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School district · Pennsylvania · LEAID 4213140

Lancaster SD

Lancaster SD spends $26,496 per pupil, in the highest third among comparable Pennsylvania districts with a reliable figure. Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Lancaster SD come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$86,162
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$26,496
Per-pupil spending
10,032
Students enrolled
62nd
Pct. in PA
$86,162

Lancaster SD spends $26,496 per pupil, in the highest third among comparable Pennsylvania districts with a reliable figure. Estimated average teacher salary is $86,162, above the national average of $70,245, serving 10,032 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • High per-pupil spending: Lancaster SD spends $26,496 per pupil, in the highest third among comparable Pennsylvania districts with a reliable figure.
  • 62nd percentile for Pennsylvania
  • 81st percentile nationally
  • 27% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Pennsylvania ranks #11 of 49 on the salary estimate and #6 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Lancaster SD ranks #190 of 505 Pennsylvania districts by estimated teacher salary and #98 of 505 by per-pupil spending. Farrell Area SD pay #1 at $144,913 is not Wilkinsburg Borough SD spending #1 at $61,501 per pupil
  • +24.7% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Pennsylvania median

Among 520 Pennsylvania districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Lancaster SD's instructional payroll puts 25.5% into special education , 6.7 points above the state median of 18.8%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Pennsylvania peer.

Program Lancaster SD PA median Gap
Regular program 70.9% 75.1% -4.2 pp
Special education 25.5% 18.8% +6.7 pp
Vocational programs 0.8% 1.3% -0.5 pp
Other programs 2.8% 3.7% -0.9 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 520 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 4213140 · FY2023.

LEAID 4213140 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Lancaster SD F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-ABOVE +5% vs state RANK-ST-MID P62 in state RANK-NAT-MID P81 national PPE-HIGH $26K/pupil ENR-LARGE 10.0K students INSTR-LOW 27% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Scranton FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $86,162 estimated average teacher salary · P62 in Pennsylvania · P81 nationally · 27% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Scranton (+$242est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Lancaster SD

Salary neighbourhood · Lancaster SD

Lancaster SD 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 Lancaster SD

Lancaster SD's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$86,162 Top 19% higher than 81% 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%). Below this entry. $80,000–$90,000: 1,097 US districts (10%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Lancaster SD $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

Lancaster SD in Pennsylvania's lower-third pay band

Same 505 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Lancaster SD ranks #190 of 505 Pennsylvania districts by estimated teacher salary and #98 of 505 by per-pupil spending. Farrell Area SD pay #1 at $144,913 is not Wilkinsburg Borough SD spending #1 at $61,501 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Lancaster SD is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Wilkinsburg Borough SD leads spending at $61,501 per pupil; Farrell Area SD leads pay.

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

What stands out about Lancaster SD

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +24.7% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Pennsylvania's statewide +14.1% by 10.6 points, a growth rate faster than 92% of the 469 Pennsylvania districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 11,003 to 10,032 students (8.8% 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 $26,496 is among the highest in the nation.

Pennsylvania sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$86,162.472

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Pennsylvania price level
97.4 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$88,462

+3% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Pennsylvania sit close to the national average, so the nominal and national-price figures tell nearly the same story here. That is not true in the most and least expensive states.

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 Pennsylvania 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 Lancaster SD

What the Numbers Say About Lancaster SD

Lancaster SD is a mid-sized school district in Pennsylvania, serving 10,032 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $26,496. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $86,162, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 4213140 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Pennsylvania statewide average of $82,070, teacher pay in Lancaster SD runs roughly in line with the state benchmark, a 5.0% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (22.7% differential). Among enrolling districts in Pennsylvania, it pays more than 62% of them. Pennsylvania itself ranks #11 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Lancaster SD reports $265.8M in total expenditure against $277.0M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 27% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $51.2M, special-education teacher pay is $18.4M.

How does Lancaster SD compare?

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

Lancaster SD $86,162
Philadelphia City SD $74,421
Pennsylvania avg $82,070
National avg $70,245

Lancaster SD pays +15.8% more than Philadelphia City SD · per-pupil $26,496 vs $38,060

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 Pennsylvania districts

On pay, Lancaster SD sits closest to Scranton SD; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Easton Area SD. 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. Scranton SD
  2. Governor Mifflin SD
  3. Penn Manor SD
  4. Pottstown SD
  5. Southern York County SD
  6. Armstrong SD
  7. Marple Newtown SD
  8. Woodland Hills SD
  9. Bangor Area SD
  10. Upper Moreland Township SD
  11. South Western SD
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Easton Area SD
  2. Bensalem Township SD
  3. Ridley SD
  4. Marple Newtown SD
  5. Avon Grove SD
  6. Penncrest SD
  7. Cocalico SD
  8. Souderton Area SD
  9. Whitehall-Coplay SD
  10. East Stroudsburg Area SD
  11. Methacton SD

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts with similar lower pay

Two out-of-state peer sets for Lancaster SD: closest on enrollment (10,032 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($86,162 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

$277.0M
Total Revenue
$265.8M
Total Expenditure
$72.2M
Instruction Salaries
27% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$51.2M
Regular Program
$18.4M
Special Education
$0.6M
Vocational
$2.0M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Lancaster SD: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 100% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 0% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Pennsylvania Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Pennsylvania districts belongs to Farrell Area SD at $144,913. Lancaster SD places 189 of 485 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. On BEA's price parity Pennsylvania sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Vermont and Texas are its nearest price peers.

View all Pennsylvania districts →

Other Pennsylvania Districts

The bar behind each salary shows its magnitude within this Pennsylvania sample (including Lancaster SD). Hover or focus a value for the exact comparison.

West Shore SD
$84,605
7,513 students
Seneca Valley SD
$99,246
7,381 students
Altoona Area SD
$70,745
7,226 students
North Penn SD
$104,697
12,859 students
Bethlehem Area SD
$84,800
12,939 students
Hempfield SD
$93,065
7,032 students

This is a sample of 6 from 505 Pennsylvania districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lancaster SD
What is the average teacher salary in Lancaster SD?

The average teacher salary in Lancaster SD is $86,162 (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 Lancaster SD teacher pay compare to the Pennsylvania average?

Lancaster SD pays 5.0% more than the Pennsylvania state average of $82,070. The district's average is $86,162.

How does Lancaster SD teacher pay compare to the national average?

Lancaster SD pays 22.7% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $86,162.

What is the per-pupil spending in Lancaster SD?

Lancaster SD spends approximately $26,496 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Lancaster SD's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 27% of Lancaster SD's total expenditure of $265.8M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Lancaster SD
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. Lancaster SD'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.