School district · Minnesota · LEAID 2721420
Moorhead Area Public Schools
Moorhead Area Public Schools spends $21,159 per pupil, in the highest third among comparable Minnesota districts with a reliable figure. Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Moorhead Area Public Schools come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).
- $77,156
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $21,159
- Per-pupil spending
- 7,412
- Students enrolled
- 81st
- Pct. in MN
Above benchmark
Moorhead Area Public Schools spends $21,159 per pupil, in the highest third among comparable Minnesota districts with a reliable figure. Estimated average teacher salary is $77,156, above the national average of $70,245, serving 7,412 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- High per-pupil spending: Moorhead Area Public Schools spends $21,159 per pupil, in the highest third among comparable Minnesota districts with a reliable figure.
- 81st percentile for Minnesota
- 70th percentile nationally
- 31% 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.
- Moorhead Area Public Schools ranks #61 of 310 Minnesota districts by estimated teacher salary and #77 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
- +23.4% 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, Moorhead Area Public Schools's instructional payroll puts 20.1% into special education , 4.8 points above the state median of 15.3%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Minnesota peer.
| Program | Moorhead Area | MN median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular program | 75.4% | 79.6% | -4.2 pp |
| Special education | 20.1% | 15.3% | +4.8 pp |
| Vocational programs | 3.3% | 3.4% | -0.1 pp |
| Other programs | 1.2% | 0.4% | +0.8 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 2721420 · FY2023.
LEAID 2721420 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
Moorhead Area F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $77,156 estimated average teacher salary · P81 in Minnesota · P70 nationally · 31% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Eden ($639est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for Moorhead Area
Salary neighbourhood · Moorhead Area
Moorhead Area 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).
- Spring · low pole
Spring · low pole
$63,219 est. salary
- Eden · near
Eden · near
$76,517 est. salary
- Moorhead
Moorhead · this district
$77,156 est. salary
- Prior · near
Prior · near
$78,209 est. salary
- Austin · near
Austin · near
$78,242 est. salary
- Bloomington · top pay
Bloomington · top pay
$101,366 est. salary
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Moorhead Area
Moorhead Area Public Schools's estimated salary vs. every US district
NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only
$77,156 Top 30% higher than 70% 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 Moorhead Area Public Schools
- Estimated teacher pay here rose +23.4% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Minnesota's statewide +14.0% by 9.4 points, a growth rate faster than 84% of the 326 Minnesota districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
- Enrolment grew 5.5% here, from 7,027 students in FY2019 to 7,412 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.
Minnesota sits close to national prices
- Nominal district estimate
- $77,155.889
- Minnesota price level
- 98.3 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $78,489
The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.
BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.
+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 Moorhead Area Public Schools
What the Numbers Say About Moorhead Area Public Schools
Moorhead Area Public Schools is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Minnesota, serving 7,412 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $21,159. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $77,156, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2721420 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
Relative to the Minnesota statewide average of $68,032, teacher pay in Moorhead Area Public Schools runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 13.4% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (9.8% differential). Among enrolling districts in Minnesota, it pays more than 81% 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, Moorhead Area Public Schools reports $156.8M in total expenditure against $123.9M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 31% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $27.3M, special-education teacher pay is $7.3M.
How does Moorhead Area Public Schools compare?
Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Minnesota average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.
Moorhead Area Public Schools pays -8.0% less than Anoka-Hennepin School District · per-pupil $21,159 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, Moorhead Area Public Schools sits closest to Eden Prairie Public School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Edina 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.
- Eden Prairie Public School District
- Inver Grove Heights Schools
- Prior Lake-savage Area Schools
- Austin Public School District
- East Grand Forks Public Schools
- Hopkins Public School District
- Centennial Public School District
- Hastings Public School District
- Marshall Public School District
- Farmington Public School District
- White Bear Lake School District
- Edina Public School District
- Duluth Public School District
- St. Cloud Public School District
- Lakeville Area Schools
- Richfield Public School District
- West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan
- Bloomington Public School District
- Fridley Public School District
- Winona Area Public School District
- Roseville Public School District
- Brainerd Public School District
Similar estimated teacher pay
Similar per-pupil investment
- Edina Public School District$21,118 per pupil-0.2% versus this district · $79,995 estimated salary
- Duluth Public School District$20,985 per pupil-0.8% versus this district · $71,141 estimated salary
- St. Cloud Public School District$21,349 per pupil+0.9% versus this district · $79,361 estimated salary
Nationwide districts with profiles like Moorhead Area
Two out-of-state peer sets for Moorhead Area Public Schools: closest on enrollment (7,412 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($77,156 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 Moorhead Area Public 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 73% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 27% 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. Moorhead Area Public Schools sits in the upper quarter of that field at 54 of 250, nearer the ceiling than the floor. 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
The bar behind each salary shows its magnitude within this Minnesota sample (including Moorhead Area). Hover or focus a value for the exact comparison.
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 Moorhead Area Public Schools
What is the average teacher salary in Moorhead Area Public Schools?
The average teacher salary in Moorhead Area Public Schools is $77,156 (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 Moorhead Area Public Schools teacher pay compare to the Minnesota average?
Moorhead Area Public Schools pays 13.4% more than the Minnesota state average of $68,032. The district's average is $77,156.
How does Moorhead Area Public Schools teacher pay compare to the national average?
Moorhead Area Public Schools pays 9.8% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $77,156.
What is the per-pupil spending in Moorhead Area Public Schools?
Moorhead Area Public Schools spends approximately $21,159 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.
What percentage of Moorhead Area Public Schools's budget goes to teacher salaries?
Instructional salaries account for 31% of Moorhead Area Public Schools's total expenditure of $156.8M (NCES FY2023).
Next read for Moorhead Area Public 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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| Sources | Public official public datasets |