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School district · Delaware · LEAID 1000230

Colonial School District

Colonial School District sits in the highest third of Delaware districts on estimated teacher pay at $102,551 (above 79% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Colonial School District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$102,551
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$25,637
Per-pupil spending
9,132
Students enrolled
79th
Pct. in DE
$102,551

Colonial School District sits in the highest third of Delaware districts on estimated teacher pay at $102,551 (above 79% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $102,551, above the national average of $70,245, serving 9,132 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Upper-third pay in state: Colonial School District sits in the highest third of Delaware districts on estimated teacher pay at $102,551 (above 79% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 79th percentile for Delaware
  • 92nd percentile nationally
  • 29% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Delaware ranks #3 of 49 on the salary estimate and #44 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Colonial School District ranks #4 of 19 Delaware districts by estimated teacher salary and #5 of 19 by per-pupil spending. Christina School District leads both cuts in this pool; pay rank is still not spending rank
  • +40.3% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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How the salary estimate is built

FY2023 teacher salary expenditure

$66,761,000 ÷ 651.00 reported teacher FTE = $102,551

  • Regular program $34,010,000 · 50.9%
  • Special education $31,190,000 · 46.7%
  • Vocational programs $1,561,000 · 2.3%

These NCES F-33 program totals make up the numerator of the district-level average; they do not describe an individual teacher's pay or contract.

LEAID 1000230 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Colonial School F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +11% vs state RANK-ST-MID P79 in state RANK-NAT-TOP P92 national PPE-HIGH $26K/pupil ENR-MID 9,132 students INSTR-LOW 29% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near New FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $102,551 estimated average teacher salary · P79 in Delaware · P92 nationally · 29% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: New (+$1,824est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Colonial School

Salary neighbourhood · Colonial School

Colonial School 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 Colonial School

Colonial School District's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$102,551 Top 8% higher than 92% 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%). Below this entry. $100,000–$110,000: 371 US districts (3%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Colonial School 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

Colonial School in Delaware's upper-third pay band

Same 19 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Colonial School District ranks #4 of 19 Delaware districts by estimated teacher salary and #5 of 19 by per-pupil spending. Christina School District 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

Colonial School District is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Christina School District leads spending at $37,779 per pupil; Christina School District leads pay.

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

What stands out about Colonial School District

  • It ranks in the top 10% of US districts for estimated teacher pay, higher than 92% of the 10,684 reliable-salary districts nationally.
  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +40.3% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Delaware's statewide +27.6% by 12.7 points.
  • Enrolment fell from 9,889 to 9,132 students (7.7% 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.
  • Its per-pupil spending of $25,637 is among the highest in the nation.

Delaware sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$102,551.459

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Delaware price level
98.8 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$103,840

+1% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Colonial School District

What the Numbers Say About Colonial School District

Colonial School District is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Delaware, serving 9,132 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $25,637. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $102,551, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 1000230 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Delaware statewide average of $92,029, teacher pay in Colonial School District runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 11.4% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (46.0% differential). Among enrolling districts in Delaware, it pays more than 79% of them. Delaware itself ranks #3 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Colonial School District reports $234.1M in total expenditure against $221.2M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 29% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $34.0M, special-education teacher pay is $31.2M.

How does Colonial School District compare?

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

Colonial School District $102,551
Red Clay Consolidated School District $87,385
Delaware avg $92,029
National avg $70,245

Colonial School District pays +17.4% more than Red Clay Consolidated School District · per-pupil $25,637 vs $24,497

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 Delaware districts

On pay, Colonial School District sits closest to New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Cape Henlopen 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. New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District
  2. Appoquinimink School District
  3. Indian River School District
  4. Capital School District
  5. Smyrna School District
  6. Woodbridge School District
  7. Christina School District
  8. Red Clay Consolidated School District
  9. Caesar Rodney School District
  10. Seaford School District
  11. Cape Henlopen School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Cape Henlopen School District
  2. New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District
  3. Red Clay Consolidated School District
  4. Indian River School District
  5. Capital School District
  6. Brandywine School District
  7. Woodbridge School District
  8. Appoquinimink School District
  9. Caesar Rodney School District
  10. Seaford School District
  11. Smyrna School District

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

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

Two out-of-state peer sets for Colonial School District: closest on enrollment (9,132 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($102,551 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

$221.2M
Total Revenue
$234.1M
Total Expenditure
$66.8M
Instruction Salaries
29% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$34.0M
Regular Program
$31.2M
Special Education
$1.6M
Vocational

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Colonial School District: the regular program, special education and vocational programs. It reports no separate figure for other programs. 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.

Delaware Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Delaware districts belongs to Christina School District at $117,104. Colonial School District sits in the upper quarter of that field at 4 of 19, nearer the ceiling than the floor. On BEA's price parity Delaware sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Illinois and Minnesota are its nearest price peers.

View all Delaware districts →

Other Delaware Districts

Large-district sample from 18 Delaware peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District
$104,375
4,688 students
Milford School District
$78,069
4,470 students
Lake Forest School District
$81,482
3,611 students
Red Clay Consolidated School District
$87,385
14,771 students
Seaford School District
$86,735
3,410 students
Laurel School District
$79,329
2,598 students

This is a sample of 6 from 18 Delaware districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

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

The average teacher salary in Colonial School District is $102,551 (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 Colonial School District teacher pay compare to the Delaware average?

Colonial School District pays 11.4% more than the Delaware state average of $92,029. The district's average is $102,551.

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

Colonial School District pays 46.0% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $102,551.

What is the per-pupil spending in Colonial School District?

Colonial School District spends approximately $25,637 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 29% of Colonial School District's total expenditure of $234.1M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Colonial 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. Colonial 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.