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School district · Texas · LEAID 4815400

Cotulla ISD

Cotulla ISD sits in the lowest third of Texas districts on estimated teacher pay at $42,970 (above only 10% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Cotulla ISD come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$42,970
Est. avg teacher salary

Well below benchmark

$83.0M
Total spending
1,170
Students enrolled
10th
Pct. in TX
$42,970

Cotulla ISD sits in the lowest third of Texas districts on estimated teacher pay at $42,970 (above only 10% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $42,970, below the national average of $70,245, serving 1,170 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Cotulla ISD sits in the lowest third of Texas districts on estimated teacher pay at $42,970 (above only 10% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 10th percentile for Texas
  • 3rd percentile nationally
  • 12% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Texas ranks #44 of 49 on the salary estimate and #2 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • +1.9% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Texas median

Among 1,024 Texas districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Cotulla ISD's instructional payroll puts 78.9% into regular program , 3.5 points above the state median of 75.4%. Regular-program teachers claim more of the instructional salary pool here than at the median Texas district.

Program Cotulla ISD TX median Gap
Regular program 78.9% 75.4% +3.5 pp
Special education 7.8% 8.1% -0.3 pp
Vocational programs 8.0% 7.0% +1.0 pp
Other programs 5.2% 8.3% -3.1 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 1,024 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 4815400 · FY2023.

LEAID 4815400 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Cotulla ISD F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -17% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P10 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P3 national PPE-AGENCY Agency spend ENR-SMALL 1,170 students INSTR-LOW 12% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Pittsburg FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $42,970 estimated average teacher salary · P10 in Texas · P3 nationally · 12% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Ector (+$8,092est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Cotulla ISD

Salary neighbourhood · Cotulla ISD

Cotulla ISD 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 Cotulla ISD

Cotulla ISD's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$42,970 3rd percentile higher than 3% 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. Cotulla ISD $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 Cotulla ISD

  • It ranks in the bottom 5% nationally for estimated teacher pay, above only 3% of districts.
  • Estimated teacher pay here moved +1.9% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Texas's statewide +10.1% by 8.2 points, a growth rate faster than 20% of the 1,015 Texas districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 1,347 to 1,170 students (13.1% 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 reported per-pupil figure ($70,978) reflects regional or program spending divided by a small number of directly-enrolled students, it is not a comparable per-classroom figure.

Texas sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$42,969.999

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Texas price level
97.1 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$44,235

+3% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Texas 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 Texas 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 Cotulla ISD

What the Numbers Say About Cotulla ISD

Cotulla ISD is a small school district in Texas, serving 1,170 students with $83.0M in total spending across its regional programs. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $42,970. NCES LEAID 4815400 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Texas statewide average of $51,478, teacher pay in Cotulla ISD runs materially below the state benchmark, a 16.5% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (38.8% differential). Among enrolling districts in Texas, it pays more than 10% of them. Texas itself ranks #44 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Cotulla ISD reports $83.0M in total expenditure against $39.0M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 12% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $3.6M, special-education teacher pay is $0.4M.

How does Cotulla ISD compare?

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

Cotulla ISD $42,970
Houston ISD $60,017
Texas avg $51,478
National avg $70,245

Cotulla ISD pays -28.4% less than Houston ISD · per-pupil $70,978 vs $16,112

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.

Out-of-state districts near Cotulla ISD's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Cotulla ISD: closest on enrollment (1,170 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($42,970 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

$39.0M
Total Revenue
$83.0M
Total Expenditure
$10.0M
Instruction Salaries
12% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$3.6M
Regular Program
$0.4M
Special Education
$0.4M
Vocational
$0.2M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Cotulla ISD: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 46% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 54% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Texas Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Texas districts belongs to Huntington ISD at $96,219. Placed 652 of 708, Cotulla ISD is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. On BEA's price parity Texas sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Vermont and Pennsylvania are its nearest price peers.

View all Texas districts →

Other Texas Districts

Smaller-district sample from 902 Texas peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Crane ISD
$53,725
1,179 students
Chisum ISD
$51,980
1,179 students
Gunter ISD
$55,098
1,158 students
Early ISD
$52,366
1,155 students
New Boston ISD
$51,230
1,154 students
New Diana ISD
$49,375
1,186 students

This is a sample of 6 from 902 Texas districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cotulla ISD
What is the average teacher salary in Cotulla ISD?

The average teacher salary in Cotulla ISD is $42,970 (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 Cotulla ISD teacher pay compare to the Texas average?

Cotulla ISD pays 16.5% less than the Texas state average of $51,478. The district's average is $42,970.

How does Cotulla ISD teacher pay compare to the national average?

Cotulla ISD pays 38.8% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $42,970.

Why is the per-pupil figure for Cotulla ISD so high?

Cotulla ISD is a specialized or regional agency (such as a county office, service cooperative, or career-technical center) that directly enrolls only 1,170 students while delivering programs to many more. Dividing its $83.0M budget by that small enrollment produces a per-pupil figure that is not comparable to a standard school district, so we report total spending and enrollment instead.

What percentage of Cotulla ISD's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 12% of Cotulla ISD's total expenditure of $83.0M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Cotulla ISD
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. Cotulla ISD'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.