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School district · Arizona · LEAID 0406870

Red Mesa Unified District (4159)

Red Mesa Unified District (4159) is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Arizona districts (480 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Red Mesa Unified District (4159) come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$67,299
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$38,950
Per-pupil spending
480
Students enrolled
65th
Pct. in AZ
$67,299

Red Mesa Unified District (4159) is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Arizona districts (480 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $67,299, near the national average of $70,245, serving 480 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Red Mesa Unified District (4159) is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Arizona districts (480 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 65th percentile for Arizona
  • 53rd percentile nationally
  • 17% 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.
  • Red Mesa Unified District (4159) ranks #52 of 152 Arizona districts by estimated teacher salary and #1 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
  • +59.3% 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, Red Mesa Unified District (4159)'s instructional payroll puts 6.1% into vocational programs , 4.4 points above the state median of 1.7%. That heavier vocational share usually means career/technical programs claim more of the teacher-salary pool than at a typical Arizona peer.

Program Red Mesa AZ median Gap
Regular program 85.4% 84.0% +1.5 pp
Special education 8.5% 10.8% -2.3 pp
Vocational programs 6.1% 1.7% +4.4 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 0406870 · FY2023.

LEAID 0406870 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Red Mesa F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-ABOVE +5% vs state RANK-ST-MID P65 in state RANK-NAT-MID P53 national PPE-HIGH $39K/pupil ENR-TINY 480 students INSTR-LOW 17% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Fort FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $67,299 estimated average teacher salary · P65 in Arizona · P53 nationally · 17% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Mesa (+$122est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Red Mesa

Salary neighbourhood · Red Mesa

Red Mesa sits mid-pack among in-state peers; the chart brackets it between the top and bottom pay poles (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 Red Mesa

Red Mesa Unified District (4159)'s estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$67,299 Top 47% higher than 53% 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. 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

What stands out about Red Mesa Unified District (4159)

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +59.3% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Arizona's statewide +25.8% by 33.5 points, a growth rate faster than 93% of the 199 Arizona districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • It is a very small district (480 students), where the enrollment-based salary estimate is more sensitive to staffing mix.
  • Its per-pupil spending of $38,950 is among the highest in the nation.

Arizona sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$67,298.701

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
$66,803

-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 Red Mesa Unified District (4159)

What the Numbers Say About Red Mesa Unified District (4159)

Red Mesa Unified District (4159) is a small school district in Arizona, serving 480 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $38,950. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $67,299, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0406870 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Arizona statewide average of $63,921, teacher pay in Red Mesa Unified District (4159) runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 5.3% gap, and near the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (4.2% differential). Among enrolling districts in Arizona, it pays more than 65% 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, Red Mesa Unified District (4159) reports $18.7M in total expenditure against $12.7M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 17% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $2.2M, special-education teacher pay is $0.2M.

How does Red Mesa Unified District (4159) compare?

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

Red Mesa Unified District (4159) $67,299
Mesa Unified District (4235) $67,420
Arizona avg $63,921
National avg $70,245

Red Mesa Unified District (4159) pays -0.2% less than Mesa Unified District (4235) · per-pupil $38,950 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, Red Mesa Unified District (4159) sits closest to Fort Huachuca Accommodation District (4167); on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Sacaton Elementary District (4449). 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. Fort Huachuca Accommodation District (4167)
  2. Ganado Unified School District (4157)
  3. Mary C O'Brien Accommodation District (4435)
  4. Toltec School District (4450)
  5. Pinon Unified District (4390)
  6. Camp Verde Unified District (4470)
  7. San Carlos Unified District (4210)
  8. Holbrook Unified District (4389)
  9. Parker Unified School District (4510)
  10. Arlington Elementary District (4274)
  11. Williams Unified District (4193)
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Sacaton Elementary District (4449)
  2. Oracle Elementary District (4444)
  3. Mary C O'Brien Accommodation District (4435)
  4. Baboquivari Unified School District #40 (4412)
  5. Sanders Unified District (4156)
  6. Grand Canyon Unified District (4194)
  7. Ajo Unified District (4409)
  8. Pinon Unified District (4390)
  9. Nadaburg Unified School District (4252)
  10. Beaver Creek Elementary District (4481)
  11. Kayenta Unified School District #27 (4396)

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Red Mesa Unified District (4159)'s smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Red Mesa Unified District (4159): closest on enrollment (480 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($67,299 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

$12.7M
Total Revenue
$18.7M
Total Expenditure
$3.1M
Instruction Salaries
17% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$2.2M
Regular Program
$0.2M
Special Education
$0.2M
Vocational

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Red Mesa Unified District (4159): the regular program, special education and vocational programs. It reports no separate figure for other programs. Together they are 83% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 17% 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. Red Mesa Unified District (4159) places 44 of 129 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. 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

Smaller-district sample from 153 Arizona peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Continental Elementary District (4416)
$60,081
602 students
Ray Unified District (4438)
$60,364
349 students
Sanders Unified District (4156)
$70,891
616 students
Fort Thomas Unified District (4221)
$70,518
620 students
Littlefield Unified District (4374)
$60,333
337 students
Superior Unified School District (4440)
$56,987
335 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 Red Mesa Unified District (4159)
What is the average teacher salary in Red Mesa Unified District (4159)?

The average teacher salary in Red Mesa Unified District (4159) is $67,299 (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 Red Mesa Unified District (4159) teacher pay compare to the Arizona average?

Red Mesa Unified District (4159) pays 5.3% more than the Arizona state average of $63,921. The district's average is $67,299.

How does Red Mesa Unified District (4159) teacher pay compare to the national average?

Red Mesa Unified District (4159) pays 4.2% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $67,299.

What is the per-pupil spending in Red Mesa Unified District (4159)?

Red Mesa Unified District (4159) spends approximately $38,950 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Red Mesa Unified District (4159)'s budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 17% of Red Mesa Unified District (4159)'s total expenditure of $18.7M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Red Mesa Unified District (4159)
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. Red Mesa Unified District (4159)'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.