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School district · Wisconsin · LEAID 5509210

Merrill Area School District

Merrill Area School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Wisconsin districts (2,907 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Merrill Area School District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$71,514
Est. avg teacher salary

Near benchmark

$15,273
Per-pupil spending
2,907
Students enrolled
58th
Pct. in WI
$71,514

Merrill Area School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Wisconsin districts (2,907 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $71,514, near the national average of $70,245, serving 2,907 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Merrill Area School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Wisconsin districts (2,907 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 58th percentile for Wisconsin
  • 62nd percentile nationally
  • 32% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Wisconsin ranks #19 of 49 on the salary estimate and #20 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Merrill Area School District ranks #168 of 403 Wisconsin districts by estimated teacher salary and #352 of 403 by per-pupil spending. Gibraltar Area School District pay #1 at $100,669 is not Nicolet Union High School School District spending #1 at $43,137 per pupil
  • +18.7% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Wisconsin median

Among 421 Wisconsin districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Merrill Area School District's instructional payroll puts 24.6% into special education , 4.8 points above the state median of 19.8%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Wisconsin peer.

Program Merrill Area WI median Gap
Regular program 66.5% 70.7% -4.2 pp
Special education 24.6% 19.8% +4.8 pp
Vocational programs 4.4% 5.2% -0.8 pp
Other programs 4.5% 3.9% +0.5 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 421 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 5509210 · FY2023.

LEAID 5509210 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Merrill Area F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-INLINE Near state avg RANK-ST-MID P58 in state RANK-NAT-MID P62 national PPE-MID $15K/pupil ENR-MID 2,907 students INSTR-LOW 32% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Chippewa FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $71,514 estimated average teacher salary · P58 in Wisconsin · P62 nationally · 32% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Chippewa (+$19est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Merrill Area

Salary neighbourhood · Merrill Area

Merrill Area 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 Merrill Area

Merrill Area School District's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$71,514 Top 38% higher than 62% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Merrill Area School 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

Merrill Area in Wisconsin's lower-third pay band

Same 403 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Merrill Area School District ranks #168 of 403 Wisconsin districts by estimated teacher salary and #352 of 403 by per-pupil spending. Gibraltar Area School District pay #1 at $100,669 is not Nicolet Union High School School District spending #1 at $43,137 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Merrill Area School District is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Nicolet Union High School School District leads spending at $43,137 per pupil; Gibraltar Area School District leads pay.

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

What stands out about Merrill Area School District

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +18.7% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Wisconsin's statewide +14.3% by 4.4 points, a growth rate faster than 72% of the 410 Wisconsin districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 3,291 to 2,907 students (11.7% 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
$71,513.924

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Wisconsin price level
93.2 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$76,715

+7% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Merrill Area School District

What the Numbers Say About Merrill Area School District

Merrill Area School District is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Wisconsin, serving 2,907 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $15,273. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $71,514, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 5509210 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Wisconsin statewide average of $70,465, teacher pay in Merrill Area School District runs roughly in line with the state benchmark, a 1.5% gap, and near the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (1.8% differential). Among enrolling districts in Wisconsin, it pays more than 58% of them. Wisconsin itself ranks #19 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Merrill Area School District reports $44.4M in total expenditure against $45.1M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 32% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $9.4M, special-education teacher pay is $3.5M.

How does Merrill Area School District compare?

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

Merrill Area School District $71,514
Milwaukee School District $80,043
Wisconsin avg $70,465
National avg $70,245

Merrill Area School District pays -10.7% less than Milwaukee School District · per-pupil $15,273 vs $22,253

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 Wisconsin districts

On pay, Merrill Area School District sits closest to Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Ripon Area 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. Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District
  2. Tomah Area School District
  3. Weyauwega-Fremont School District
  4. Amery School District
  5. Hartland-Lakeside J3 School District
  6. Pardeeville Area School District
  7. Mukwonago School District
  8. Wauwatosa School District
  9. Luxemburg-Casco School District
  10. Evansville Community School District
  11. Kimberly Area School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Ripon Area School District
  2. Little Chute Area School District
  3. Arrowhead UHS School District
  4. Northern Ozaukee School District
  5. Menomonee Falls School District
  6. West De Pere School District
  7. Durand-Arkansaw School District
  8. Lake Mills Area School District
  9. Freedom Area School District
  10. New Richmond School District
  11. Whitnall School District

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Merrill Area School District's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Merrill Area School District: closest on enrollment (2,907 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($71,514 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

$45.1M
Total Revenue
$44.4M
Total Expenditure
$14.1M
Instruction Salaries
32% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$9.4M
Regular Program
$3.5M
Special Education
$0.6M
Vocational
$0.6M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Merrill Area School District: 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.

Wisconsin Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Wisconsin districts belongs to Gibraltar Area School District at $100,669. Merrill Area School District places 147 of 304 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. South Carolina and Idaho are the states closest to Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin districts →

Other Wisconsin Districts

Smaller-district sample from 402 Wisconsin peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Whitewater Unified School District
$70,426
1,981 students
Waupun School District
$67,599
1,974 students
Burlington Area School District
$84,387
2,914 students
Pewaukee School District
$80,366
2,948 students
Whitefish Bay School District
$80,798
2,860 students
Sparta Area School District
$59,655
2,841 students

This is a sample of 6 from 402 Wisconsin districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Merrill Area School District
What is the average teacher salary in Merrill Area School District?

The average teacher salary in Merrill Area School District is $71,514 (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 Merrill Area School District teacher pay compare to the Wisconsin average?

Merrill Area School District pays 1.5% more than the Wisconsin state average of $70,465. The district's average is $71,514.

How does Merrill Area School District teacher pay compare to the national average?

Merrill Area School District pays 1.8% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $71,514.

What is the per-pupil spending in Merrill Area School District?

Merrill Area School District spends approximately $15,273 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Merrill Area School District's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 32% of Merrill Area School District's total expenditure of $44.4M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Merrill Area School District
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. Merrill Area School District'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.