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School district · Alabama · LEAID 0102580

Opelika City

Opelika City is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Alabama districts (5,048 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Opelika City come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$69,368
Est. avg teacher salary

Near benchmark

$17,538
Per-pupil spending
5,048
Students enrolled
75th
Pct. in AL
$69,368

Opelika City is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Alabama districts (5,048 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $69,368, near the national average of $70,245, serving 5,048 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Opelika City is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Alabama districts (5,048 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 75th percentile for Alabama
  • 58th percentile nationally
  • 26% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Alabama ranks #21 of 49 on the salary estimate and #22 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Opelika City ranks #35 of 138 Alabama districts by estimated teacher salary and #25 of 138 by per-pupil spending. Limestone County pay #1 at $118,952 is not Lowndes County spending #1 at $30,484 per pupil
  • +16.4% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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LEAID 0102580 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Opelika City F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-INLINE Near state avg RANK-ST-MID P75 in state RANK-NAT-MID P58 national PPE-MID $18K/pupil ENR-MID 5,048 students INSTR-LOW 26% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Chickasaw FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $69,368 estimated average teacher salary · P75 in Alabama · P58 nationally · 26% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Montgomery (+$116est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Opelika City

Salary neighbourhood · Opelika City

Opelika City 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 Opelika City

Opelika City's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$69,368 Top 42% higher than 58% 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. Opelika City $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

Opelika City in Alabama's upper-third pay band

Same 138 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Opelika City ranks #35 of 138 Alabama districts by estimated teacher salary and #25 of 138 by per-pupil spending. Limestone County pay #1 at $118,952 is not Lowndes County spending #1 at $30,484 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Opelika City is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Lowndes County leads spending at $30,484 per pupil; Limestone County leads pay.

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

What stands out about Opelika City

  • Enrolment grew 11.8% here, from 4,514 students in FY2019 to 5,048 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
$69,367.989

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Alabama price level
89.1 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$77,857

+12% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Alabama 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 Alabama 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 Opelika City

What the Numbers Say About Opelika City

Opelika City is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Alabama, serving 5,048 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $17,538. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $69,368, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0102580 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Alabama statewide average of $68,221, teacher pay in Opelika City runs roughly in line with the state benchmark, a 1.7% gap, and near the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (1.2% differential). Among enrolling districts in Alabama, it pays more than 75% of them. Alabama itself ranks #21 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Opelika City reports $88.5M in total expenditure against $82.1M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 26% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $17.4M, special-education teacher pay is $2.0M.

How does Opelika City compare?

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

Opelika City $69,368
Mobile County $63,845
Alabama avg $68,221
National avg $70,245

Opelika City pays +8.7% more than Mobile County · per-pupil $17,538 vs $14,922

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 Alabama districts

On pay, Opelika City sits closest to Chickasaw City; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Pelham City. 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. Chickasaw City
  2. Gulf Shores City
  3. Jacksonville City
  4. Tarrant City
  5. Pike Road City
  6. Franklin County
  7. Attalla City
  8. Marion County
  9. Enterprise City
  10. Lauderdale County
  11. Macon County
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Pelham City
  2. Tallassee City
  3. Tallapoosa County
  4. Conecuh County
  5. Gulf Shores City
  6. Florence City
  7. Bessemer City
  8. Homewood City
  9. Decatur City
  10. Fairfield City
  11. Jacksonville City

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Opelika City's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Opelika City: closest on enrollment (5,048 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($69,368 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

$82.1M
Total Revenue
$88.5M
Total Expenditure
$23.4M
Instruction Salaries
26% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$17.4M
Regular Program
$2.0M
Special Education
$1.0M
Vocational
$0.9M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Opelika City: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 91% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 9% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Alabama Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Alabama districts belongs to Limestone County at $118,952. Opelika City sits in the upper quarter of that field at 35 of 137, nearer the ceiling than the floor. Iowa and Louisiana are the states closest to Alabama 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 Alabama districts →

Other Alabama Districts

Smaller-district sample from 137 Alabama peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Colbert County
$63,273
2,621 students
Russellville City
$73,015
2,614 students
Trussville City
$65,591
5,065 students
Gadsden City
$69,922
4,939 students
Jackson County
$70,310
5,200 students
Athens City
$71,385
4,840 students

This is a sample of 6 from 137 Alabama districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Opelika City
What is the average teacher salary in Opelika City?

The average teacher salary in Opelika City is $69,368 (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 Opelika City teacher pay compare to the Alabama average?

Opelika City pays 1.7% more than the Alabama state average of $68,221. The district's average is $69,368.

How does Opelika City teacher pay compare to the national average?

Opelika City pays 1.2% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $69,368.

What is the per-pupil spending in Opelika City?

Opelika City spends approximately $17,538 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Opelika City's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 26% of Opelika City's total expenditure of $88.5M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Opelika City
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. Opelika City'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.