School district · Georgia · LEAID 1304200
Polk County
Polk County is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Georgia districts (7,878 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Polk County come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).
- $66,118
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $15,693
- Per-pupil spending
- 7,878
- Students enrolled
- 79th
- Pct. in GA
Above benchmark
Polk County is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Georgia districts (7,878 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $66,118, below the national average of $70,245, serving 7,878 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- Smaller enrollment scale: Polk County is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Georgia districts (7,878 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
- 79th percentile for Georgia
- 51st percentile nationally
- 32% of spending reaches instructional salaries
- Georgia ranks #35 of 49 on the salary estimate and #4 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
- Polk County ranks #38 of 179 Georgia districts by estimated teacher salary and #107 of 179 by per-pupil spending. Cobb County pay #1 at $81,518 is not Taylor County spending #1 at $38,272 per pupil
- +22.5% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)
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Instructional payroll mix vs Georgia median
Among 180 Georgia districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Polk County's instructional payroll puts 69.5% into regular program , 4.1 points below the state median of 73.6%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.
| Program | Polk County | GA median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular program | 69.5% | 73.6% | -4.1 pp |
| Special education | 16.2% | 16.5% | -0.3 pp |
| Vocational programs | 6.1% | 4.4% | +1.8 pp |
| Other programs | 8.1% | 5.1% | +3.0 pp |
Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 180 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 1304200 · FY2023.
LEAID 1304200 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
Polk County F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $66,118 estimated average teacher salary · P79 in Georgia · P51 nationally · 32% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Liberty (+$46est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for Polk County
Salary neighbourhood · Polk County
Polk County 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).
- Richmond · low pole
Richmond · low pole
$52,647 est. salary
- Newton · near
Newton · near
$65,791 est. salary
- Polk · this district
Polk · this district
$66,118 est. salary
- Liberty · near
Liberty · near
$66,164 est. salary
- Glynn · near
Glynn · near
$66,293 est. salary
- Cobb · top pay
Cobb · top pay
$81,518 est. salary
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Polk County
Polk County's estimated salary vs. every US district
NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only
$66,118 Top 49% higher than 51% 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 Polk County
- Estimated teacher pay here rose +22.5% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Georgia's statewide +19.4% by 3.1 points, a growth rate faster than 80% of the 180 Georgia districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests
- Nominal district estimate
- $66,118.174
- Georgia price level
- 96.5 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $68,521
The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.
BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.
+4% versus the nominal figure.
Prices in Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Polk County
What the Numbers Say About Polk County
Polk County is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Georgia, serving 7,878 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $15,693. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $66,118, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 1304200 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
Relative to the Georgia statewide average of $61,790, teacher pay in Polk County runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 7.0% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (5.9% differential). Among enrolling districts in Georgia, it pays more than 79% of them. Georgia itself ranks #35 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.
On the budget side, Polk County reports $123.6M in total expenditure against $116.4M 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 $25.7M, special-education teacher pay is $6.0M.
How does Polk County compare?
Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Georgia average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.
Polk County pays -6.6% less than Gwinnett County · per-pupil $15,693 vs $15,296
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 Georgia districts
On pay, Polk County sits closest to Liberty County; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Brantley 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.
Similar estimated teacher pay
Similar per-pupil investment
Out-of-state districts near Polk County's smaller enrollment
Two out-of-state peer sets for Polk County: closest on enrollment (7,878 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($66,118 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 Polk County: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 92% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 8% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.
Georgia Teacher Pay Overview
The highest average among comparably sized Georgia districts belongs to Cobb County at $81,518. Polk County sits in the upper quarter of that field at 36 of 172, nearer the ceiling than the floor. Texas and Vermont are the states closest to Georgia 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 Georgia districts →Other Georgia Districts
Smaller-district sample from 178 Georgia peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.
This is a sample of 6 from 178 Georgia districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.
Frequently Asked Questions about Polk County
What is the average teacher salary in Polk County?
The average teacher salary in Polk County is $66,118 (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 Polk County teacher pay compare to the Georgia average?
Polk County pays 7.0% more than the Georgia state average of $61,790. The district's average is $66,118.
How does Polk County teacher pay compare to the national average?
Polk County pays 5.9% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $66,118.
What is the per-pupil spending in Polk County?
Polk County spends approximately $15,693 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.
What percentage of Polk County's budget goes to teacher salaries?
Instructional salaries account for 32% of Polk County's total expenditure of $123.6M (NCES FY2023).
Next read for Polk County
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
| Publisher | PlainTeacher |
| Sources | Public official public datasets |