School district · Maryland · LEAID 2400420
Howard County Public Schools
Howard County Public Schools is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Maryland districts (57,676 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Howard County Public Schools come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).
- $90,857
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $21,428
- Per-pupil spending
- 57,676
- Students enrolled
- 70th
- Pct. in MD
Above benchmark
Howard County Public Schools is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Maryland districts (57,676 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $90,857, above the national average of $70,245, serving 57,676 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- Large enrollment scale: Howard County Public Schools is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Maryland districts (57,676 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
- 70th percentile for Maryland
- 85th percentile nationally
- 41% of spending reaches instructional salaries
- Maryland ranks #10 of 49 on the salary estimate and #15 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
- Howard County Public Schools ranks #7 of 23 Maryland districts by estimated teacher salary and #11 of 23 by per-pupil spending. Calvert County Public Schools pay #1 at $96,902 is not Kent County Public Schools spending #1 at $26,560 per pupil
- +16.4% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)
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Instructional payroll mix vs Maryland median
Among 24 Maryland districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Howard County Public Schools's instructional payroll puts 7.2% into other programs , 3.0 points below the state median of 10.1%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.
| Program | Howard County | MD median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular program | 73.1% | 70.4% | +2.7 pp |
| Special education | 17.8% | 15.1% | +2.7 pp |
| Vocational programs | 1.9% | 2.6% | -0.7 pp |
| Other programs | 7.2% | 10.1% | -3.0 pp |
Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 24 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2400420 · FY2023.
LEAID 2400420 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
Howard County F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $90,857 estimated average teacher salary · P70 in Maryland · P85 nationally · 41% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Anne (+$16est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for Howard County
Salary neighbourhood · Howard County
Howard County 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).
- Somerset · low pole
Somerset · low pole
$69,249 est. salary
- Howard · this district
Howard · this district
$90,857 est. salary
- Anne · near
Anne · near
$90,873 est. salary
- Washington · near
Washington · near
$91,658 est. salary
- Harford · near
Harford · near
$92,570 est. salary
- Calvert · top pay
Calvert · top pay
$96,902 est. salary
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Howard County
Howard County Public Schools's estimated salary vs. every US district
NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only
$90,857 Top 15% higher than 85% of 10,684 US districts
Show national distribution
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
Howard County in Maryland's upper-third pay band
Same 23 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)
- Calvert County Public Schools
Calvert County Public Schools
$96,902 est. avg salary
- Howard County Public Schools
Howard County Public Schools
$90,857 est. avg salary
- Kent County Public Schools
Kent County Public Schools
$70,042 est. avg salary
What this shows Howard County Public Schools ranks #7 of 23 Maryland districts by estimated teacher salary and #11 of 23 by per-pupil spending. Calvert County Public Schools pay #1 at $96,902 is not Kent County Public Schools spending #1 at $26,560 per pupil
The same districts by per-pupil spending
Howard County Public Schools is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar
- Kent County Public Schools
Kent County Public Schools
$26,560 per pupil
- Howard County Public Schools
Howard County Public Schools
$21,428 per pupil
- Calvert County Public Schools
Calvert County Public Schools
$16,893 per pupil
What this shows Kent County Public Schools leads spending at $26,560 per pupil; Calvert County Public Schools leads pay.
What stands out about Howard County Public Schools
- With 57,676 students, it is the 69th-largest school district by enrollment among the 13,149 US districts reporting enrollment data.
- Its total annual revenue of $1.28B puts it among just 53 US districts operating a budget of this size or larger, out of the 13,149 districts in the NCES CCD F-33 survey, a scale that brings dedicated budget offices, multi-year capital planning, and district-wide procurement contracts that a small district's single-person business office cannot replicate.
Scale composition for Howard County Public Schools
Howard County Public Schools enrolls 57,676 students (0.12% of the 46,412,683 students across 13,149 US districts that report enrollment in the NCES CCD F-33 survey). Only 88 districts clear the 50,000-student threshold used here - sparse districts in the 500-5,000 band cannot show a national-share read of this kind because their headcount is too small for the percentage to mean anything. Total annual revenue is $1.28B, putting it among 53 districts at this budget scale or larger.
Reported teacher FTE is 4,327, about 13.3 students per teacher (mega-cohort median 16.0; denser staffing than 84 of the 87 mega-districts with a usable FTE count, rank 3rd densest) . At this enrollment the ratio is an aggregate across many campuses, so a single-school class-size story is the wrong read - use it to place Howard County Public Schools among other large systems, not against a 1,000-student district whose FTE is a handful of classrooms.
Instructional salaries take 41% of total expenditure on a $1.24B budget . Large systems carry central offices, transportation, and facilities lines that dilute the classroom share relative to a small district whose budget is almost entirely payroll - comparing that percentage across the enrollment cliff without this scale note misreads both ends.
Nearest mega-district peers by enrollment (same 50k+ cohort):
| District | Enrollment | Est. avg salary | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesa Unified District (4235) · Arizona | 56,815 | $67,420 | $876M |
| North East ISD · Texas | 59,007 | $57,830 | $872M |
| Arlington ISD · Texas | 56,167 | $63,662 | $877M |
| Jordan District · Utah | 59,421 | $78,196 | $676M |
| Aldine ISD · Texas | 60,074 | $54,820 | $1.04B |
Maryland prices absorb part of this salary
- Nominal district estimate
- $90,856.905
- Maryland price level
- 104.6 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $86,860
The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.
BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.
-4% versus the nominal figure.
Prices in Maryland run above the national average, so this salary has roughly the buying power of the national-price equivalent above. Comparing it with a district in a cheaper state without this adjustment overstates its relative value.
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 Maryland 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 Howard County Public Schools
What the Numbers Say About Howard County Public Schools
Howard County Public Schools is a large urban school district in Maryland, serving 57,676 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $21,428. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $90,857, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2400420 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
Relative to the Maryland statewide average of $84,383, teacher pay in Howard County Public Schools runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 7.7% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (29.3% differential). Among enrolling districts in Maryland, it pays more than 70% of them. Maryland itself ranks #10 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.
On the budget side, Howard County Public Schools reports $1235.9M in total expenditure against $1283.7M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 41% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $287.4M, special-education teacher pay is $69.9M.
How does Howard County Public Schools compare?
Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Maryland average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.
Howard County Public Schools pays +12.6% more than Montgomery County Public Schools · per-pupil $21,428 vs $22,879
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 Maryland districts
On pay, Howard County Public Schools sits closest to Anne Arundel County Public Schools; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Baltimore County 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.
- Anne Arundel County Public Schools
- Washington County Public Schools
- Harford County Public Schools
- Frederick County Public Schools
- Baltimore County Public Schools
- Prince George's County Public Schools
- Calvert County Public Schools
- Carroll County Public Schools
- Wicomico County Public Schools
- St. Mary's County Public Schools
- Montgomery County Public Schools
- Baltimore County Public Schools
- Anne Arundel County Public Schools
- Prince George's County Public Schools
- Montgomery County Public Schools
- Harford County Public Schools
- Washington County Public Schools
- Frederick County Public Schools
- Wicomico County Public Schools
- Charles County Public Schools
- St. Mary's County Public Schools
- Cecil County Public Schools
Similar estimated teacher pay
- Anne Arundel County Public Schools$90,873 estimated salary+0.0% versus this district · 84,452 students
- Washington County Public Schools$91,658 estimated salary+0.9% versus this district · 22,297 students
- Harford County Public Schools$92,570 estimated salary+1.9% versus this district · 38,037 students
Similar per-pupil investment
- Baltimore County Public Schools$21,557 per pupil+0.6% versus this district · $93,213 estimated salary
- Anne Arundel County Public Schools$21,297 per pupil-0.6% versus this district · $90,873 estimated salary
- Prince George's County Public Schools$22,384 per pupil+4.5% versus this district · $88,440 estimated salary
Out-of-state districts near Howard County Public Schools's enrollment scale
Two out-of-state peer sets for Howard County Public Schools: closest on enrollment (57,676 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($90,857 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
Instructional Salary by Program
The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Howard County 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 78% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 22% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.
Maryland Teacher Pay Overview
The highest average among comparably sized Maryland districts belongs to Calvert County Public Schools at $96,902. Howard County Public Schools places 7 of 24 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. Because Maryland prices run above the national average, this salary is worth less than the same number elsewhere; Oregon and Connecticut are the states it can be compared with directly on BEA's price parity.
View all Maryland districts →Other Maryland Districts
Large-district sample from 22 Maryland peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.
This is a sample of 6 from 22 Maryland districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.
Frequently Asked Questions about Howard County Public Schools
What is the average teacher salary in Howard County Public Schools?
The average teacher salary in Howard County Public Schools is $90,857 (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 Howard County Public Schools teacher pay compare to the Maryland average?
Howard County Public Schools pays 7.7% more than the Maryland state average of $84,383. The district's average is $90,857.
How does Howard County Public Schools teacher pay compare to the national average?
Howard County Public Schools pays 29.3% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $90,857.
What is the per-pupil spending in Howard County Public Schools?
Howard County Public Schools spends approximately $21,428 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.
What percentage of Howard County Public Schools's budget goes to teacher salaries?
Instructional salaries account for 41% of Howard County Public Schools's total expenditure of $1235.9M (NCES FY2023).
Next read for Howard County 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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| Sources | Public official public datasets |