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School district · North Carolina · LEAID 3700960

Columbus County Schools

Columbus County Schools is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable North Carolina districts (5,335 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Columbus County Schools come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$48,372
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$15,344
Per-pupil spending
5,335
Students enrolled
17th
Pct. in NC
$48,372

Columbus County Schools is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable North Carolina districts (5,335 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $48,372, below the national average of $70,245, serving 5,335 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Columbus County Schools is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable North Carolina districts (5,335 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 17th percentile for North Carolina
  • 11th percentile nationally
  • 32% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • North Carolina ranks #47 of 49 on the salary estimate and #8 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Columbus County Schools ranks #95 of 115 North Carolina districts by estimated teacher salary and #40 of 115 by per-pupil spending. Camden County Schools pay #1 at $53,553 is not Hyde County Schools spending #1 at $39,566 per pupil
  • +5.0% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs North Carolina median

Among 116 North Carolina districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Columbus County Schools's instructional payroll puts 11.7% into other programs , 8.0 points below the state median of 19.7%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Columbus County NC median Gap
Regular program 69.1% 61.8% +7.3 pp
Special education 10.8% 11.1% -0.3 pp
Vocational programs 8.3% 7.1% +1.2 pp
Other programs 11.7% 19.7% -8.0 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 116 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 3700960 · FY2023.

LEAID 3700960 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Columbus County F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-BELOW -3% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P17 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P11 national PPE-MID $15K/pupil ENR-MID 5,335 students INSTR-LOW 32% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Bertie FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $48,372 estimated average teacher salary · P17 in North Carolina · P11 nationally · 32% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Rowan-Salisbury ($21est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Columbus County

Salary neighbourhood · Columbus County

Columbus County trails 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 County

Columbus County Schools's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$48,372 11th percentile higher than 11% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $50,000–$60,000: 2,382 US districts (22%). Above this entry. $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. Columbus County Schools $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

Columbus County in North Carolina's lower-third pay band

Same 115 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Columbus County Schools ranks #95 of 115 North Carolina districts by estimated teacher salary and #40 of 115 by per-pupil spending. Camden County Schools pay #1 at $53,553 is not Hyde County Schools spending #1 at $39,566 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Columbus County Schools is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Hyde County Schools leads spending at $39,566 per pupil; Camden County Schools leads pay.

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

What stands out about Columbus County Schools

  • Enrolment fell from 5,757 to 5,335 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
$48,372.263

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

North Carolina price level
94.4 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$51,242

+6% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 County Schools

What the Numbers Say About Columbus County Schools

Columbus County Schools is a small-to-mid-sized school district in North Carolina, serving 5,335 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $15,344. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $48,372, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3700960 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the North Carolina statewide average of $49,898, teacher pay in Columbus County Schools runs slightly below the state benchmark, a 3.1% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (31.1% differential). Among enrolling districts in North Carolina, it pays more than 17% of them. North Carolina itself ranks #47 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Columbus County Schools reports $81.9M in total expenditure against $81.5M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 32% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $11.9M, special-education teacher pay is $1.9M.

How does Columbus County Schools compare?

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

Columbus County Schools $48,372
Wake County Schools $50,350
North Carolina avg $49,898
National avg $70,245

Columbus County Schools pays -3.9% less than Wake County Schools · per-pupil $15,344 vs $13,702

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 North Carolina districts

On pay, Columbus County Schools sits closest to Bertie County Schools; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Perquimans County 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. Bertie County Schools
  2. Kannapolis City Schools
  3. Rowan-Salisbury Schools
  4. Craven County Schools
  5. Vance County Schools
  6. Franklin County Schools
  7. Public Schools of Robeson County
  8. Lee County Schools
  9. Duplin County Schools
  10. Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools
  11. Hickory City Schools
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Perquimans County Schools
  2. Carteret County Public Schools
  3. Person County Schools
  4. Rutherford County Schools
  5. Ashe County Schools
  6. Cleveland County Schools
  7. Whiteville City Schools
  8. Edgecombe County Public Schools
  9. Thomasville City Schools
  10. Swain County Schools
  11. Lexington City Schools

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Columbus County Schools's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Columbus County Schools: closest on enrollment (5,335 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($48,372 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

$81.5M
Total Revenue
$81.9M
Total Expenditure
$25.8M
Instruction Salaries
32% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$11.9M
Regular Program
$1.9M
Special Education
$1.4M
Vocational
$2.0M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Columbus County Schools: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 67% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 33% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

North Carolina Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized North Carolina districts belongs to Camden County Schools at $53,553. Placed 93 of 113, Columbus County Schools is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. Michigan and South Carolina are the states closest to North Carolina 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 North Carolina districts →

Other North Carolina Districts

Smaller-district sample from 114 North Carolina peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Roanoke Rapids City Schools
$50,328
2,765 students
Ashe County Schools
$51,933
2,743 students
Sampson County Schools
$49,848
7,971 students
Greene County Schools
$48,929
2,668 students
Martin County Schools
$49,080
2,636 students
Carteret County Public Schools
$51,891
8,081 students

This is a sample of 6 from 114 North Carolina districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

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

The average teacher salary in Columbus County Schools is $48,372 (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 County Schools teacher pay compare to the North Carolina average?

Columbus County Schools pays 3.1% less than the North Carolina state average of $49,898. The district's average is $48,372.

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

Columbus County Schools pays 31.1% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $48,372.

What is the per-pupil spending in Columbus County Schools?

Columbus County Schools spends approximately $15,344 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 32% of Columbus County Schools's total expenditure of $81.9M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Columbus County Schools
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 County Schools'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.