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School district · Minnesota · LEAID 2702640

Lester Prairie Public School Dist.

Lester Prairie Public School Dist. sits in the lowest third of Minnesota districts on estimated teacher pay at $61,063 (above only 29% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Lester Prairie Public School Dist. come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$61,063
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$15,766
Per-pupil spending
487
Students enrolled
29th
Pct. in MN
$61,063

Lester Prairie Public School Dist. sits in the lowest third of Minnesota districts on estimated teacher pay at $61,063 (above only 29% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $61,063, below the national average of $70,245, serving 487 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Lester Prairie Public School Dist. sits in the lowest third of Minnesota districts on estimated teacher pay at $61,063 (above only 29% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 29th percentile for Minnesota
  • 39th percentile nationally
  • 28% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Minnesota ranks #22 of 49 on the salary estimate and #21 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Lester Prairie Public School Dist. ranks #220 of 310 Minnesota districts by estimated teacher salary and #261 of 310 by per-pupil spending. Bloomington Public School District pay #1 at $101,366 is not Red Rock Central School District spending #1 at $46,321 per pupil
  • -6.2% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Minnesota median

Among 354 Minnesota districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Lester Prairie Public School Dist.'s instructional payroll puts 87.9% into regular program , 8.3 points above the state median of 79.6%. Regular-program teachers claim more of the instructional salary pool here than at the median Minnesota district.

Program Lester Prairie MN median Gap
Regular program 87.9% 79.6% +8.3 pp
Special education 8.1% 15.3% -7.2 pp
Vocational programs 2.5% 3.4% -0.9 pp
Other programs 1.5% 0.4% +1.1 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 354 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2702640 · FY2023.

LEAID 2702640 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Lester Prairie F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -10% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P29 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P39 national PPE-MID $16K/pupil ENR-TINY 487 students INSTR-LOW 28% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Waubun-Ogema-White FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $61,063 estimated average teacher salary · P29 in Minnesota · P39 nationally · 28% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Spring (+$2,156est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Lester Prairie

Salary neighbourhood · Lester Prairie

Lester Prairie 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 Lester Prairie

Lester Prairie Public School Dist.'s estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$61,063 39th percentile higher than 39% 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. 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

Lester Prairie in Minnesota's lower-third pay band

Same 310 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Lester Prairie Public School Dist. ranks #220 of 310 Minnesota districts by estimated teacher salary and #261 of 310 by per-pupil spending. Bloomington Public School District pay #1 at $101,366 is not Red Rock Central School District spending #1 at $46,321 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Lester Prairie Public School Dist. is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Red Rock Central School District leads spending at $46,321 per pupil; Bloomington Public School District leads pay.

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

What stands out about Lester Prairie Public School Dist.

  • Estimated teacher pay here moved -6.2% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Minnesota's statewide +14.0% by 20.2 points, a growth rate faster than 2% of the 326 Minnesota districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment grew 12.2% here, from 434 students in FY2019 to 487 in FY2023, against a national picture where far more districts shrank than grew over the same period. Growth of this kind typically arrives before the funding that follows it, so per-pupil figures often dip while a district absorbs it.
  • It is a very small district (487 students), where the enrollment-based salary estimate is more sensitive to staffing mix.

Minnesota sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$61,063.218

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Minnesota price level
98.3 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$62,118

+2% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 Lester Prairie Public School Dist.

What the Numbers Say About Lester Prairie Public School Dist.

Lester Prairie Public School Dist. is a small school district in Minnesota, serving 487 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $15,766. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $61,063, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2702640 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Minnesota statewide average of $68,032, teacher pay in Lester Prairie Public School Dist. runs materially below the state benchmark, a 10.2% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (13.1% differential). Among enrolling districts in Minnesota, it pays more than 29% of them. Minnesota itself ranks #22 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Lester Prairie Public School Dist. reports $7.7M in total expenditure against $8.3M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 28% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $1.5M, special-education teacher pay is $0.1M.

How does Lester Prairie Public School Dist. compare?

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

Lester Prairie Public School Dist. $61,063
Anoka-Hennepin School District $83,820
Minnesota avg $68,032
National avg $70,245

Lester Prairie Public School Dist. pays -27.1% less than Anoka-Hennepin School District · per-pupil $15,766 vs $17,610

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 Minnesota districts

On pay, Lester Prairie Public School Dist. sits closest to Waubun-Ogema-White Earth Schools; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Belle Plaine Public School District. 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. Waubun-Ogema-White Earth Schools
  2. Caledonia Public School District
  3. Pine River-backus School District
  4. Maple River School District
  5. Randolph Public School District
  6. Isle Public School District
  7. Triton School District
  8. Rushford-peterson Public Schools
  9. Osakis Public School District
  10. Hill City Public School District
  11. Zumbrota-mazeppa School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Belle Plaine Public School District
  2. Jordan Public School District
  3. Melrose Public School District
  4. Rush City Public School District
  5. Pine City Public School District
  6. East Grand Forks Public Schools
  7. Hancock Public School District
  8. Grand Meadow Public School District
  9. United South Central Schools
  10. Sleepy Eye Public School District
  11. Lake City Public School District

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Lester Prairie Public School Dist.'s smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Lester Prairie Public School Dist.: closest on enrollment (487 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($61,063 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

$8.3M
Total Revenue
$7.7M
Total Expenditure
$2.2M
Instruction Salaries
28% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$1.5M
Regular Program
$0.1M
Special Education
$0.0M
Vocational
$0.0M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Lester Prairie Public School Dist.: 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.

Minnesota Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Minnesota districts belongs to Bloomington Public School District at $101,366. Placed 190 of 251, Lester Prairie Public School Dist. is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. On BEA's price parity Minnesota sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Maine and Nevada are its nearest price peers.

View all Minnesota districts →

Other Minnesota Districts

Smaller-district sample from 315 Minnesota peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Southland Public School District
$63,842
448 students
Alden-conger Public School District
$68,957
447 students
Lake of the Woods School District
$88,771
446 students
Hancock Public School District
$83,884
446 students
Grand Meadow Public School District
$61,704
445 students
Kingsland Public School District
$59,075
533 students

This is a sample of 6 from 315 Minnesota districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lester Prairie Public School Dist.
What is the average teacher salary in Lester Prairie Public School Dist.?

The average teacher salary in Lester Prairie Public School Dist. is $61,063 (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 Lester Prairie Public School Dist. teacher pay compare to the Minnesota average?

Lester Prairie Public School Dist. pays 10.2% less than the Minnesota state average of $68,032. The district's average is $61,063.

How does Lester Prairie Public School Dist. teacher pay compare to the national average?

Lester Prairie Public School Dist. pays 13.1% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $61,063.

What is the per-pupil spending in Lester Prairie Public School Dist.?

Lester Prairie Public School Dist. spends approximately $15,766 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Lester Prairie Public School Dist.'s budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 28% of Lester Prairie Public School Dist.'s total expenditure of $7.7M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Lester Prairie Public School Dist.
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. Lester Prairie Public School Dist.'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.