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School district · Michigan · LEAID 2606990

Columbia School District

Columbia School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Michigan districts (1,485 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Columbia School District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$65,378
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$15,303
Per-pupil spending
1,485
Students enrolled
61st
Pct. in MI
$65,378

Columbia School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Michigan districts (1,485 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $65,378, below the national average of $70,245, serving 1,485 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Columbia School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Michigan districts (1,485 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 61st percentile for Michigan
  • 49th percentile nationally
  • 28% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Michigan ranks #32 of 49 on the salary estimate and #11 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Columbia School District ranks #193 of 492 Michigan districts by estimated teacher salary and #394 of 492 by per-pupil spending. Brighton Area Schools pay #1 at $122,714 is not Pontiac City School District spending #1 at $41,914 per pupil
  • +22.8% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Michigan median

Among 575 Michigan districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Columbia School District's instructional payroll puts 86.0% into regular program , 4.2 points above the state median of 81.7%. Regular-program teachers claim more of the instructional salary pool here than at the median Michigan district.

Program Columbia School MI median Gap
Regular program 86.0% 81.7% +4.2 pp
Special education 9.3% 11.4% -2.2 pp
Other programs 4.8% 4.4% +0.3 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 575 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2606990 · FY2023.

LEAID 2606990 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Columbia School F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-ABOVE +4% vs state RANK-ST-MID P61 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P49 national PPE-MID $15K/pupil ENR-SMALL 1,485 students INSTR-LOW 28% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Jonesville FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $65,378 estimated average teacher salary · P61 in Michigan · P49 nationally · 28% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Hudsonville (+$252est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Columbia School

Salary neighbourhood · Columbia School

Columbia School sits mid-pack among in-state peers; the chart brackets it between the top and bottom pay poles (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 Columbia School

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

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$65,378 49th percentile higher than 49% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Columbia 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

Columbia School in Michigan's lower-third pay band

Same 492 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Columbia School District ranks #193 of 492 Michigan districts by estimated teacher salary and #394 of 492 by per-pupil spending. Brighton Area Schools pay #1 at $122,714 is not Pontiac City School District spending #1 at $41,914 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

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

per pupil

What this shows Pontiac City School District leads spending at $41,914 per pupil; Brighton Area Schools leads pay.

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

What stands out about Columbia School District

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +22.8% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Michigan's statewide +17.1% by 5.7 points, a growth rate faster than 74% of the 513 Michigan districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$65,378.347

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Michigan price level
94.3 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$69,333

+6% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Columbia School District

What the Numbers Say About Columbia School District

Columbia School District is a small school district in Michigan, serving 1,485 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $15,303. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $65,378, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2606990 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Michigan statewide average of $63,155, teacher pay in Columbia School District runs roughly in line with the state benchmark, a 3.5% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (6.9% differential). Among enrolling districts in Michigan, it pays more than 61% of them. Michigan itself ranks #32 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Columbia School District reports $22.7M in total expenditure against $24.7M 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 $4.8M, special-education teacher pay is $0.5M.

How does Columbia School District compare?

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

Columbia School District $65,378
Detroit Public Schools Community District $78,081
Michigan avg $63,155
National avg $70,245

Columbia School District pays -16.3% less than Detroit Public Schools Community District · per-pupil $15,303 vs $23,287

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 Michigan districts

On pay, Columbia School District sits closest to Jonesville Community Schools; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Springport 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. Jonesville Community Schools
  2. Jefferson Schools (Monroe)
  3. Clawson Public Schools
  4. Benton Harbor Area Schools
  5. Algonac Community School District
  6. Negaunee Public Schools
  7. Marshall Public Schools
  8. Armada Area Schools
  9. Ithaca Public Schools
  10. Standish-Sterling Community Schools
  11. Homer Community School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Springport Public Schools
  2. New Lothrop Area Public Schools
  3. Croswell-Lexington Community Schools
  4. Crawford AuSable Schools
  5. Lapeer Community Schools
  6. LakeVille Community School District
  7. Saranac Community Schools
  8. Hopkins Public Schools
  9. Bronson Community School District
  10. Wayland Union Schools
  11. Olivet Community Schools

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Columbia School District's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Columbia School District: closest on enrollment (1,485 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($65,378 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

$24.7M
Total Revenue
$22.7M
Total Expenditure
$6.5M
Instruction Salaries
28% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$4.8M
Regular Program
$0.5M
Special Education
$0.3M
Other Programs

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

Michigan Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Michigan districts belongs to Brighton Area Schools at $122,714. Columbia School District places 188 of 431 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. North Carolina and South Carolina are the states closest to Michigan 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 Michigan districts →

Other Michigan Districts

Smaller-district sample from 508 Michigan peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Lakewood Public Schools
$73,525
1,644 students
Crawford AuSable Schools
$61,823
1,646 students
Belding Area School District
$58,891
1,649 students
Napoleon Community Schools
$70,312
1,320 students
Michigan Center School District
$68,538
1,316 students
Montague Area Public Schools
$60,077
1,316 students

This is a sample of 6 from 508 Michigan districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

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

The average teacher salary in Columbia School District is $65,378 (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 Columbia School District teacher pay compare to the Michigan average?

Columbia School District pays 3.5% more than the Michigan state average of $63,155. The district's average is $65,378.

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

Columbia School District pays 6.9% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $65,378.

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

Columbia School District spends approximately $15,303 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 28% of Columbia School District's total expenditure of $22.7M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Columbia 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. Columbia 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.