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School district · Mississippi · LEAID 2801490

Forrest County School District

Forrest County School District sits in the lowest third of Mississippi districts on estimated teacher pay at $45,925 (above only 8% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Forrest County School District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$45,925
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$17,519
Per-pupil spending
2,129
Students enrolled
8th
Pct. in MS
$45,925

Forrest County School District sits in the lowest third of Mississippi districts on estimated teacher pay at $45,925 (above only 8% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $45,925, below the national average of $70,245, serving 2,129 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Forrest County School District sits in the lowest third of Mississippi districts on estimated teacher pay at $45,925 (above only 8% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 8th percentile for Mississippi
  • 6th percentile nationally
  • 32% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Mississippi ranks #45 of 49 on the salary estimate and #33 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Forrest County School District ranks #127 of 138 Mississippi districts by estimated teacher salary and #26 of 138 by per-pupil spending. Forrest County Ag High School pay #1 at $76,198 is not Kemper Co School Dist spending #1 at $25,476 per pupil
  • +9.7% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Mississippi median

Among 138 Mississippi districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Forrest County School District's instructional payroll puts 18.4% into special education , 3.9 points above the state median of 14.4%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Mississippi peer.

Program Forrest County MS median Gap
Regular program 73.2% 73.2% -0.1 pp
Special education 18.4% 14.4% +3.9 pp
Vocational programs 4.5% 6.6% -2.1 pp
Other programs 3.9% 4.8% -0.8 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 138 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2801490 · FY2023.

LEAID 2801490 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Forrest County F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -11% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P8 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P6 national PPE-MID $18K/pupil ENR-SMALL 2,129 students INSTR-LOW 32% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Coahoma FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $45,925 estimated average teacher salary · P8 in Mississippi · P6 nationally · 32% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Columbus (+$1,223est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Forrest County

Salary neighbourhood · Forrest County

Forrest 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 Forrest County

Forrest County School District's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$45,925 6th percentile higher than 6% 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. 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

Forrest County in Mississippi's lower-third pay band

Same 138 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Forrest County School District ranks #127 of 138 Mississippi districts by estimated teacher salary and #26 of 138 by per-pupil spending. Forrest County Ag High School pay #1 at $76,198 is not Kemper Co School Dist spending #1 at $25,476 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Forrest County School District is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Kemper Co School Dist leads spending at $25,476 per pupil; Forrest County Ag High School leads pay.

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

What stands out about Forrest County School District

  • It ranks in the bottom 10% nationally for estimated teacher pay, above only 6% of districts.
  • Estimated teacher pay here moved +9.7% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Mississippi's statewide +28.6% by 18.9 points, a growth rate faster than 0% of the 136 Mississippi districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 2,245 to 2,129 students (5.2% 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
$45,924.649

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Mississippi price level
86.8 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$52,913

+15% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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 Forrest County School District

What the Numbers Say About Forrest County School District

Forrest County School District is a small school district in Mississippi, serving 2,129 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $17,519. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $45,925, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2801490 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Mississippi statewide average of $51,325, teacher pay in Forrest County School District runs materially below the state benchmark, a 10.5% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (34.6% differential). Among enrolling districts in Mississippi, it pays more than 8% of them. Mississippi itself ranks #45 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Forrest County School District reports $37.3M in total expenditure against $37.0M 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 $6.8M, special-education teacher pay is $1.7M.

How does Forrest County School District compare?

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

Forrest County School District $45,925
Desoto Co School Dist $50,476
Mississippi avg $51,325
National avg $70,245

Forrest County School District pays -9.0% less than Desoto Co School Dist · per-pupil $17,519 vs $11,403

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 Mississippi districts

On pay, Forrest County School District sits closest to Coahoma County School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Bay St Louis Waveland School Dist. 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. Coahoma County School District
  2. Leake Co School Dist
  3. East Jasper Consolidated Sch Dist
  4. Nettleton School Dist
  5. Sunflower Cty Cons School District
  6. Amite County School District
  7. Columbus Municipal School Dist
  8. Calhoun Co School Dist
  9. South Tippah School Dist
  10. West Bolivar Cons School Dist
  11. Mccomb School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Bay St Louis Waveland School Dist
  2. Aberdeen School Dist
  3. Pascagoula-gautier School District
  4. Attala Co School Dist
  5. Laurel School District
  6. Pass Christian Public School Dist
  7. Oxford School District
  8. Yazoo Co School Dist
  9. West Point Consolidated School Dist
  10. Perry Co School Dist
  11. Cleveland School Dist

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Forrest County School District's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Forrest County School District: closest on enrollment (2,129 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($45,925 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

$37.0M
Total Revenue
$37.3M
Total Expenditure
$11.8M
Instruction Salaries
32% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$6.8M
Regular Program
$1.7M
Special Education
$0.4M
Vocational
$0.4M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Forrest County 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 79% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 21% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Mississippi Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Mississippi districts belongs to Forrest County Ag High School at $76,198. Placed 126 of 137, Forrest County School District is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. Arkansas and South Dakota are the states closest to Mississippi 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 Mississippi districts →

Other Mississippi Districts

Smaller-district sample from 137 Mississippi peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Pontotoc City Schools
$49,441
2,302 students
Pass Christian Public School Dist
$53,477
1,944 students
Poplarville Separate School Dist
$51,430
1,909 students
Marion Co School Dist
$48,180
1,904 students
Smith Co School Dist
$49,967
2,443 students
South Tippah School Dist
$47,272
2,485 students

This is a sample of 6 from 137 Mississippi districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Forrest County School District
What is the average teacher salary in Forrest County School District?

The average teacher salary in Forrest County School District is $45,925 (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 Forrest County School District teacher pay compare to the Mississippi average?

Forrest County School District pays 10.5% less than the Mississippi state average of $51,325. The district's average is $45,925.

How does Forrest County School District teacher pay compare to the national average?

Forrest County School District pays 34.6% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $45,925.

What is the per-pupil spending in Forrest County School District?

Forrest County School District spends approximately $17,519 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Forrest County School District's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 32% of Forrest County School District's total expenditure of $37.3M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Forrest County 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. Forrest County 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.