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School district · Michigan · LEAID 2601103

Detroit Public Schools Community District

Detroit Public Schools Community District is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Michigan districts (48,251 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Detroit Public Schools Community District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$78,081
Est. avg teacher salary

Well above benchmark

$23,287
Per-pupil spending
48,251
Students enrolled
95th
Pct. in MI
$78,081

Detroit Public Schools Community District is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Michigan districts (48,251 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $78,081, above the national average of $70,245, serving 48,251 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Large enrollment scale: Detroit Public Schools Community District is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Michigan districts (48,251 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 95th percentile for Michigan
  • 72nd percentile nationally
  • 24% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Michigan ranks #32 of 49 on the salary estimate and #11 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Detroit Public Schools Community District ranks #25 of 492 Michigan districts by estimated teacher salary and #59 of 492 by per-pupil spending. Brighton Area Schools pay #1 at $122,714 is not Pontiac City School District spending #1 at $41,914 per pupil
  • +34.9% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Michigan median

Among 575 Michigan districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Detroit Public Schools Community District's instructional payroll puts 70.4% into regular program , 11.4 points below the state median of 81.7%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Detroit Public MI median Gap
Regular program 70.4% 81.7% -11.4 pp
Special education 19.9% 11.4% +8.4 pp
Vocational programs 0.6% 0.0% +0.5 pp
Other programs 9.2% 4.4% +4.7 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 575 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2601103 · FY2023.

LEAID 2601103 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Detroit Public F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +24% vs state RANK-ST-TOP P95 in state RANK-NAT-MID P72 national PPE-HIGH $23K/pupil ENR-LARGE 48.3K students INSTR-LOW 24% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Rochester FY-2023-HEAVY FY2023 book

FY2023: $78,081 estimated average teacher salary · P95 in Michigan · P72 nationally · 24% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Grosse ($427est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Detroit Public

Salary neighbourhood · Detroit Public

Detroit Public 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 Detroit Public

Detroit Public Schools Community District's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$78,081 Top 28% higher than 72% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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

Detroit Public in Michigan's upper-third pay band

Same 492 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Detroit Public Schools Community District ranks #25 of 492 Michigan districts by estimated teacher salary and #59 of 492 by per-pupil spending. Brighton Area Schools pay #1 at $122,714 is not Pontiac City School District spending #1 at $41,914 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Detroit Public Schools Community District is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Pontiac City School District leads spending at $41,914 per pupil; Brighton Area Schools leads pay.

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

What stands out about Detroit Public Schools Community District

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +34.9% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Michigan's statewide +17.1% by 17.8 points, a growth rate faster than 94% of the 513 Michigan districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$78,080.785

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Michigan price level
94.3 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$82,804

+6% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Detroit Public Schools Community District

What the Numbers Say About Detroit Public Schools Community District

Detroit Public Schools Community District is a mid-sized school district in Michigan, serving 48,251 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $23,287. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $78,081, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2601103 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Michigan statewide average of $63,155, teacher pay in Detroit Public Schools Community District runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 23.6% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (11.2% differential). Among enrolling districts in Michigan, it pays more than 95% of them. Michigan itself ranks #32 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Detroit Public Schools Community District reports $1123.6M in total expenditure against $1459.0M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 24% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $166.0M, special-education teacher pay is $46.9M.

How does Detroit Public Schools Community District compare?

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

Detroit Public Schools Community District $78,081
Utica Community Schools $81,693
Michigan avg $63,155
National avg $70,245

Detroit Public Schools Community District pays -4.4% less than Utica Community Schools · per-pupil $23,287 vs $16,152

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 Michigan districts

On pay, Detroit Public Schools Community District sits closest to Rochester Community School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Livonia Public Schools 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. Rochester Community School District
  2. Livonia Public Schools School District
  3. Utica Community Schools
  4. Dearborn City School District
  5. Chippewa Valley Schools
  6. Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
  7. Kalamazoo Public Schools
  8. Ann Arbor Public Schools
  9. Warren Consolidated Schools
  10. Grand Rapids Public Schools
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Livonia Public Schools School District
  2. Grand Rapids Public Schools
  3. Ann Arbor Public Schools
  4. Dearborn City School District
  5. Warren Consolidated Schools
  6. Kalamazoo Public Schools
  7. Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
  8. Rochester Community School District
  9. Utica Community Schools
  10. Chippewa Valley Schools

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Detroit Public Schools Community District's enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Detroit Public Schools Community District: closest on enrollment (48,251 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($78,081 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

$1459.0M
Total Revenue
$1123.6M
Total Expenditure
$269.3M
Instruction Salaries
24% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$166.0M
Regular Program
$46.9M
Special Education
$1.3M
Vocational
$21.6M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Detroit Public Schools Community 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 88% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 12% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Michigan Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Michigan districts belongs to Brighton Area Schools at $122,714. Detroit Public Schools Community District sits in the upper quarter of that field at 24 of 431, nearer the ceiling than the floor. North Carolina and South Carolina are the states closest to Michigan 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 Michigan districts →

Other Michigan Districts

Large-district sample from 508 Michigan peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

Ann Arbor Public Schools
$71,530
16,740 students
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
$72,897
16,143 students
Chippewa Valley Schools
$82,815
14,903 students
Rochester Community School District
$79,843
14,723 students
Grand Rapids Public Schools
$62,549
13,657 students
Livonia Public Schools School District
$75,733
13,045 students

This is a sample of 6 from 508 Michigan districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Detroit Public Schools Community District
What is the average teacher salary in Detroit Public Schools Community District?

The average teacher salary in Detroit Public Schools Community District is $78,081 (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 Detroit Public Schools Community District teacher pay compare to the Michigan average?

Detroit Public Schools Community District pays 23.6% more than the Michigan state average of $63,155. The district's average is $78,081.

How does Detroit Public Schools Community District teacher pay compare to the national average?

Detroit Public Schools Community District pays 11.2% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $78,081.

What is the per-pupil spending in Detroit Public Schools Community District?

Detroit Public Schools Community District spends approximately $23,287 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Detroit Public Schools Community District's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 24% of Detroit Public Schools Community District's total expenditure of $1123.6M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Detroit Public Schools Community 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. Detroit Public Schools Community 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.