School district · South Dakota · LEAID 4646380
McLaughlin School District 15-2
McLaughlin School District 15-2 is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable South Dakota districts (442 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for McLaughlin School District 15-2 come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).
- $53,218
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $31,939
- Per-pupil spending
- 442
- Students enrolled
- 77th
- Pct. in SD
Above benchmark
McLaughlin School District 15-2 is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable South Dakota districts (442 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $53,218, below the national average of $70,245, serving 442 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- Smaller enrollment scale: McLaughlin School District 15-2 is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable South Dakota districts (442 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
- 77th percentile for South Dakota
- 22nd percentile nationally
- 23% of spending reaches instructional salaries
- South Dakota ranks #46 of 49 on the salary estimate and #42 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
- McLaughlin School District 15-2 ranks #28 of 121 South Dakota districts by estimated teacher salary and #8 of 121 by per-pupil spending. Eagle Butte School District 20-1 leads both cuts in this pool; pay rank is still not spending rank
- +75.0% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)
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Instructional payroll mix vs South Dakota median
Among 148 South Dakota districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, McLaughlin School District 15-2's instructional payroll puts 0.6% into vocational programs , 4.5 points below the state median of 5.1%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.
| Program | McLaughlin School | SD median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular program | 83.4% | 79.9% | +3.4 pp |
| Special education | 14.2% | 9.7% | +4.5 pp |
| Vocational programs | 0.6% | 5.1% | -4.5 pp |
| Other programs | 1.8% | 5.1% | -3.3 pp |
Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 148 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 4646380 · FY2023.
LEAID 4646380 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
McLaughlin School F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $53,218 estimated average teacher salary · P77 in South Dakota · P22 nationally · 23% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Oglala ($35est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for McLaughlin School
Salary neighbourhood · McLaughlin School
McLaughlin School 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).
- Hot · low pole
Hot · low pole
$44,848 est. salary
- Elk · near
Elk · near
$52,965 est. salary
- Oglala · near
Oglala · near
$53,183 est. salary
- McLaughlin
McLaughlin · this district
$53,218 est. salary
- Beresford · near
Beresford · near
$53,593 est. salary
- Douglas · top pay
Douglas · top pay
$61,738 est. salary
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for McLaughlin School
McLaughlin School District 15-2's estimated salary vs. every US district
NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only
$53,218 22nd percentile higher than 22% 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
What stands out about McLaughlin School District 15-2
- Estimated teacher pay here rose +75.0% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing South Dakota's statewide +10.1% by 64.9 points, a growth rate faster than 99% of the 146 South Dakota districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
- Enrolment fell from 474 to 442 students (6.8% 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.
- It is a very small district (442 students), where the enrollment-based salary estimate is more sensitive to staffing mix.
- Its per-pupil spending of $31,939 is among the highest in the nation.
This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests
- Nominal district estimate
- $53,218.495
- South Dakota price level
- 88.1 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $60,373
The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.
BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.
+13% versus the nominal figure.
Prices in South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 McLaughlin School District 15-2
What the Numbers Say About McLaughlin School District 15-2
McLaughlin School District 15-2 is a small school district in South Dakota, serving 442 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $31,939. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $53,218, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 4646380 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
Relative to the South Dakota statewide average of $50,422, teacher pay in McLaughlin School District 15-2 runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 5.5% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (24.2% differential). Among enrolling districts in South Dakota, it pays more than 77% of them. South Dakota itself ranks #46 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.
On the budget side, McLaughlin School District 15-2 reports $14.1M in total expenditure against $15.7M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 23% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $2.0M, special-education teacher pay is $0.3M.
How does McLaughlin School District 15-2 compare?
Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the South Dakota average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.
McLaughlin School District 15-2 pays -1.7% less than Sioux Falls School District 49-5 · per-pupil $31,939 vs $13,239
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 South Dakota districts
On pay, McLaughlin School District 15-2 sits closest to Stanley County School District 57-1; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Northwestern Area School District 56-7. 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.
- Stanley County School District 57-1
- Burke School District 26-2
- Elk Point-Jefferson School District 61-7
- Beresford School District 61-2
- Kimball School District 07-2
- Hill City School District 51-2
- Winner School District 59-2
- Parkston School District 33-3
- Lyman School District 42-1
- Tri-Valley School District 49-6
- Garretson School District 49-4
Similar estimated teacher pay
Similar per-pupil investment
- Northwestern Area School District 56-7$31,610 per pupil-1.0% versus this district · $46,459 estimated salary
- Chamberlain School District 07-1$30,870 per pupil-3.3% versus this district · $47,057 estimated salary
- Kadoka Area School District 35-2$35,143 per pupil+10.0% versus this district · $48,163 estimated salary
Out-of-state districts near McLaughlin School District 15-2's smaller enrollment
Two out-of-state peer sets for McLaughlin School District 15-2: closest on enrollment (442 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($53,218 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 McLaughlin School District 15-2: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 71% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 29% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.
South Dakota Teacher Pay Overview
The highest average among comparably sized South Dakota districts belongs to Douglas School District 51-1 at $61,738. McLaughlin School District 15-2 places 23 of 50 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. North Dakota and Oklahoma are the states closest to South Dakota 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 South Dakota districts →Other South Dakota Districts
Smaller-district sample from 120 South Dakota peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.
This is a sample of 6 from 120 South Dakota districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.
Frequently Asked Questions about McLaughlin School District 15-2
What is the average teacher salary in McLaughlin School District 15-2?
The average teacher salary in McLaughlin School District 15-2 is $53,218 (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 McLaughlin School District 15-2 teacher pay compare to the South Dakota average?
McLaughlin School District 15-2 pays 5.5% more than the South Dakota state average of $50,422. The district's average is $53,218.
How does McLaughlin School District 15-2 teacher pay compare to the national average?
McLaughlin School District 15-2 pays 24.2% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $53,218.
What is the per-pupil spending in McLaughlin School District 15-2?
McLaughlin School District 15-2 spends approximately $31,939 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.
What percentage of McLaughlin School District 15-2's budget goes to teacher salaries?
Instructional salaries account for 23% of McLaughlin School District 15-2's total expenditure of $14.1M (NCES FY2023).
Next read for McLaughlin School District 15-2
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 |