School district · Tennessee · LEAID 4703450
Polk County
Polk County is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Tennessee districts (2,148 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).
- $54,673
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $12,971
- Per-pupil spending
- 2,148
- Students enrolled
- 30th
- Pct. in TN
Below benchmark
Polk County is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Tennessee districts (2,148 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $54,673, below the national average of $70,245, serving 2,148 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- Smaller enrollment scale: Polk County is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Tennessee districts (2,148 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
- 30th percentile for Tennessee
- 25th percentile nationally
- 37% of spending reaches instructional salaries
- Tennessee ranks #38 of 49 on the salary estimate and #13 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
- Polk County ranks #97 of 139 Tennessee districts by estimated teacher salary and #73 of 139 by per-pupil spending. Achievement School District pay #1 at $82,057 is not Franklin SSD spending #1 at $24,604 per pupil
- +22.0% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)
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Instructional payroll mix vs Tennessee median
Among 141 Tennessee districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Polk County's instructional payroll puts 7.9% into vocational programs , 3.0 points above the state median of 5.0%. That heavier vocational share usually means career/technical programs claim more of the teacher-salary pool than at a typical Tennessee peer.
| Program | Polk County | TN median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular program | 82.4% | 84.1% | -1.7 pp |
| Special education | 9.0% | 10.0% | -1.0 pp |
| Vocational programs | 7.9% | 5.0% | +3.0 pp |
| Other programs | 0.7% | 0.4% | +0.3 pp |
Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 141 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 4703450 · FY2023.
LEAID 4703450 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
Polk County F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $54,673 estimated average teacher salary · P30 in Tennessee · P25 nationally · 37% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Jefferson (+$467est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for Polk County
Salary neighbourhood · Polk County
Polk County trails 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).
- Union · low pole $32,029
Union · low pole
$32,029 est. salary
- Polk · this district
Polk · this district
$54,673 est. salary
- Jefferson · near
Jefferson · near
$55,140 est. salary
- Greene · near
Greene · near
$55,602 est. salary
- Anderson · near
Anderson · near
$55,691 est. salary
- Achievement · top pay
Achievement · top pay
$82,057 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
$54,673 25th percentile higher than 25% 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
Polk County in Tennessee's lower-third pay band
Same 139 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)
- Achievement School District
Achievement School District
$82,057 est. avg salary
- Franklin SSD
Franklin SSD
$74,294 est. avg salary
- Polk County
Polk County
$54,673 est. avg salary
What this shows Polk County ranks #97 of 139 Tennessee districts by estimated teacher salary and #73 of 139 by per-pupil spending. Achievement School District pay #1 at $82,057 is not Franklin SSD spending #1 at $24,604 per pupil
The same districts by per-pupil spending
Polk County is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar
- Franklin SSD
Franklin SSD
$24,604 per pupil
- Achievement School District
Achievement School District
$14,678 per pupil
- Polk County
Polk County
$12,971 per pupil
What this shows Franklin SSD leads spending at $24,604 per pupil; Achievement School District leads pay.
What stands out about Polk County
- Estimated teacher pay here rose +22.0% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Tennessee's statewide +12.8% by 9.2 points, a growth rate faster than 90% of the 141 Tennessee districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
- Enrolment fell from 2,311 to 2,148 students (7.1% down) across FY2019–FY2023 while the instructional salary pool per teacher went up. Districts on that path are usually holding staffing steady against a falling roll, which lifts the per-teacher figure without anyone getting a raise, so read this page's salary estimate alongside the enrolment line rather than on its own.
This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests
- Nominal district estimate
- $54,673.299
- Tennessee price level
- 92.1 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $59,367
The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.
BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.
+9% versus the nominal figure.
Prices in Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 school district in Tennessee, serving 2,148 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $12,971. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $54,673, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 4703450 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
Relative to the Tennessee statewide average of $57,941, teacher pay in Polk County runs materially below the state benchmark, a 5.6% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (22.2% differential). Among enrolling districts in Tennessee, it pays more than 30% of them. Tennessee itself ranks #38 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.
On the budget side, Polk County reports $27.9M in total expenditure against $28.9M 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 $7.3M, special-education teacher pay is $0.8M.
How does Polk County compare?
Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Tennessee average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.
Polk County pays -6.8% less than Memphis-Shelby County Schools · per-pupil $12,971 vs $16,050
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 Tennessee districts
On pay, Polk County sits closest to Henry County; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Cleveland. 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 (2,148 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($54,673 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 85% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 15% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.
Tennessee Teacher Pay Overview
The highest average among comparably sized Tennessee districts belongs to Achievement School District at $82,057. Polk County places 95 of 137 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. Indiana and Idaho are the states closest to Tennessee 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 Tennessee districts →Other Tennessee Districts
Smaller-district sample from 138 Tennessee peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.
This is a sample of 6 from 138 Tennessee 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 $54,673 (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 Tennessee average?
Polk County pays 5.6% less than the Tennessee state average of $57,941. The district's average is $54,673.
How does Polk County teacher pay compare to the national average?
Polk County pays 22.2% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $54,673.
What is the per-pupil spending in Polk County?
Polk County spends approximately $12,971 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 37% of Polk County's total expenditure of $27.9M (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
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| Sources | Public official public datasets |