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School district · Colorado · LEAID 0806270

Rocky Ford School District No. R2

Rocky Ford School District No. R2 sits in the lowest third of Colorado districts on estimated teacher pay at $54,516 (above only 23% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Rocky Ford School District No. R2 come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$54,516
Est. avg teacher salary

Well below benchmark

$35,532
Per-pupil spending
632
Students enrolled
23rd
Pct. in CO
$54,516

Rocky Ford School District No. R2 sits in the lowest third of Colorado districts on estimated teacher pay at $54,516 (above only 23% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $54,516, below the national average of $70,245, serving 632 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Rocky Ford School District No. R2 sits in the lowest third of Colorado districts on estimated teacher pay at $54,516 (above only 23% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 23rd percentile for Colorado
  • 25th percentile nationally
  • 16% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Colorado ranks #28 of 49 on the salary estimate and #19 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Rocky Ford School District No. R2 ranks #107 of 138 Colorado districts by estimated teacher salary and #9 of 138 by per-pupil spending. Crowley County School District No. Re-1-J pay #1 at $105,729 is not Julesburg School District No. Re1 spending #1 at $59,313 per pupil
  • +29.5% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Colorado median

Among 181 Colorado districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Rocky Ford School District No. R2's instructional payroll puts 7.2% into other programs , 3.1 points above the state median of 4.1%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Rocky Ford CO median Gap
Regular program 78.3% 79.6% -1.3 pp
Special education 5.6% 8.2% -2.6 pp
Vocational programs 8.8% 5.8% +3.0 pp
Other programs 7.2% 4.1% +3.1 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 181 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 0806270 · FY2023.

LEAID 0806270 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Rocky Ford F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -15% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P23 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P25 national PPE-HIGH $36K/pupil ENR-SMALL 632 students INSTR-LOW 16% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Dolores FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $54,516 estimated average teacher salary · P23 in Colorado · P25 nationally · 16% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: School (+$455est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Rocky Ford

Salary neighbourhood · Rocky Ford

Rocky Ford 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 Rocky Ford

Rocky Ford School District No. R2's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$54,516 25th percentile higher than 25% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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. 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

Rocky Ford in Colorado's lower-third pay band

Same 138 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Rocky Ford School District No. R2 ranks #107 of 138 Colorado districts by estimated teacher salary and #9 of 138 by per-pupil spending. Crowley County School District No. Re-1-J pay #1 at $105,729 is not Julesburg School District No. Re1 spending #1 at $59,313 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Rocky Ford School District No. R2 is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Julesburg School District No. Re1 leads spending at $59,313 per pupil; Crowley County School District No. Re-1-J leads pay.

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

What stands out about Rocky Ford School District No. R2

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +29.5% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Colorado's statewide +25.5% by 4.0 points, a growth rate faster than 69% of the 168 Colorado districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 764 to 632 students (17.3% 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.
  • Its per-pupil spending of $35,532 is among the highest in the nation.

Colorado sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$54,515.82

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Colorado price level
101.9 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$53,522

-2% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Rocky Ford School District No. R2

What the Numbers Say About Rocky Ford School District No. R2

Rocky Ford School District No. R2 is a small school district in Colorado, serving 632 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $35,532. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $54,516, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0806270 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Colorado statewide average of $64,442, teacher pay in Rocky Ford School District No. R2 runs materially below the state benchmark, a 15.4% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (22.4% differential). Among enrolling districts in Colorado, it pays more than 23% of them. Colorado itself ranks #28 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Rocky Ford School District No. R2 reports $22.5M in total expenditure against $21.4M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 16% 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 Rocky Ford School District No. R2 compare?

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

Rocky Ford School District No. R2 $54,516
School District No. 1 in the county of Denver and State of C $84,963
Colorado avg $64,442
National avg $70,245

Rocky Ford School District No. R2 pays -35.8% less than School District No. 1 in the county of Denver and State of C · per-pupil $35,532 vs $22,623

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 Colorado districts

On pay, Rocky Ford School District No. R2 sits closest to Dolores School District No. Re-4A; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Clear Creek School District No. Re-1. 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. Dolores School District No. Re-4A
  2. Monte Vista School District No. C-8
  3. Strasburg School District 31J
  4. Limon School District No. Re 4J
  5. Wiley School District No. Re-13 Jt
  6. Ellicott School District No. 22 in the county of El Paso a
  7. Otis School District No. R-3
  8. Sargent School District No. Re-33J
  9. Cheraw School District No. 31 in the county of Otero and S
  10. Calhan District No. RJ1
  11. School District No. C-2 in the county of Elbert and State of
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Clear Creek School District No. Re-1
  2. East Grand School District No. 2
  3. Cripple Creek-Victor School District No. Re-1
  4. Sheridan School District No. 2
  5. South Routt School District No. Re 3
  6. Weld County School District No. Re-2
  7. Telluride School District No. R-1
  8. Sierra Grande School District No. R-30
  9. School District No. Re-50 Wiggins
  10. Primero Reorganized School District No. 2
  11. Dolores County School District RE-2J

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Rocky Ford School District No. R2's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Rocky Ford School District No. R2: closest on enrollment (632 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($54,516 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

$21.4M
Total Revenue
$22.5M
Total Expenditure
$3.5M
Instruction Salaries
16% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$2.2M
Regular Program
$0.2M
Special Education
$0.3M
Vocational
$0.2M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Rocky Ford School District No. R2: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 81% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 19% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Colorado Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Colorado districts belongs to Aspen School District No. 1 in the county of Pitkin and Sta at $101,390. Placed 82 of 93, Rocky Ford School District No. R2 is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. On BEA's price parity Colorado sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Rhode Island and Virginia are its nearest price peers.

View all Colorado districts →

Other Colorado Districts

Smaller-district sample from 140 Colorado peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Springfield School District No. Re-4
$45,795
304 students
Sierra Grande School District No. R-30
$67,955
289 students
Ignacio School District No. 11Jt
$52,019
641 students
Center Consolidated School District No. 26 Jt. of the count
$75,895
607 students
Julesburg School District No. Re1
$55,561
607 students
Peyton School District No. 23 in the county of El Paso and
$53,125
600 students

This is a sample of 6 from 140 Colorado districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rocky Ford School District No. R2
What is the average teacher salary in Rocky Ford School District No. R2?

The average teacher salary in Rocky Ford School District No. R2 is $54,516 (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 Rocky Ford School District No. R2 teacher pay compare to the Colorado average?

Rocky Ford School District No. R2 pays 15.4% less than the Colorado state average of $64,442. The district's average is $54,516.

How does Rocky Ford School District No. R2 teacher pay compare to the national average?

Rocky Ford School District No. R2 pays 22.4% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $54,516.

What is the per-pupil spending in Rocky Ford School District No. R2?

Rocky Ford School District No. R2 spends approximately $35,532 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Rocky Ford School District No. R2's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 16% of Rocky Ford School District No. R2's total expenditure of $22.5M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Rocky Ford School District No. R2
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. Rocky Ford School District No. R2'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.