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School district · Arizona · LEAID 0406330

Phoenix Union High School District (4286)

Phoenix Union High School District (4286) sits in the highest third of Arizona districts on estimated teacher pay at $79,215 (above 94% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Phoenix Union High School District (4286) come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$79,215
Est. avg teacher salary

Well above benchmark

$16,516
Per-pupil spending
27,900
Students enrolled
94th
Pct. in AZ
$79,215

Phoenix Union High School District (4286) sits in the highest third of Arizona districts on estimated teacher pay at $79,215 (above 94% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $79,215, above the national average of $70,245, serving 27,900 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Upper-third pay in state: Phoenix Union High School District (4286) sits in the highest third of Arizona districts on estimated teacher pay at $79,215 (above 94% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 94th percentile for Arizona
  • 73rd percentile nationally
  • 26% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Arizona ranks #29 of 49 on the salary estimate and #16 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Phoenix Union High School District (4286) ranks #10 of 152 Arizona districts by estimated teacher salary and #43 of 152 by per-pupil spending. Safford Unified District (4218) pay #1 at $99,366 is not Red Mesa Unified District (4159) spending #1 at $38,950 per pupil
  • +13.4% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Arizona median

Among 213 Arizona districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Phoenix Union High School District (4286)'s instructional payroll puts 58.8% into regular program , 25.2 points below the state median of 84.0%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Phoenix Union AZ median Gap
Regular program 58.8% 84.0% -25.2 pp
Special education 11.5% 10.8% +0.7 pp
Vocational programs 5.7% 1.7% +4.1 pp
Other programs 24.0% 0.0% +24.0 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 213 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 0406330 · FY2023.

LEAID 0406330 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Phoenix Union F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +24% vs state RANK-ST-TOP P94 in state RANK-NAT-MID P73 national PPE-MID $17K/pupil ENR-LARGE 27.9K students INSTR-LOW 26% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Yuma FY-2023-HEAVY FY2023 book

FY2023: $79,215 estimated average teacher salary · P94 in Arizona · P73 nationally · 26% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Yuma ($979est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Phoenix Union

Salary neighbourhood · Phoenix Union

Phoenix Union 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 Phoenix Union

Phoenix Union High School District (4286)'s estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$79,215 Top 27% higher than 73% 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. This 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

Phoenix Union in Arizona's upper-third pay band

Same 152 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Phoenix Union High School District (4286) ranks #10 of 152 Arizona districts by estimated teacher salary and #43 of 152 by per-pupil spending. Safford Unified District (4218) pay #1 at $99,366 is not Red Mesa Unified District (4159) spending #1 at $38,950 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Phoenix Union High School District (4286) is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Red Mesa Unified District (4159) leads spending at $38,950 per pupil; Safford Unified District (4218) leads pay.

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

What stands out about Phoenix Union High School District (4286)

  • Estimated teacher pay here moved +13.4% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Arizona's statewide +25.8% by 12.4 points, a growth rate faster than 28% of the 199 Arizona districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

Arizona sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$79,214.879

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Arizona price level
100.7 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$78,631

-1% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Arizona 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 Arizona 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 Phoenix Union High School District (4286)

What the Numbers Say About Phoenix Union High School District (4286)

Phoenix Union High School District (4286) is a mid-sized school district in Arizona, serving 27,900 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $16,516. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $79,215, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0406330 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Arizona statewide average of $63,921, teacher pay in Phoenix Union High School District (4286) runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 23.9% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (12.8% differential). Among enrolling districts in Arizona, it pays more than 94% of them. Arizona itself ranks #29 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Phoenix Union High School District (4286) reports $460.8M in total expenditure against $488.6M 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 $67.4M, special-education teacher pay is $13.1M.

How does Phoenix Union High School District (4286) compare?

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

Phoenix Union High School District (4286) $79,215
Mesa Unified District (4235) $67,420
Arizona avg $63,921
National avg $70,245

Phoenix Union High School District (4286) pays +17.5% more than Mesa Unified District (4235) · per-pupil $16,516 vs $14,903

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 Arizona districts

On pay, Phoenix Union High School District (4286) sits closest to Yuma Union High School District (4507); on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Tucson Unified District (4403). 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. Yuma Union High School District (4507)
  2. Glendale Union High School District (4285)
  3. Tolleson Union High School District (4288)
  4. Tempe Union High School District (4287)
  5. Alhambra Elementary District (4280)
  6. Agua Fria Union High School District (4289)
  7. Cartwright Elementary District (4282)
  8. Deer Valley Unified District (4246)
  9. Chandler Unified District #80 (4242)
  10. Litchfield Elementary District (4281)
  11. Dysart Unified District (4243)
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Tucson Unified District (4403)
  2. Glendale Union High School District (4285)
  3. Yuma Union High School District (4507)
  4. Paradise Valley Unified District (4241)
  5. Agua Fria Union High School District (4289)
  6. Mesa Unified District (4235)
  7. Tempe School District (4258)
  8. Scottsdale Unified District (4240)
  9. Alhambra Elementary District (4280)
  10. Flagstaff Unified District (4192)
  11. Amphitheater Unified District (4406)

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Phoenix Union High School District (4286)'s enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Phoenix Union High School District (4286): closest on enrollment (27,900 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($79,215 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

$488.6M
Total Revenue
$460.8M
Total Expenditure
$122.1M
Instruction Salaries
26% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$67.4M
Regular Program
$13.1M
Special Education
$6.6M
Vocational
$27.6M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Phoenix Union High School District (4286): the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 94% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 6% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Arizona Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Arizona districts belongs to Safford Unified District (4218) at $99,366. Phoenix Union High School District (4286) sits in the upper quarter of that field at 9 of 128, nearer the ceiling than the floor. On BEA's price parity Arizona sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Virginia and Colorado are its nearest price peers.

View all Arizona districts →

Other Arizona Districts

Large-district sample from 153 Arizona peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

Vail Unified District (4413)
$59,818
14,308 students
Kyrene Elementary District (4267)
$59,162
14,059 students
Cartwright Elementary District (4282)
$86,704
13,790 students
Tolleson Union High School District (4288)
$82,860
13,741 students
Queen Creek Unified District (4245)
$63,250
13,205 students
Higley Unified School District (4248)
$64,700
12,882 students

This is a sample of 6 from 153 Arizona districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Phoenix Union High School District (4286)
What is the average teacher salary in Phoenix Union High School District (4286)?

The average teacher salary in Phoenix Union High School District (4286) is $79,215 (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 Phoenix Union High School District (4286) teacher pay compare to the Arizona average?

Phoenix Union High School District (4286) pays 23.9% more than the Arizona state average of $63,921. The district's average is $79,215.

How does Phoenix Union High School District (4286) teacher pay compare to the national average?

Phoenix Union High School District (4286) pays 12.8% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $79,215.

What is the per-pupil spending in Phoenix Union High School District (4286)?

Phoenix Union High School District (4286) spends approximately $16,516 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Phoenix Union High School District (4286)'s budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 26% of Phoenix Union High School District (4286)'s total expenditure of $460.8M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Phoenix Union High School District (4286)
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. Phoenix Union High School District (4286)'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.