School district · Mississippi · LEAID 2801170
Columbia School District
Columbia School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Mississippi districts (1,646 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).
- $54,658
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $13,877
- Per-pupil spending
- 1,646
- Students enrolled
- 82nd
- Pct. in MS
Above benchmark
Columbia School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Mississippi districts (1,646 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $54,658, below the national average of $70,245, serving 1,646 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- Smaller enrollment scale: Columbia School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Mississippi districts (1,646 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
- 82nd percentile for Mississippi
- 25th percentile nationally
- 35% of spending reaches instructional salaries
- Mississippi ranks #45 of 49 on the salary estimate and #33 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
- Columbia School District ranks #25 of 138 Mississippi districts by estimated teacher salary and #81 of 138 by per-pupil spending. Forrest County Ag High School pay #1 at $76,198 is not Kemper Co School Dist spending #1 at $25,476 per pupil
- +40.4% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)
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Instructional payroll mix vs Mississippi median
Among 138 Mississippi districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Columbia School District's instructional payroll puts 3.2% into vocational programs , 3.4 points below the state median of 6.6%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.
| Program | Columbia School | MS median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular program | 73.8% | 73.2% | +0.6 pp |
| Special education | 16.3% | 14.4% | +1.8 pp |
| Vocational programs | 3.2% | 6.6% | -3.4 pp |
| Other programs | 6.8% | 4.8% | +2.0 pp |
Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 138 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2801170 · FY2023.
LEAID 2801170 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
Columbia School F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $54,658 estimated average teacher salary · P82 in Mississippi · P25 nationally · 35% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Canton (+$128est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for Columbia School
Salary neighbourhood · Columbia School
Columbia 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).
- Columbus · low pole
Columbus · low pole
$47,148 est. salary
- Gulfport · near
Gulfport · near
$54,338 est. salary
- Columbia
Columbia · this district
$54,658 est. salary
- Canton · near
Canton · near
$54,786 est. salary
- Pearl · near
Pearl · near
$54,934 est. salary
- Oxford · top pay
Oxford · top pay
$60,147 est. salary
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
$54,658 25th percentile higher than 25% of 10,684 US districts
Show national distribution
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 Mississippi's upper-third pay band
Same 138 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)
- Forrest County Ag High School
Forrest County Ag High School
$76,198 est. avg salary
- Kemper Co School Dist
Kemper Co School Dist
$55,462 est. avg salary
- Columbia School District
Columbia School District
$54,658 est. avg salary
What this shows Columbia School District ranks #25 of 138 Mississippi districts by estimated teacher salary and #81 of 138 by per-pupil spending. Forrest County Ag High School pay #1 at $76,198 is not Kemper Co School Dist spending #1 at $25,476 per pupil
The same districts by per-pupil spending
Columbia School District is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar
- Kemper Co School Dist
Kemper Co School Dist
$25,476 per pupil
- Forrest County Ag High School
Forrest County Ag High School
$18,885 per pupil
- Columbia School District
Columbia School District
$13,877 per pupil
What this shows Kemper Co School Dist leads spending at $25,476 per pupil; Forrest County Ag High School leads pay.
What stands out about Columbia School District
- Estimated teacher pay here rose +40.4% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Mississippi's statewide +28.6% by 11.8 points, a growth rate faster than 88% of the 136 Mississippi districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests
- Nominal district estimate
- $54,657.634
- Mississippi price level
- 86.8 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $62,975
The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.
BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.
+15% versus the nominal figure.
Prices in Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi, serving 1,646 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $13,877. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $54,658, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2801170 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
Relative to the Mississippi statewide average of $51,325, teacher pay in Columbia School District runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 6.5% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (22.2% differential). Among enrolling districts in Mississippi, it pays more than 82% of them. Mississippi itself ranks #45 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.
On the budget side, Columbia School District reports $22.8M in total expenditure against $25.0M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 35% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $5.0M, special-education teacher pay is $1.1M.
How does Columbia School District compare?
Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Mississippi average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.
Columbia School District pays +8.3% more than Desoto Co School Dist · per-pupil $13,877 vs $11,403
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 Mississippi districts
On pay, Columbia School District sits closest to Moss Point Separate School Dist; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Webster Co School Dist. 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.
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 (1,646 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($54,658 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
Instructional Salary by Program
The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Columbia School District: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 84% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 16% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.
Mississippi Teacher Pay Overview
The highest average among comparably sized Mississippi districts belongs to Forrest County Ag High School at $76,198. Columbia School District sits in the upper quarter of that field at 25 of 137, nearer the ceiling than the floor. Arkansas and South Dakota are the states closest to Mississippi 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 Mississippi districts →Other Mississippi Districts
Smaller-district sample from 137 Mississippi peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.
This is a sample of 6 from 137 Mississippi 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 $54,658 (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 Mississippi average?
Columbia School District pays 6.5% more than the Mississippi state average of $51,325. The district's average is $54,658.
How does Columbia School District teacher pay compare to the national average?
Columbia School District pays 22.2% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $54,658.
What is the per-pupil spending in Columbia School District?
Columbia School District spends approximately $13,877 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 35% of Columbia School District's total expenditure of $22.8M (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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| Sources | Public official public datasets |