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School district · Arizona · LEAID 0407170

Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)

Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Arizona districts (3,102 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$58,551
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$13,903
Per-pupil spending
3,102
Students enrolled
28th
Pct. in AZ
$58,551

Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Arizona districts (3,102 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $58,551, below the national average of $70,245, serving 3,102 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Arizona districts (3,102 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 28th percentile for Arizona
  • 33rd percentile nationally
  • 28% 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.
  • Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) ranks #109 of 152 Arizona districts by estimated teacher salary and #82 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
  • +15.8% 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, Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)'s instructional payroll puts 3.7% into other programs , 3.7 points above the state median of 0.0%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program Saddle Mountain AZ median Gap
Regular program 84.0% 84.0% +0.0 pp
Special education 7.6% 10.8% -3.2 pp
Vocational programs 4.7% 1.7% +3.0 pp
Other programs 3.7% 0.0% +3.7 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 0407170 · FY2023.

LEAID 0407170 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Saddle Mountain F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-BELOW -8% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P28 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P33 national PPE-LOW $14K/pupil ENR-MID 3,102 students INSTR-LOW 28% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Pendergast FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $58,551 estimated average teacher salary · P28 in Arizona · P33 nationally · 28% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Pendergast ($6est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Saddle Mountain

Salary neighbourhood · Saddle Mountain

Saddle Mountain 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 Saddle Mountain

Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)'s estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$58,551 33rd percentile higher than 33% 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

Saddle Mountain in Arizona's lower-third pay band

Same 152 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) ranks #109 of 152 Arizona districts by estimated teacher salary and #82 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

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Red Mesa Unified District (4159) leads spending at $38,950 per pupil; Safford Unified District (4218) leads pay.

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

What stands out about Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)

  • Estimated teacher pay here moved +15.8% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Arizona's statewide +25.8% by 10.0 points, a growth rate faster than 32% of the 199 Arizona districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment grew 58.8% here, from 1,953 students in FY2019 to 3,102 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.

Arizona sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$58,550.633

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
$58,119

-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 Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)

What the Numbers Say About Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)

Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Arizona, serving 3,102 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $13,903. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $58,551, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 0407170 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Arizona statewide average of $63,921, teacher pay in Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) runs materially below the state benchmark, a 8.4% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (16.6% differential). Among enrolling districts in Arizona, it pays more than 28% 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, Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) reports $43.1M in total expenditure against $42.5M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 28% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $7.8M, special-education teacher pay is $0.7M.

How does Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) compare?

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

Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) $58,551
Mesa Unified District (4235) $67,420
Arizona avg $63,921
National avg $70,245

Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) pays -13.2% less than Mesa Unified District (4235) · per-pupil $13,903 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, Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) sits closest to Pendergast Elementary District (4283); on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Casa Grande Union High School District (4453). 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. Pendergast Elementary District (4283)
  2. Palominas Elementary School District 49 (4180)
  3. Willcox Unified District (4170)
  4. Miami Unified District (4211)
  5. Flagstaff Unified District (4192)
  6. Santa Cruz Valley Unified District (4458)
  7. Glendale Elementary District (4271)
  8. Casa Grande Elementary District (4446)
  9. Wickenburg Unified District (4236)
  10. Roosevelt Elementary District (4279)
  11. Snowflake Unified District (4391)
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Casa Grande Union High School District (4453)
  2. Blue Ridge Unified School District No. 32 (4397)
  3. Morenci Unified District (4230)
  4. Maricopa Unified School District (4441)
  5. Fountain Hills Unified District (4247)
  6. Miami Unified District (4211)
  7. Flowing Wells Unified District (4405)
  8. Coolidge Unified District (4442)
  9. Chino Valley Unified District (4474)
  10. Page Unified School District #8 (4196)
  11. Amphitheater Unified District (4406)

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)'s smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254): closest on enrollment (3,102 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($58,551 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

$42.5M
Total Revenue
$43.1M
Total Expenditure
$11.9M
Instruction Salaries
28% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$7.8M
Regular Program
$0.7M
Special Education
$0.4M
Vocational
$0.3M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254): the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 78% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 22% 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. Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) places 94 of 128 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.

Window Rock Unified District (4154)
$71,554
1,710 students
Parker Unified School District (4510)
$66,117
1,692 students
Union Elementary District (4277)
$59,871
1,669 students
Globe Unified District (4208)
$61,540
1,633 students
Kayenta Unified School District #27 (4396)
$76,325
1,597 students
Camp Verde Unified District (4470)
$68,178
1,564 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 Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)
What is the average teacher salary in Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)?

The average teacher salary in Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) is $58,551 (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 Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) teacher pay compare to the Arizona average?

Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) pays 8.4% less than the Arizona state average of $63,921. The district's average is $58,551.

How does Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) teacher pay compare to the national average?

Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) pays 16.6% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $58,551.

What is the per-pupil spending in Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)?

Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) spends approximately $13,903 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)'s budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 28% of Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)'s total expenditure of $43.1M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)
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. Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)'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.