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School district · Ohio · LEAID 3904380

Columbus City Schools District

Columbus City Schools District is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Ohio districts (45,337 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Columbus City Schools District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$89,500
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$24,812
Per-pupil spending
45,337
Students enrolled
76th
Pct. in OH
$89,500

Columbus City Schools District is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Ohio districts (45,337 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $89,500, above the national average of $70,245, serving 45,337 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Large enrollment scale: Columbus City Schools District is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Ohio districts (45,337 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 76th percentile for Ohio
  • 84th percentile nationally
  • 28% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Ohio ranks #13 of 49 on the salary estimate and #5 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Columbus City Schools District ranks #154 of 646 Ohio districts by estimated teacher salary and #69 of 646 by per-pupil spending. Mahoning Co Career & Tech Ctr pay #1 at $171,630 is not Warren County Vocational School spending #1 at $57,688 per pupil
  • +25.4% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Ohio median

Among 653 Ohio districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Columbus City Schools District's instructional payroll puts 27.4% into special education , 8.0 points above the state median of 19.5%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Ohio peer.

Program Columbus City OH median Gap
Regular program 70.6% 78.0% -7.4 pp
Special education 27.4% 19.5% +8.0 pp
Vocational programs 1.9% 1.3% +0.6 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 653 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 3904380 · FY2023.

LEAID 3904380 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Columbus City F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +11% vs state RANK-ST-MID P76 in state RANK-NAT-MID P84 national PPE-HIGH $25K/pupil ENR-LARGE 45.3K students INSTR-LOW 28% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Westerville FY-2023-HEAVY FY2023 book

FY2023: $89,500 estimated average teacher salary · P76 in Ohio · P84 nationally · 28% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Westerville (+$819est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Columbus City

Salary neighbourhood · Columbus City

Columbus City 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 Columbus City

Columbus City Schools District's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$89,500 Top 16% higher than 84% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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

What stands out about Columbus City Schools District

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +25.4% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Ohio's statewide +19.8% by 5.6 points, a growth rate faster than 75% of the 604 Ohio districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 48,925 to 45,337 students (7.3% 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.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$89,500.184

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Ohio price level
91.9 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$97,385

+9% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Columbus City Schools District

What the Numbers Say About Columbus City Schools District

Columbus City Schools District is a mid-sized school district in Ohio, serving 45,337 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $24,812. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $89,500, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3904380 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Ohio statewide average of $80,477, teacher pay in Columbus City Schools District runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 11.2% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (27.4% differential). Among enrolling districts in Ohio, it pays more than 76% of them. Ohio itself ranks #13 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Columbus City Schools District reports $1124.9M in total expenditure against $1186.7M 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 $192.8M, special-education teacher pay is $74.9M.

How does Columbus City Schools District compare?

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

Columbus City Schools District $89,500
Cincinnati Public Schools $92,653
Ohio avg $80,477
National avg $70,245

Columbus City Schools District pays -3.4% less than Cincinnati Public Schools · per-pupil $24,812 vs $21,855

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 Ohio districts

On pay, Columbus City Schools District sits closest to Westerville City; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Dayton City. 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. Westerville City
  2. Hilliard City
  3. Cincinnati Public Schools
  4. Toledo City
  5. Akron City
  6. South-Western City
  7. Lakota Local
  8. Cleveland Municipal
  9. Dayton City
  10. Olentangy Local
  11. Pickerington Local
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Dayton City
  2. Toledo City
  3. Akron City
  4. Cleveland Municipal
  5. Cincinnati Public Schools
  6. Dublin City
  7. Westerville City
  8. South-Western City
  9. Olentangy Local
  10. Hilliard City
  11. Pickerington Local

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Columbus City Schools District's enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Columbus City Schools District: closest on enrollment (45,337 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($89,500 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

$1186.7M
Total Revenue
$1124.9M
Total Expenditure
$318.8M
Instruction Salaries
28% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$192.8M
Regular Program
$74.9M
Special Education
$5.3M
Vocational

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Columbus City Schools District: the regular program, special education and vocational programs. It reports no separate figure for other programs. Together they are 86% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 14% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Ohio Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Ohio districts belongs to Mahoning Co Career & Tech Ctr at $171,630. Columbus City Schools District sits in the upper quarter of that field at 151 of 605, nearer the ceiling than the floor. Tennessee and Indiana are the states closest to Ohio 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 Ohio districts →

Other Ohio Districts

Large-district sample from 648 Ohio peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

Oak Hills Local
$99,236
7,571 students
Reynoldsburg City
$86,022
7,374 students
Mentor Exempted Village
$96,138
7,267 students
Willoughby-Eastlake City
$85,795
7,196 students
Forest Hills Local
$99,257
7,118 students
Springfield City School District
$81,432
7,099 students

This is a sample of 6 from 648 Ohio districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbus City Schools District
What is the average teacher salary in Columbus City Schools District?

The average teacher salary in Columbus City Schools District is $89,500 (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 Columbus City Schools District teacher pay compare to the Ohio average?

Columbus City Schools District pays 11.2% more than the Ohio state average of $80,477. The district's average is $89,500.

How does Columbus City Schools District teacher pay compare to the national average?

Columbus City Schools District pays 27.4% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $89,500.

What is the per-pupil spending in Columbus City Schools District?

Columbus City Schools District spends approximately $24,812 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Columbus City Schools District's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 28% of Columbus City Schools District's total expenditure of $1124.9M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Columbus City Schools 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. Columbus City Schools 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.