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School district · Kentucky · LEAID 2101500

Dawson Springs Independent

Dawson Springs Independent sits in the lowest third of Kentucky districts on estimated teacher pay at $44,286 (above only 1% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Dawson Springs Independent come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$44,286
Est. avg teacher salary

Well below benchmark

$19,867
Per-pupil spending
534
Students enrolled
1st
Pct. in KY
$44,286

Dawson Springs Independent sits in the lowest third of Kentucky districts on estimated teacher pay at $44,286 (above only 1% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $44,286, below the national average of $70,245, serving 534 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Dawson Springs Independent sits in the lowest third of Kentucky districts on estimated teacher pay at $44,286 (above only 1% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 1st percentile for Kentucky
  • 4th percentile nationally
  • 21% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Kentucky ranks #40 of 49 on the salary estimate and #24 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Dawson Springs Independent ranks #170 of 171 Kentucky districts by estimated teacher salary and #26 of 171 by per-pupil spending. Jefferson County pay #1 at $73,395 is not Newport Independent spending #1 at $28,225 per pupil
  • +7.1% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Kentucky median

Among 171 Kentucky districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Dawson Springs Independent's instructional payroll puts 38.9% into regular program , 40.9 points below the state median of 79.8%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Dawson Springs KY median Gap
Regular program 38.9% 79.8% -40.9 pp
Special education 19.9% 16.6% +3.3 pp
Other programs 41.0% 1.5% +39.5 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 171 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2101500 · FY2023.

LEAID 2101500 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Dawson Springs F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -22% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P1 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P4 national PPE-MID $20K/pupil ENR-SMALL 534 students INSTR-LOW 21% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Eminence FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $44,286 estimated average teacher salary · P1 in Kentucky · P4 nationally · 21% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Montgomery (+$6,353est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Dawson Springs

Salary neighbourhood · Dawson Springs

Dawson Springs 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 Dawson Springs

Dawson Springs Independent's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$44,286 4th percentile higher than 4% 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. Dawson Springs Independent $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

Dawson Springs in Kentucky's lower-third pay band

Same 171 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Dawson Springs Independent ranks #170 of 171 Kentucky districts by estimated teacher salary and #26 of 171 by per-pupil spending. Jefferson County pay #1 at $73,395 is not Newport Independent spending #1 at $28,225 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Dawson Springs Independent is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Newport Independent leads spending at $28,225 per pupil; Jefferson County leads pay.

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

What stands out about Dawson Springs Independent

  • It ranks in the bottom 5% nationally for estimated teacher pay, above only 4% of districts.
  • Estimated teacher pay here moved +7.1% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Kentucky's statewide +13.0% by 5.8 points, a growth rate faster than 22% of the 160 Kentucky districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 626 to 534 students (14.7% 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
$44,285.714

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Kentucky price level
89.9 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$49,267

+11% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Dawson Springs Independent

What the Numbers Say About Dawson Springs Independent

Dawson Springs Independent is a small school district in Kentucky, serving 534 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $19,867. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $44,286, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2101500 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Kentucky statewide average of $56,482, teacher pay in Dawson Springs Independent runs materially below the state benchmark, a 21.6% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (37.0% differential). Among enrolling districts in Kentucky, it pays more than 1% of them. Kentucky itself ranks #40 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Dawson Springs Independent reports $10.6M in total expenditure against $10.0M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 21% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $0.7M, special-education teacher pay is $0.4M.

How does Dawson Springs Independent compare?

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

Dawson Springs Independent $44,286
Jefferson County $73,395
Kentucky avg $56,482
National avg $70,245

Dawson Springs Independent pays -39.7% less than Jefferson County · per-pupil $19,867 vs $20,696

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 Kentucky districts

On pay, Dawson Springs Independent sits closest to Eminence Independent; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Beechwood Independent. 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. Eminence Independent
  2. Owsley County
  3. Fulton County
  4. Williamsburg Independent
  5. Russellville Independent
  6. Williamstown Independent
  7. Middlesboro Independent
  8. Lewis County
  9. Cloverport Independent
  10. Carlisle County
  11. Menifee County
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Beechwood Independent
  2. Bellevue Independent
  3. Knott County
  4. Trigg County
  5. Owsley County
  6. Dayton Independent
  7. Leslie County
  8. Southgate Independent
  9. Eminence Independent
  10. Ludlow Independent
  11. Nicholas County

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Dawson Springs Independent's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Dawson Springs Independent: closest on enrollment (534 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($44,286 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

$10.0M
Total Revenue
$10.6M
Total Expenditure
$2.2M
Instruction Salaries
21% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$0.7M
Regular Program
$0.4M
Special Education
$0.0M
Vocational
$0.8M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Dawson Springs Independent: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 85% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 15% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Kentucky Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Kentucky districts belongs to Jefferson County at $73,395. At the other end, Dawson Springs Independent anchors the bottom of the 161-district field, so the gap between it and the state's ceiling is close to the full spread the state average is drawn from. Kansas and West Virginia are the states closest to Kentucky 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 Kentucky districts →

Other Kentucky Districts

Smaller-district sample from 170 Kentucky peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Barbourville Independent
$55,124
692 students
Jackson Independent
$66,318
349 students
Hickman County
$51,946
723 students
Fulton Independent
$50,048
324 students
Augusta Independent
$50,595
317 students
Paris Independent
$55,289
754 students

This is a sample of 6 from 170 Kentucky districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dawson Springs Independent
What is the average teacher salary in Dawson Springs Independent?

The average teacher salary in Dawson Springs Independent is $44,286 (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 Dawson Springs Independent teacher pay compare to the Kentucky average?

Dawson Springs Independent pays 21.6% less than the Kentucky state average of $56,482. The district's average is $44,286.

How does Dawson Springs Independent teacher pay compare to the national average?

Dawson Springs Independent pays 37.0% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $44,286.

What is the per-pupil spending in Dawson Springs Independent?

Dawson Springs Independent spends approximately $19,867 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Dawson Springs Independent's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 21% of Dawson Springs Independent's total expenditure of $10.6M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Dawson Springs Independent
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. Dawson Springs Independent'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.