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School district · Maine · LEAID 2314610

RSU 53/MSAD 53

RSU 53/MSAD 53 is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Maine districts (595 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for RSU 53/MSAD 53 come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$71,047
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$24,608
Per-pupil spending
595
Students enrolled
82nd
Pct. in ME
$71,047

RSU 53/MSAD 53 is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Maine districts (595 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $71,047, near the national average of $70,245, serving 595 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: RSU 53/MSAD 53 is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Maine districts (595 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 82nd percentile for Maine
  • 61st percentile nationally
  • 31% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Maine ranks #34 of 49 on the salary estimate and #40 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • RSU 53/MSAD 53 ranks #22 of 119 Maine districts by estimated teacher salary and #25 of 119 by per-pupil spending. Cape Elizabeth Public Schools pay #1 at $90,864 is not RSU 24 spending #1 at $38,957 per pupil
  • +19.9% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Maine median

Among 182 Maine districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, RSU 53/MSAD 53's instructional payroll puts 17.3% into special education , 3.6 points above the state median of 13.6%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Maine peer.

Program RSU 53/MSAD ME median Gap
Regular program 82.7% 83.0% -0.2 pp
Special education 17.3% 13.6% +3.6 pp
Other programs 0.0% 2.2% -2.2 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 182 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2314610 · FY2023.

LEAID 2314610 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

RSU 53/MSAD F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +13% vs state RANK-ST-MID P82 in state RANK-NAT-MID P61 national PPE-HIGH $25K/pupil ENR-SMALL 595 students INSTR-LOW 31% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Kittery FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $71,047 estimated average teacher salary · P82 in Maine · P61 nationally · 31% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: RSU (+$363est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for RSU 53/MSAD

Salary neighbourhood · RSU 53/MSAD

RSU 53/MSAD 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).

est. salary
Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey As of FY2023
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for RSU 53/MSAD

RSU 53/MSAD 53's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$71,047 Top 39% higher than 61% 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%). Below this entry. $70,000–$80,000: 1,633 US districts (15%). This entry sits in this band. $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. RSU 53/MSAD 53 $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 RSU 53/MSAD 53

  • Enrolment fell from 656 to 595 students (9.3% 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.

Maine sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$71,046.892

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Maine price level
98.0 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$72,523

+2% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Maine 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 Maine 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 RSU 53/MSAD 53

What the Numbers Say About RSU 53/MSAD 53

RSU 53/MSAD 53 is a small school district in Maine, serving 595 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $24,608. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $71,047, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2314610 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Maine statewide average of $62,872, teacher pay in RSU 53/MSAD 53 runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 13.0% gap, and near the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (1.1% differential). Among enrolling districts in Maine, it pays more than 82% of them. Maine itself ranks #34 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, RSU 53/MSAD 53 reports $14.6M in total expenditure against $15.5M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 31% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $3.2M, special-education teacher pay is $0.7M.

How does RSU 53/MSAD 53 compare?

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

RSU 53/MSAD 53 $71,047
Portland Public Schools $73,551
Maine avg $62,872
National avg $70,245

RSU 53/MSAD 53 pays -3.4% less than Portland Public Schools · per-pupil $24,608 vs $23,132

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 Maine districts

On pay, RSU 53/MSAD 53 sits closest to Kittery Public Schools; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Milford Public Schools. 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. Kittery Public Schools
  2. RSU 05
  3. Brewer Public Schools
  4. Biddeford Public Schools
  5. Glenburn Public Schools
  6. RSU 01 - Lkrsu
  7. Great Salt Bay CSD
  8. RSU 21
  9. Boothbay-Boothbay Hbr CSD
  10. RSU 23
  11. RSU 28/MSAD 28
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Milford Public Schools
  2. RSU 28/MSAD 28
  3. Vassalboro Public Schools
  4. Glenburn Public Schools
  5. RSU 13
  6. Jefferson Public Schools
  7. Deer Isle-Stonington CSD
  8. RSU 33/MSAD 33
  9. RSU 54/MSAD 54
  10. RSU 01 - Lkrsu
  11. RSU 32/MSAD 32

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near RSU 53/MSAD 53's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for RSU 53/MSAD 53: closest on enrollment (595 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($71,047 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

$15.5M
Total Revenue
$14.6M
Total Expenditure
$4.5M
Instruction Salaries
31% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$3.2M
Regular Program
$0.7M
Special Education

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 2 programs in RSU 53/MSAD 53: the regular program and special education. It reports no separate figure for vocational programs and other programs. Together they are 88% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 12% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Maine Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Maine districts belongs to Cape Elizabeth Public Schools at $90,864. RSU 53/MSAD 53 sits in the upper quarter of that field at 22 of 88, nearer the ceiling than the floor. On BEA's price parity Maine sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Nevada and Minnesota are its nearest price peers.

View all Maine districts →

Other Maine Districts

Smaller-district sample from 118 Maine peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Boothbay-Boothbay Hbr CSD
$68,655
498 students
Mt Desert CSD
$67,546
495 students
RSU 86/MSAD 20
$63,599
482 students
Five Town CSD
$78,362
719 students
Wiscasset Public Schools
$57,298
461 students
RSU 72/MSAD 72
$62,302
735 students

This is a sample of 6 from 118 Maine districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about RSU 53/MSAD 53
What is the average teacher salary in RSU 53/MSAD 53?

The average teacher salary in RSU 53/MSAD 53 is $71,047 (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 RSU 53/MSAD 53 teacher pay compare to the Maine average?

RSU 53/MSAD 53 pays 13.0% more than the Maine state average of $62,872. The district's average is $71,047.

How does RSU 53/MSAD 53 teacher pay compare to the national average?

RSU 53/MSAD 53 pays 1.1% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $71,047.

What is the per-pupil spending in RSU 53/MSAD 53?

RSU 53/MSAD 53 spends approximately $24,608 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of RSU 53/MSAD 53's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 31% of RSU 53/MSAD 53's total expenditure of $14.6M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for RSU 53/MSAD 53
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. RSU 53/MSAD 53'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.