71.4% 74.0% -2.5 pp
Special education 15.8% 17.0% -1.2 pp
Vocational programs 6.3% 4.0% +2.3 pp
Other programs 6.4% 3.3% +3.2 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 89 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 3500420 · FY2023.

LEAID 3500420 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Chama Valley F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -20% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P1 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P26 national PPE-HIGH $25K/pupil ENR-TINY 363 students INSTR-LOW 28% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Questa FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $55,319 estimated average teacher salary · P1 in New Mexico · P26 nationally · 28% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Farmington (+$1,414est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Chama Valley

Salary neighbourhood · Chama Valley

Chama Valley 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 Chama Valley

Chama Valley Indep. Schools's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$55,319 26th percentile higher than 26% 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. Chama Valley Indep. Schools $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

Chama Valley in New Mexico's lower-third pay band

Same 70 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Chama Valley Indep. Schools ranks #69 of 70 New Mexico districts by estimated teacher salary and #18 of 70 by per-pupil spending. Penasco Independent Schools pay #1 at $148,037 is not Jal Public Schools spending #1 at $47,829 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Chama Valley Indep. Schools is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Jal Public Schools leads spending at $47,829 per pupil; Penasco Independent Schools leads pay.

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

What stands out about Chama Valley Indep. Schools

  • This is a contracting district: 425 students in FY2020 down to 363 in FY2023, a 14.6% decline. Enrolment drives most state funding formulas, so the finance figures below describe a budget under downward pressure rather than a steady state.
  • It is a very small district (363 students), where the enrollment-based salary estimate is more sensitive to staffing mix.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$55,319.149

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

New Mexico price level
91.0 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$60,803

+10% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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 Chama Valley Indep. Schools

What the Numbers Say About Chama Valley Indep. Schools

Chama Valley Indep. Schools is a small school district in New Mexico, serving 363 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $24,523. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $55,319, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3500420 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the New Mexico statewide average of $69,282, teacher pay in Chama Valley Indep. Schools runs materially below the state benchmark, a 20.2% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (21.2% differential). Among enrolling districts in New Mexico, it pays more than 1% of them. New Mexico itself ranks #20 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Chama Valley Indep. Schools reports $8.9M in total expenditure against $9.0M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 28% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $1.5M, special-education teacher pay is $0.3M.

How does Chama Valley Indep. Schools compare?

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

Chama Valley Indep. Schools $55,319
Albuquerque Public Schools $74,657
New Mexico avg $69,282
National avg $70,245

Chama Valley Indep. Schools pays -25.9% less than Albuquerque Public Schools · per-pupil $24,523 vs $17,560

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 New Mexico districts

On pay, Chama Valley Indep. Schools sits closest to Questa Independent Schools; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Mesa Vista Consolidated 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. Questa Independent Schools
  2. Magdalena Municipal Schools
  3. Jemez Valley Public Schools
  4. Hatch Valley Public Schools
  5. Hagerman Municipal Schools
  6. Floyd Municipal Schools
  7. Dexter Consolidated Schools
  8. Texico Municipal Schools
  9. Capitan Municipal Schools
  10. Fort Sumner Municipal Schools
  11. Lordsburg Municipal Schools
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools
  2. Fort Sumner Municipal Schools
  3. Lordsburg Municipal Schools
  4. Cobre Consolidated Schools
  5. Mora Independent Schools
  6. Tularosa Municipal Schools
  7. Questa Independent Schools
  8. Estancia Municipal Schools
  9. Cloudcroft Municipal Schools
  10. Santa Rosa Consolidated Schools
  11. Dexter Consolidated Schools

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Chama Valley Indep. Schools's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Chama Valley Indep. Schools: closest on enrollment (363 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($55,319 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

$9.0M
Total Revenue
$8.9M
Total Expenditure
$2.5M
Instruction Salaries
28% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$1.5M
Regular Program
$0.3M
Special Education
$0.1M
Vocational
$0.1M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Chama Valley Indep. 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 85% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 15% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

New Mexico Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized New Mexico districts belongs to Pecos Independent Schools at $96,768. At the other end, Chama Valley Indep. Schools anchors the bottom of the 51-district field, so the gap between it and the state's ceiling is close to the full spread the state average is drawn from. Montana and Missouri are the states closest to New Mexico 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 New Mexico districts →

Other New Mexico Districts

Smaller-district sample from 69 New Mexico peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Zuni Public Schools
$83,041
1,095 students
Hatch Valley Public Schools
$59,651
1,166 students
Las Vegas City Public Schools
$71,136
1,202 students
T Or C Municipal Schools
$64,673
1,287 students
Socorro Consolidated Schools
$70,856
1,438 students
West Las Vegas Public Schools
$68,118
1,555 students

This is a sample of 6 from 69 New Mexico districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Chama Valley Indep. Schools
What is the average teacher salary in Chama Valley Indep. Schools?

The average teacher salary in Chama Valley Indep. Schools is $55,319 (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 Chama Valley Indep. Schools teacher pay compare to the New Mexico average?

Chama Valley Indep. Schools pays 20.2% less than the New Mexico state average of $69,282. The district's average is $55,319.

How does Chama Valley Indep. Schools teacher pay compare to the national average?

Chama Valley Indep. Schools pays 21.2% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $55,319.

What is the per-pupil spending in Chama Valley Indep. Schools?

Chama Valley Indep. Schools spends approximately $24,523 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Chama Valley Indep. Schools's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 28% of Chama Valley Indep. Schools's total expenditure of $8.9M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Chama Valley Indep. 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. Chama Valley Indep. 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.