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School district · Texas · LEAID 4835700

Prairie Lea ISD

Prairie Lea ISD sits in the lowest third of Texas districts on estimated teacher pay at $39,377 (above only 4% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Prairie Lea ISD come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$39,377
Est. avg teacher salary

Well below benchmark

$45,751
Per-pupil spending
229
Students enrolled
4th
Pct. in TX
$39,377

Prairie Lea ISD sits in the lowest third of Texas districts on estimated teacher pay at $39,377 (above only 4% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $39,377, below the national average of $70,245, serving 229 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Prairie Lea ISD sits in the lowest third of Texas districts on estimated teacher pay at $39,377 (above only 4% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 4th percentile for Texas
  • 1st percentile nationally
  • 14% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Texas ranks #44 of 49 on the salary estimate and #2 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Prairie Lea ISD ranks #852 of 888 Texas districts by estimated teacher salary and #12 of 888 by per-pupil spending. Huntington ISD pay #1 at $96,219 is not Palacios ISD spending #1 at $62,904 per pupil
  • +17.4% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Texas median

Among 1,024 Texas districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Prairie Lea ISD's instructional payroll puts 16.6% into vocational programs , 9.6 points above the state median of 7.0%. That heavier vocational share usually means career/technical programs claim more of the teacher-salary pool than at a typical Texas peer.

Program Prairie Lea TX median Gap
Regular program 74.1% 75.4% -1.3 pp
Special education 1.8% 8.1% -6.2 pp
Vocational programs 16.6% 7.0% +9.6 pp
Other programs 7.4% 8.3% -0.9 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 1,024 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 4835700 · FY2023.

LEAID 4835700 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Prairie Lea F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -24% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P4 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P1 national PPE-HIGH $46K/pupil ENR-TINY 229 students INSTR-LOW 14% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Quanah FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $39,377 estimated average teacher salary · P4 in Texas · P1 nationally · 14% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Ector (+$11,686est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Prairie Lea

Salary neighbourhood · Prairie Lea

Prairie Lea 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).

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

Prairie Lea ISD's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$39,377 1st percentile higher than 1% of 10,684 US districts

Show national distribution $30,000–$40,000: 155 US districts (1%). This entry sits in this band. $40,000–$50,000: 1,360 US districts (13%). Above this entry. $50,000–$60,000: 2,382 US districts (22%). Above this entry. $60,000–$70,000: 2,402 US districts (22%). Above this entry. $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. Prairie Lea ISD $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

Prairie Lea in Texas's lower-third pay band

Same 888 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Prairie Lea ISD ranks #852 of 888 Texas districts by estimated teacher salary and #12 of 888 by per-pupil spending. Huntington ISD pay #1 at $96,219 is not Palacios ISD spending #1 at $62,904 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Prairie Lea ISD is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Palacios ISD leads spending at $62,904 per pupil; Huntington ISD leads pay.

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

What stands out about Prairie Lea ISD

  • It ranks in the bottom 5% nationally for estimated teacher pay, above only 1% of districts.
  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +17.4% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Texas's statewide +10.1% by 7.3 points, a growth rate faster than 64% of the 1,015 Texas districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment grew 6.0% here, from 216 students in FY2019 to 229 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.
  • It is a very small district (229 students), where the enrollment-based salary estimate is more sensitive to staffing mix.
  • Its per-pupil spending of $45,751 is among the highest in the nation.

Texas sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$39,376.623

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Texas price level
97.1 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$40,536

+3% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Texas 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 Texas 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 Prairie Lea ISD

What the Numbers Say About Prairie Lea ISD

Prairie Lea ISD is a small school district in Texas, serving 229 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $45,751. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $39,377, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 4835700 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Texas statewide average of $51,478, teacher pay in Prairie Lea ISD runs materially below the state benchmark, a 23.5% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (43.9% differential). Among enrolling districts in Texas, it pays more than 4% of them. Texas itself ranks #44 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Prairie Lea ISD reports $10.5M in total expenditure against $4.7M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 14% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $0.6M, special-education teacher pay is $0.0M.

How does Prairie Lea ISD compare?

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

Prairie Lea ISD $39,377
Houston ISD $60,017
Texas avg $51,478
National avg $70,245

Prairie Lea ISD pays -34.4% less than Houston ISD · per-pupil $45,751 vs $16,112

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 Texas districts

On pay, Prairie Lea ISD sits closest to Quanah ISD; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Yorktown ISD. 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. Quanah ISD
  2. Miami ISD
  3. Winters ISD
  4. Medina ISD
  5. Sulphur Bluff ISD
  6. Hamlin Collegiate ISD
  7. Yantis ISD
  8. Marfa ISD
  9. Kress ISD
  10. Junction ISD
  11. Academy for Academic Excellence
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Yorktown ISD
  2. Graford ISD
  3. Plains ISD
  4. Three Rivers ISD
  5. Burton ISD
  6. Iraan-sheffield Collegiate ISD
  7. Coolidge ISD
  8. Water Valley ISD
  9. Baird ISD
  10. Rotan ISD
  11. Normangee ISD

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Prairie Lea ISD's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Prairie Lea ISD: closest on enrollment (229 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($39,377 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

$4.7M
Total Revenue
$10.5M
Total Expenditure
$1.4M
Instruction Salaries
14% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$0.6M
Regular Program
$0.0M
Special Education
$0.1M
Vocational
$0.1M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Prairie Lea ISD: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 53% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 47% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Texas Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Texas districts belongs to Huntington ISD at $96,219. Placed 687 of 709, Prairie Lea ISD is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. On BEA's price parity Texas sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Vermont and Pennsylvania are its nearest price peers.

View all Texas districts →

Other Texas Districts

Smaller-district sample from 902 Texas peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Hartley ISD
$45,354
230 students
Zephyr ISD
$48,124
227 students
Sulphur Bluff ISD
$39,245
227 students
Highland ISD
$49,021
226 students
Wildorado ISD
$33,501
232 students
Borden County ISD
$67,607
225 students

This is a sample of 6 from 902 Texas districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Prairie Lea ISD
What is the average teacher salary in Prairie Lea ISD?

The average teacher salary in Prairie Lea ISD is $39,377 (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 Prairie Lea ISD teacher pay compare to the Texas average?

Prairie Lea ISD pays 23.5% less than the Texas state average of $51,478. The district's average is $39,377.

How does Prairie Lea ISD teacher pay compare to the national average?

Prairie Lea ISD pays 43.9% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $39,377.

What is the per-pupil spending in Prairie Lea ISD?

Prairie Lea ISD spends approximately $45,751 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Prairie Lea ISD's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 14% of Prairie Lea ISD's total expenditure of $10.5M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Prairie Lea ISD
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. Prairie Lea ISD'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.