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School district · Iowa · LEAID 1908730

Decorah Community School District

Decorah Community School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Iowa districts (1,589 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Decorah Community School District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$62,969
Est. avg teacher salary

Near benchmark

$17,301
Per-pupil spending
1,589
Students enrolled
46th
Pct. in IA
$62,969

Decorah Community School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Iowa districts (1,589 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $62,969, below the national average of $70,245, serving 1,589 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Decorah Community School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Iowa districts (1,589 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 46th percentile for Iowa
  • 44th percentile nationally
  • 32% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Iowa ranks #30 of 49 on the salary estimate and #29 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Decorah Community School District ranks #164 of 303 Iowa districts by estimated teacher salary and #101 of 303 by per-pupil spending. Linn-Mar Comm School District pay #1 at $82,552 is not Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District spending #1 at $59,531 per pupil
  • +19.5% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Iowa median

Among 327 Iowa districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Decorah Community School District's instructional payroll puts 64.0% into regular program , 4.8 points below the state median of 68.8%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Decorah Community IA median Gap
Regular program 64.0% 68.8% -4.8 pp
Special education 15.8% 12.6% +3.2 pp
Vocational programs 4.7% 4.7% +0.0 pp
Other programs 15.5% 13.9% +1.7 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 327 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 1908730 · FY2023.

LEAID 1908730 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Decorah Community F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-INLINE Near state avg RANK-ST-LOW P46 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P44 national PPE-MID $17K/pupil ENR-SMALL 1,589 students INSTR-LOW 32% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Okoboji FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $62,969 estimated average teacher salary · P46 in Iowa · P44 nationally · 32% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Western ($861est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Decorah Community

Salary neighbourhood · Decorah Community

Decorah Community sits mid-pack among in-state peers; the chart brackets it between the top and bottom pay poles (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 Decorah Community

Decorah Community School District's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$62,969 44th percentile higher than 44% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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. 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

Decorah Community in Iowa's lower-third pay band

Same 303 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Decorah Community School District ranks #164 of 303 Iowa districts by estimated teacher salary and #101 of 303 by per-pupil spending. Linn-Mar Comm School District pay #1 at $82,552 is not Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District spending #1 at $59,531 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Decorah Community School District is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District leads spending at $59,531 per pupil; Linn-Mar Comm School District leads pay.

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

What stands out about Decorah Community School District

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +19.5% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Iowa's statewide +9.0% by 10.5 points, a growth rate faster than 85% of the 324 Iowa districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 1,696 to 1,589 students (6.3% 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
$62,969.411

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Iowa price level
88.8 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$70,936

+13% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Iowa 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 Iowa 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 Decorah Community School District

What the Numbers Say About Decorah Community School District

Decorah Community School District is a small school district in Iowa, serving 1,589 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $17,301. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $62,969, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 1908730 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Iowa statewide average of $63,660, teacher pay in Decorah Community School District runs slightly below the state benchmark, a 1.1% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (10.4% differential). Among enrolling districts in Iowa, it pays more than 46% of them. Iowa itself ranks #30 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Decorah Community School District reports $27.5M in total expenditure against $28.7M 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 $4.9M, special-education teacher pay is $1.2M.

How does Decorah Community School District compare?

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

Decorah Community School District $62,969
Des Moines Independent Comm School District $69,203
Iowa avg $63,660
National avg $70,245

Decorah Community School District pays -9.0% less than Des Moines Independent Comm School District · per-pupil $17,301 vs $18,580

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 Iowa districts

On pay, Decorah Community School District sits closest to Okoboji Comm School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Lisbon Comm School District. 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. Okoboji Comm School District
  2. West Liberty Comm School District
  3. Underwood Comm School District
  4. Winterset Comm School District
  5. Central Lyon Comm School District
  6. AGWSR Comm School District
  7. Sheldon Comm School District
  8. Estherville Lincoln Central Com Sch Dist
  9. Glenwood Comm School District
  10. Clear Lake Comm School District
  11. West Central Valley Comm School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Lisbon Comm School District
  2. Galva-Holstein Comm School District
  3. Pekin Comm School District
  4. Belmond-Klemme Comm School District
  5. IKM-Manning Comm School District
  6. Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District
  7. Newton Comm School District
  8. Riverside Comm School District
  9. Perry Comm School District
  10. Ottumwa Comm School District
  11. East Buchanan Comm School District

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Decorah Community School District's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Decorah Community School District: closest on enrollment (1,589 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($62,969 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

$28.7M
Total Revenue
$27.5M
Total Expenditure
$8.8M
Instruction Salaries
32% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$4.9M
Regular Program
$1.2M
Special Education
$0.4M
Vocational
$1.2M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Decorah Community 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 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.

Iowa Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Iowa districts belongs to Linn-Mar Comm School District at $82,552. Decorah Community School District places 146 of 237 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. Louisiana and Oklahoma are the states closest to Iowa 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 Iowa districts →

Other Iowa Districts

Smaller-district sample from 302 Iowa peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Mount Pleasant Comm School District
$67,138
1,851 students
Ballard Comm School District
$72,578
1,871 students
Spirit Lake Comm School District
$67,118
1,304 students
Hampton-Dumont Comm School District
$71,360
1,298 students
West Liberty Comm School District
$62,939
1,284 students
Maquoketa Comm School District
$61,733
1,282 students

This is a sample of 6 from 302 Iowa districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Decorah Community School District
What is the average teacher salary in Decorah Community School District?

The average teacher salary in Decorah Community School District is $62,969 (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 Decorah Community School District teacher pay compare to the Iowa average?

Decorah Community School District pays 1.1% less than the Iowa state average of $63,660. The district's average is $62,969.

How does Decorah Community School District teacher pay compare to the national average?

Decorah Community School District pays 10.4% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $62,969.

What is the per-pupil spending in Decorah Community School District?

Decorah Community School District spends approximately $17,301 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Decorah Community School District's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 32% of Decorah Community School District's total expenditure of $27.5M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Decorah Community 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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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. Decorah Community School 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.