PlainTeacher

School district · Kansas · LEAID 2006390

Garden City

Garden City sits in the lowest third of Kansas districts on estimated teacher pay at $55,263 (above only 34% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Garden City come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$55,263
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$15,380
Per-pupil spending
7,233
Students enrolled
34th
Pct. in KS
$55,263

Garden City sits in the lowest third of Kansas districts on estimated teacher pay at $55,263 (above only 34% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $55,263, below the national average of $70,245, serving 7,233 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Garden City sits in the lowest third of Kansas districts on estimated teacher pay at $55,263 (above only 34% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 34th percentile for Kansas
  • 26th percentile nationally
  • 33% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Kansas ranks #37 of 49 on the salary estimate and #30 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Garden City ranks #165 of 249 Kansas districts by estimated teacher salary and #184 of 249 by per-pupil spending. Rock Creek pay #1 at $111,971 is not Moundridge spending #1 at $44,656 per pupil
  • +16.6% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

Keep this district in your shortlist

Save it in this browser, then return when PlainTeacher adds a newer public-data release. No account or personal details required.

View saved

Instructional payroll mix vs Kansas median

Among 286 Kansas districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Garden City's instructional payroll puts 78.9% into regular program , 13.7 points below the state median of 92.6%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Garden City KS median Gap
Regular program 78.9% 92.6% -13.7 pp
Special education 12.8% 0.0% +12.8 pp
Vocational programs 2.4% 4.6% -2.3 pp
Other programs 6.0% 0.1% +5.9 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 286 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2006390 · FY2023.

LEAID 2006390 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Garden City F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-BELOW -6% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P34 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P26 national PPE-MID $15K/pupil ENR-MID 7,233 students INSTR-LOW 33% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Goddard FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $55,263 estimated average teacher salary · P34 in Kansas · P26 nationally · 33% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Goddard ($42est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Garden City

Salary neighbourhood · Garden City

Garden City 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 Garden City

Garden City's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$55,263 26th percentile higher than 26% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Garden City $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

Garden City in Kansas's lower-third pay band

Same 249 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Garden City ranks #165 of 249 Kansas districts by estimated teacher salary and #184 of 249 by per-pupil spending. Rock Creek pay #1 at $111,971 is not Moundridge spending #1 at $44,656 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Garden City is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Moundridge leads spending at $44,656 per pupil; Rock Creek leads pay.

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

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$55,263.478

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Kansas price level
89.9 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$61,467

+11% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Kansas 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 Kansas 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 Garden City

What the Numbers Say About Garden City

Garden City is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Kansas, serving 7,233 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $15,380. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $55,263, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2006390 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Kansas statewide average of $58,516, teacher pay in Garden City runs materially below the state benchmark, a 5.6% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (21.3% differential). Among enrolling districts in Kansas, it pays more than 34% of them. Kansas itself ranks #37 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Garden City reports $111.2M in total expenditure against $130.4M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 33% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $25.1M, special-education teacher pay is $4.1M.

How does Garden City compare?

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

Garden City $55,263
Wichita $48,876
Kansas avg $58,516
National avg $70,245

Garden City pays +13.1% more than Wichita · per-pupil $15,380 vs $17,945

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 Kansas districts

On pay, Garden City sits closest to Goddard; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Independence. 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. Goddard
  2. Hutchinson Public Schools
  3. Manhattan-Ogden
  4. Lawrence
  5. Independence
  6. Augusta
  7. Liberal
  8. Fort Scott
  9. Mulvane
  10. Auburn Washburn
  11. Maize
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Independence
  2. Spring Hill
  3. Basehor-Linwood
  4. Turner-Kansas City
  5. Blue Valley
  6. De Soto
  7. Bonner Springs
  8. Goddard
  9. Liberal
  10. Leavenworth
  11. Maize

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Garden City's enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Garden City: closest on enrollment (7,233 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($55,263 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

$130.4M
Total Revenue
$111.2M
Total Expenditure
$36.3M
Instruction Salaries
33% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$25.1M
Regular Program
$4.1M
Special Education
$0.8M
Vocational
$1.9M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Garden City: 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.

Kansas Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Kansas districts belongs to Rock Creek at $111,971. Placed 114 of 152, Garden City is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. Kentucky and West Virginia are the states closest to Kansas 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 Kansas districts →

Other Kansas Districts

Large-district sample from 248 Kansas peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

Turner-Kansas City
$63,384
3,880 students
Shawnee Heights
$67,738
3,748 students
Leavenworth
$68,564
3,604 students
Lawrence
$56,383
10,908 students
Pittsburg
$64,457
3,390 students
Hays
$74,125
3,380 students

This is a sample of 6 from 248 Kansas districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Garden City
What is the average teacher salary in Garden City?

The average teacher salary in Garden City is $55,263 (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 Garden City teacher pay compare to the Kansas average?

Garden City pays 5.6% less than the Kansas state average of $58,516. The district's average is $55,263.

How does Garden City teacher pay compare to the national average?

Garden City pays 21.3% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $55,263.

What is the per-pupil spending in Garden City?

Garden City spends approximately $15,380 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Garden City's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 33% of Garden City's total expenditure of $111.2M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Garden City
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

Cite, share, embed & editorial notes

Share this district data

Download a sourced data card or share the canonical district profile.

X Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Email
Embed this widget

Copy this snippet to embed a live-linked card on your own site.

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. Garden City'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.