School district · Kentucky · LEAID 2104380

Murray Independent

Murray Independent is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Kentucky districts (1,849 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Murray Independent come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$60,008
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$16,463
Per-pupil spending
1,849
Students enrolled
79th
Pct. in KY
$60,008

Murray Independent is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Kentucky districts (1,849 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $60,008, below the national average of $70,245, serving 1,849 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Murray Independent is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Kentucky districts (1,849 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 79th percentile for Kentucky
  • 36th percentile nationally
  • 37% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Kentucky ranks #40 of 49 on the salary estimate and #24 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Murray Independent ranks #36 of 171 Kentucky districts by estimated teacher salary and #73 of 171 by per-pupil spending. Jefferson County pay #1 at $73,395 is not Newport Independent spending #1 at $28,225 per pupil
  • +14.5% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Kentucky median

Among 171 Kentucky districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Murray Independent's instructional payroll puts 84.0% into regular program , 4.3 points above the state median of 79.8%. Regular-program teachers claim more of the instructional salary pool here than at the median Kentucky district.

Program Murray Independent KY median Gap
Regular program 84.0% 79.8% +4.3 pp
Special education 12.8% 16.6% -3.8 pp
Vocational programs 1.0% 0.2% +0.9 pp
Other programs 2.1% 1.5% +0.6 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 171 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2104380 · FY2023.

LEAID 2104380 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Murray Independent F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-ABOVE +6% vs state RANK-ST-MID P79 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P36 national PPE-MID $16K/pupil ENR-SMALL 1,849 students INSTR-MID 37% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Johnson FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $60,008 estimated average teacher salary · P79 in Kentucky · P36 nationally · 37% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Anderson ($123est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Murray Independent

Salary neighbourhood · Murray Independent

Murray Independent 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).

est. salary
Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey As of FY2023
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Murray Independent

Murray Independent's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$60,008 36th percentile higher than 36% 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. Murray Independent $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

Murray Independent in Kentucky's upper-third pay band

Same 171 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Murray Independent ranks #36 of 171 Kentucky districts by estimated teacher salary and #73 of 171 by per-pupil spending. Jefferson County pay #1 at $73,395 is not Newport Independent spending #1 at $28,225 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Murray Independent is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Newport Independent leads spending at $28,225 per pupil; Jefferson County leads pay.

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

What stands out about Murray Independent

  • Enrolment grew 6.5% here, from 1,736 students in FY2019 to 1,849 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.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$60,007.937

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Kentucky price level
89.9 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$66,757

+11% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Murray Independent

What the Numbers Say About Murray Independent

Murray Independent is a small school district in Kentucky, serving 1,849 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $16,463. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $60,008, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2104380 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Kentucky statewide average of $56,482, teacher pay in Murray Independent runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 6.2% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (14.6% differential). Among enrolling districts in Kentucky, it pays more than 79% of them. Kentucky itself ranks #40 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Murray Independent reports $30.4M in total expenditure against $31.7M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 37% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $6.4M, special-education teacher pay is $1.0M.

How does Murray Independent compare?

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

Murray Independent $60,008
Jefferson County $73,395
Kentucky avg $56,482
National avg $70,245

Murray Independent pays -18.2% less than Jefferson County · per-pupil $16,463 vs $20,696

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 Kentucky districts

On pay, Murray Independent sits closest to Johnson County; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Trimble County. 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.

Out-of-state districts near Murray Independent's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Murray Independent: closest on enrollment (1,849 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($60,008 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood.

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

$31.7M
Total Revenue
$30.4M
Total Expenditure
$11.2M
Instruction Salaries
37% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$6.4M
Regular Program
$1.0M
Special Education
$0.1M
Vocational
$0.2M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Murray Independent: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 67% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 33% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Kentucky Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Kentucky districts belongs to Jefferson County at $73,395. Murray Independent sits in the upper quarter of that field at 32 of 161, nearer the ceiling than the floor. Kansas and West Virginia are the states closest to Kentucky 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 Kentucky districts →

Other Kentucky Districts

Smaller-district sample from 170 Kentucky peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

This is a sample of 6 from 170 Kentucky districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Murray Independent
What is the average teacher salary in Murray Independent?

The average teacher salary in Murray Independent is $60,008 (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 Murray Independent teacher pay compare to the Kentucky average?

Murray Independent pays 6.2% more than the Kentucky state average of $56,482. The district's average is $60,008.

How does Murray Independent teacher pay compare to the national average?

Murray Independent pays 14.6% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $60,008.

What is the per-pupil spending in Murray Independent?

Murray Independent spends approximately $16,463 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Murray Independent's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 37% of Murray Independent's total expenditure of $30.4M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Murray Independent
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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