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School district · West Virginia · LEAID 5400810

Mcdowell County Schools

Mcdowell County Schools sits in the lowest third of West Virginia districts on estimated teacher pay at $48,805 (above only 9% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Mcdowell County Schools come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$48,805
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$18,407
Per-pupil spending
2,537
Students enrolled
9th
Pct. in WV
$48,805

Mcdowell County Schools sits in the lowest third of West Virginia districts on estimated teacher pay at $48,805 (above only 9% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $48,805, below the national average of $70,245, serving 2,537 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Mcdowell County Schools sits in the lowest third of West Virginia districts on estimated teacher pay at $48,805 (above only 9% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 9th percentile for West Virginia
  • 11th percentile nationally
  • 24% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • West Virginia ranks #41 of 49 on the salary estimate and #38 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Mcdowell County Schools ranks #50 of 55 West Virginia districts by estimated teacher salary and #15 of 55 by per-pupil spending. Brooke County Schools pay #1 at $67,484 is not Tyler County Schools spending #1 at $28,768 per pupil
  • +14.2% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs West Virginia median

Among 55 West Virginia districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Mcdowell County Schools's instructional payroll puts 22.8% into special education , 5.9 points above the state median of 16.9%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical West Virginia peer.

Program Mcdowell County WV median Gap
Regular program 71.7% 76.2% -4.4 pp
Special education 22.8% 16.9% +5.9 pp
Vocational programs 4.6% 4.9% -0.2 pp
Other programs 0.8% 1.5% -0.7 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 55 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 5400810 · FY2023.

LEAID 5400810 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Mcdowell County F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-BELOW -9% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P9 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P11 national PPE-MID $18K/pupil ENR-MID 2,537 students INSTR-LOW 24% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Hampshire FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $48,805 estimated average teacher salary · P9 in West Virginia · P11 nationally · 24% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Hampshire (+$333est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Mcdowell County

Salary neighbourhood · Mcdowell County

Mcdowell County 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 Mcdowell County

Mcdowell County Schools's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$48,805 11th percentile higher than 11% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $50,000–$60,000: 2,382 US districts (22%). Above this entry. $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. Mcdowell County 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

Mcdowell County in West Virginia's lower-third pay band

Same 55 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Mcdowell County Schools ranks #50 of 55 West Virginia districts by estimated teacher salary and #15 of 55 by per-pupil spending. Brooke County Schools pay #1 at $67,484 is not Tyler County Schools spending #1 at $28,768 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Mcdowell County Schools is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Tyler County Schools leads spending at $28,768 per pupil; Brooke County Schools leads pay.

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

What stands out about Mcdowell County Schools

  • Estimated teacher pay here moved +14.2% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing West Virginia's statewide +18.1% by 3.9 points, a growth rate faster than 28% of the 53 West Virginia districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 3,063 to 2,537 students (17.2% 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.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$48,804.579

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

West Virginia price level
89.6 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$54,449

+12% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 Mcdowell County Schools

What the Numbers Say About Mcdowell County Schools

Mcdowell County Schools is a small-to-mid-sized school district in West Virginia, serving 2,537 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $18,407. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $48,805, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 5400810 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the West Virginia statewide average of $53,845, teacher pay in Mcdowell County Schools runs materially below the state benchmark, a 9.4% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (30.5% differential). Among enrolling districts in West Virginia, it pays more than 9% of them. West Virginia itself ranks #41 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Mcdowell County Schools reports $46.7M in total expenditure against $39.3M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 24% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $6.9M, special-education teacher pay is $2.2M.

How does Mcdowell County Schools compare?

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

Mcdowell County Schools $48,805
Kanawha County Schools $61,799
West Virginia avg $53,845
National avg $70,245

Mcdowell County Schools pays -21.0% less than Kanawha County Schools · per-pupil $18,407 vs $18,248

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 West Virginia districts

On pay, Mcdowell County Schools sits closest to Hampshire County Schools; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Wirt County 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. Hampshire County Schools
  2. Roane County Schools
  3. Clay County Schools
  4. Nicholas County Schools
  5. Barbour County Board of Education
  6. Pleasants County Schools
  7. Pendleton County Schools
  8. Hardy County Schools
  9. Ritchie County Schools
  10. Summers County Schools
  11. Upshur County Schools
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Wirt County Schools
  2. Pleasants County Schools
  3. Hampshire County Schools
  4. Ohio County Schools
  5. Monroe County Schools
  6. Calhoun County Schools
  7. Summers County Schools
  8. Brooke County Schools
  9. Wyoming County Schools
  10. Roane County Schools
  11. Mineral County Schools

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Mcdowell County Schools's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Mcdowell County Schools: closest on enrollment (2,537 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($48,805 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

$39.3M
Total Revenue
$46.7M
Total Expenditure
$11.1M
Instruction Salaries
24% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$6.9M
Regular Program
$2.2M
Special Education
$0.4M
Vocational
$0.1M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Mcdowell County 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 86% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 14% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

West Virginia Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized West Virginia districts belongs to Brooke County Schools at $67,484. Placed 50 of 55, Mcdowell County Schools is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. Kentucky and Kansas are the states closest to West Virginia 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 West Virginia districts →

Other West Virginia Districts

Smaller-district sample from 54 West Virginia peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Mason County Schools
$52,295
3,788 students
Tyler County Schools
$61,301
1,257 students
Ritchie County Schools
$50,533
1,243 students
Webster County Schools
$51,465
1,192 students
Doddridge County Schools
$64,556
1,119 students
Pleasants County Schools
$50,000
1,086 students

This is a sample of 6 from 54 West Virginia districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mcdowell County Schools
What is the average teacher salary in Mcdowell County Schools?

The average teacher salary in Mcdowell County Schools is $48,805 (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 Mcdowell County Schools teacher pay compare to the West Virginia average?

Mcdowell County Schools pays 9.4% less than the West Virginia state average of $53,845. The district's average is $48,805.

How does Mcdowell County Schools teacher pay compare to the national average?

Mcdowell County Schools pays 30.5% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $48,805.

What is the per-pupil spending in Mcdowell County Schools?

Mcdowell County Schools spends approximately $18,407 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Mcdowell County Schools's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 24% of Mcdowell County Schools's total expenditure of $46.7M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Mcdowell County 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. Mcdowell County 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.