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School district · South Dakota · LEAID 4612300

Chester Area School District 39-1

Chester Area School District 39-1 is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable South Dakota districts (576 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Chester Area School District 39-1 come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$57,642
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$11,523
Per-pupil spending
576
Students enrolled
95th
Pct. in SD
$57,642

Chester Area School District 39-1 is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable South Dakota districts (576 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $57,642, below the national average of $70,245, serving 576 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Chester Area School District 39-1 is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable South Dakota districts (576 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 95th percentile for South Dakota
  • 31st percentile nationally
  • 36% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • South Dakota ranks #46 of 49 on the salary estimate and #42 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Chester Area School District 39-1 ranks #6 of 121 South Dakota districts by estimated teacher salary and #118 of 121 by per-pupil spending. Eagle Butte School District 20-1 leads both cuts in this pool; pay rank is still not spending rank
  • +13.4% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs South Dakota median

Among 148 South Dakota districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Chester Area School District 39-1's instructional payroll puts 7.3% into special education , 2.4 points below the state median of 9.7%. Special-education salary is a thinner slice of instructional pay here than at the median South Dakota district, not a judgment of need, only of how F-33 codes the payroll.

Program Chester Area SD median Gap
Regular program 81.6% 79.9% +1.6 pp
Special education 7.3% 9.7% -2.4 pp
Vocational programs 5.8% 5.1% +0.7 pp
Other programs 5.3% 5.1% +0.2 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 148 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 4612300 · FY2023.

LEAID 4612300 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Chester Area F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +14% vs state RANK-ST-TOP P95 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P31 national PPE-LOW $12K/pupil ENR-SMALL 576 students INSTR-MID 36% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Milbank FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $57,642 estimated average teacher salary · P95 in South Dakota · P31 nationally · 36% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Huron ($34est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Chester Area

Salary neighbourhood · Chester Area

Chester 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 Chester Area

Chester Area School District 39-1's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$57,642 31st percentile higher than 31% 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

Chester Area in South Dakota's upper-third pay band

Same 121 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Chester Area School District 39-1 ranks #6 of 121 South Dakota districts by estimated teacher salary and #118 of 121 by per-pupil spending. Eagle Butte School District 20-1 leads both cuts in this pool; pay rank is still not spending rank

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Chester Area School District 39-1 is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Eagle Butte School District 20-1 leads spending at $46,309 per pupil; Eagle Butte School District 20-1 leads pay.

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

What stands out about Chester Area School District 39-1

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +13.4% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing South Dakota's statewide +10.1% by 3.3 points, a growth rate faster than 68% of the 146 South Dakota districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$57,641.561

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

South Dakota price level
88.1 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$65,391

+13% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 Chester Area School District 39-1

What the Numbers Say About Chester Area School District 39-1

Chester Area School District 39-1 is a small school district in South Dakota, serving 576 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $11,523. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $57,642, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 4612300 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the South Dakota statewide average of $50,422, teacher pay in Chester Area School District 39-1 runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 14.3% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (17.9% differential). Among enrolling districts in South Dakota, it pays more than 95% of them. South Dakota itself ranks #46 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Chester Area School District 39-1 reports $6.6M in total expenditure against $6.7M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 36% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $1.7M, special-education teacher pay is $0.2M.

How does Chester Area School District 39-1 compare?

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

Chester Area School District 39-1 $57,642
Sioux Falls School District 49-5 $54,143
South Dakota avg $50,422
National avg $70,245

Chester Area School District 39-1 pays +6.5% more than Sioux Falls School District 49-5 · per-pupil $11,523 vs $13,239

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 South Dakota districts

On pay, Chester Area School District 39-1 sits closest to Milbank School District 25-4; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Madison Central School District 39-2. 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. Milbank School District 25-4
  2. Andes Central School District 11-1
  3. Dakota Valley School District 61-8
  4. Arlington School District 38-1
  5. Wagner Community School District 11-4
  6. West Central School District 49-7
  7. Lemmon School District 52-4
  8. Madison Central School District 39-2
  9. Dupree School District 64-2
  10. Groton Area School District 06-6
  11. Baltic School District 49-1
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Madison Central School District 39-2
  2. Dakota Valley School District 61-8
  3. Sioux Valley School District 05-5
  4. Ethan School District 17-1
  5. Ipswich Public School District 22-6
  6. Beresford School District 61-2
  7. Canton School District 41-1
  8. Elk Point-Jefferson School District 61-7
  9. Lennox School District 41-4
  10. Clark School District 12-2
  11. Belle Fourche School District 09-1

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Chester Area School District 39-1's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Chester Area School District 39-1: closest on enrollment (576 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($57,642 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

$6.7M
Total Revenue
$6.6M
Total Expenditure
$2.4M
Instruction Salaries
36% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$1.7M
Regular Program
$0.2M
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 Chester Area School District 39-1: 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.

South Dakota Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized South Dakota districts belongs to Douglas School District 51-1 at $61,738. Chester Area School District 39-1 sits in the upper quarter of that field at 4 of 49, nearer the ceiling than the floor. North Dakota and Oklahoma are the states closest to South Dakota 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 South Dakota districts →

Other South Dakota Districts

Smaller-district sample from 120 South Dakota peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Miller 29-4
$51,466
457 students
Ipswich Public School District 22-6
$50,762
457 students
Beresford School District 61-2
$53,593
708 students
McLaughlin School District 15-2
$53,218
442 students
Elkton School District 05-3
$44,962
441 students
McCook Central School District 43-7
$45,429
434 students

This is a sample of 6 from 120 South Dakota districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Chester Area School District 39-1
What is the average teacher salary in Chester Area School District 39-1?

The average teacher salary in Chester Area School District 39-1 is $57,642 (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 Chester Area School District 39-1 teacher pay compare to the South Dakota average?

Chester Area School District 39-1 pays 14.3% more than the South Dakota state average of $50,422. The district's average is $57,642.

How does Chester Area School District 39-1 teacher pay compare to the national average?

Chester Area School District 39-1 pays 17.9% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $57,642.

What is the per-pupil spending in Chester Area School District 39-1?

Chester Area School District 39-1 spends approximately $11,523 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Chester Area School District 39-1's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 36% of Chester Area School District 39-1's total expenditure of $6.6M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Chester Area School District 39-1
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. Chester Area School District 39-1'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.