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School district · Michigan · LEAID 2615540

Garden City Public Schools

Garden City Public Schools is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Michigan districts (3,207 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Garden City Public Schools come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$66,440
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$27,223
Per-pupil spending
3,207
Students enrolled
67th
Pct. in MI
$66,440

Garden City Public Schools is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Michigan districts (3,207 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $66,440, below the national average of $70,245, serving 3,207 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Garden City Public Schools is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Michigan districts (3,207 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 67th percentile for Michigan
  • 52nd percentile nationally
  • 22% 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.
  • Garden City Public Schools ranks #168 of 492 Michigan districts by estimated teacher salary and #22 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
  • +25.1% 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, Garden City Public Schools's instructional payroll puts 30.3% into special education , 18.8 points above the state median of 11.4%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Michigan peer.

Program Garden City MI median Gap
Regular program 65.0% 81.7% -16.8 pp
Special education 30.3% 11.4% +18.8 pp
Vocational programs 0.9% 0.0% +0.8 pp
Other programs 3.9% 4.4% -0.6 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 2615540 · FY2023.

LEAID 2615540 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Garden City F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-ABOVE +5% vs state RANK-ST-MID P67 in state RANK-NAT-MID P52 national PPE-HIGH $27K/pupil ENR-MID 3,207 students INSTR-LOW 22% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Houghton-Portage FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $66,440 estimated average teacher salary · P67 in Michigan · P52 nationally · 22% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Kentwood (+$341est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Garden City

Salary neighbourhood · Garden City

Garden City 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 Garden City

Garden City Public Schools's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$66,440 Top 48% higher than 52% 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. Garden City Public Schools $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 Michigan's lower-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 Garden City Public Schools ranks #168 of 492 Michigan districts by estimated teacher salary and #22 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

Garden City Public Schools 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 Garden City Public Schools

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +25.1% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Michigan's statewide +17.1% by 8.0 points, a growth rate faster than 82% of the 513 Michigan districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 3,630 to 3,207 students (11.7% 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.
  • Its per-pupil spending of $27,223 is among the highest in the nation.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$66,439.9

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
$70,459

+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 Garden City Public Schools

What the Numbers Say About Garden City Public Schools

Garden City Public Schools is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Michigan, serving 3,207 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $27,223. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $66,440, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2615540 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Michigan statewide average of $63,155, teacher pay in Garden City Public Schools runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 5.2% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (5.4% differential). Among enrolling districts in Michigan, it pays more than 67% 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, Garden City Public Schools reports $87.3M in total expenditure against $73.2M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 22% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $10.3M, special-education teacher pay is $4.8M.

How does Garden City Public Schools compare?

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

Garden City Public Schools $66,440
Detroit Public Schools Community District $78,081
Michigan avg $63,155
National avg $70,245

Garden City Public Schools pays -14.9% less than Detroit Public Schools Community District · per-pupil $27,223 vs $23,287

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, Garden City Public Schools sits closest to Houghton-Portage Township School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Shelby Public Schools. 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. Houghton-Portage Township School District
  2. Hartland Consolidated Schools
  3. Sturgis Public Schools
  4. River Rouge School District of the City of
  5. Birch Run Area Schools
  6. Fenton Area Public Schools
  7. Hastings Area School District
  8. Kentwood Public Schools
  9. Grass Lake Community Schools
  10. Pinconning Area Schools
  11. Thornapple Kellogg School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Shelby Public Schools
  2. Ludington Area School District
  3. Saginaw School District of the City of
  4. Flint School District of the City of
  5. Ypsilanti Community Schools
  6. Wayne-Westland Community School District
  7. Godfrey-Lee Public Schools
  8. Madison District Public Schools
  9. Elk Rapids Schools
  10. Ferndale Public Schools
  11. South Redford School District

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Garden City Public Schools's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Garden City Public Schools: closest on enrollment (3,207 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($66,440 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

$73.2M
Total Revenue
$87.3M
Total Expenditure
$19.6M
Instruction Salaries
22% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$10.3M
Regular Program
$4.8M
Special Education
$0.1M
Vocational
$0.6M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Garden City Public Schools: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 81% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 19% 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. Garden City Public Schools places 162 of 431 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. 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

Smaller-district sample from 508 Michigan peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Harper Creek Community Schools
$70,755
2,819 students
Holland City School District
$71,428
2,816 students
Riverview Community School District
$68,219
2,816 students
Ionia Public Schools
$57,535
2,812 students
Gibraltar School District
$75,742
3,605 students
Mattawan Consolidated School
$64,041
3,610 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 Garden City Public Schools
What is the average teacher salary in Garden City Public Schools?

The average teacher salary in Garden City Public Schools is $66,440 (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 Public Schools teacher pay compare to the Michigan average?

Garden City Public Schools pays 5.2% more than the Michigan state average of $63,155. The district's average is $66,440.

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

Garden City Public Schools pays 5.4% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $66,440.

What is the per-pupil spending in Garden City Public Schools?

Garden City Public Schools spends approximately $27,223 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 22% of Garden City Public Schools's total expenditure of $87.3M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Garden City Public Schools
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. Garden City Public Schools'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.