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School district · Iowa · LEAID 1900026

South O'Brien Comm School District

South O'Brien Comm School District sits in the lowest third of Iowa districts on estimated teacher pay at $59,754 (above only 25% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for South O'Brien Comm School District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$59,754
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$16,997
Per-pupil spending
576
Students enrolled
25th
Pct. in IA
$59,754

South O'Brien Comm School District sits in the lowest third of Iowa districts on estimated teacher pay at $59,754 (above only 25% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $59,754, below the national average of $70,245, serving 576 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: South O'Brien Comm School District sits in the lowest third of Iowa districts on estimated teacher pay at $59,754 (above only 25% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 25th percentile for Iowa
  • 36th percentile nationally
  • 33% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Iowa ranks #30 of 49 on the salary estimate and #29 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • South O'Brien Comm School District ranks #226 of 303 Iowa districts by estimated teacher salary and #108 of 303 by per-pupil spending. Linn-Mar Comm School District pay #1 at $82,552 is not Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District spending #1 at $59,531 per pupil
  • +7.8% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Iowa median

Among 327 Iowa districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, South O'Brien Comm School District's instructional payroll puts 64.4% into regular program , 4.4 points below the state median of 68.8%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.

Program South O'Brien IA median Gap
Regular program 64.4% 68.8% -4.4 pp
Special education 13.9% 12.6% +1.3 pp
Vocational programs 7.1% 4.7% +2.4 pp
Other programs 14.7% 13.9% +0.8 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 327 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 1900026 · FY2023.

LEAID 1900026 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

South O'Brien F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-BELOW -6% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P25 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P36 national PPE-MID $17K/pupil ENR-SMALL 576 students INSTR-LOW 33% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Woodbine FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $59,754 estimated average teacher salary · P25 in Iowa · P36 nationally · 33% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Bondurant-Farrar (+$1,322est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for South O'Brien

Salary neighbourhood · South O'Brien

South O'Brien 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 South O'Brien

South O'Brien Comm School District's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$59,754 36th percentile higher than 36% 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

South O'Brien in Iowa's lower-third pay band

Same 303 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows South O'Brien Comm School District ranks #226 of 303 Iowa districts by estimated teacher salary and #108 of 303 by per-pupil spending. Linn-Mar Comm School District pay #1 at $82,552 is not Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District spending #1 at $59,531 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

South O'Brien Comm School District is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District leads spending at $59,531 per pupil; Linn-Mar Comm School District leads pay.

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

What stands out about South O'Brien Comm School District

  • Enrolment fell from 629 to 576 students (8.4% 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.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$59,754.434

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Iowa price level
88.8 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$67,315

+13% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Iowa run below the national average, so this salary has roughly the buying power of the national-price equivalent above. A district in a costlier state can advertise a larger nominal salary and still leave a teacher with less.

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 Iowa 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 South O'Brien Comm School District

What the Numbers Say About South O'Brien Comm School District

South O'Brien Comm School District is a small school district in Iowa, serving 576 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $16,997. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $59,754, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 1900026 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Iowa statewide average of $63,660, teacher pay in South O'Brien Comm School District runs materially below the state benchmark, a 6.1% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (14.9% differential). Among enrolling districts in Iowa, it pays more than 25% of them. Iowa itself ranks #30 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, South O'Brien Comm School District reports $9.8M in total expenditure against $10.8M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 33% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $1.7M, special-education teacher pay is $0.4M.

How does South O'Brien Comm School District compare?

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

South O'Brien Comm School District $59,754
Des Moines Independent Comm School District $69,203
Iowa avg $63,660
National avg $70,245

South O'Brien Comm School District pays -13.7% less than Des Moines Independent Comm School District · per-pupil $16,997 vs $18,580

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 Iowa districts

On pay, South O'Brien Comm School District sits closest to Woodbine Comm School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Anamosa Comm School District. 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. Woodbine Comm School District
  2. West Burlington Ind School District
  3. Audubon Comm School District
  4. Fremont-Mills Comm School District
  5. North Tama County Comm School District
  6. Central City Comm School District
  7. Alta-Aurelia Comm School District
  8. North Iowa Comm School District
  9. Melcher-Dallas Comm School District
  10. Akron Westfield Comm School District
  11. Saydel Comm School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Anamosa Comm School District
  2. Wapello Comm School District
  3. BCLUW Comm School District
  4. Perry Comm School District
  5. Odebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove Comm School District
  6. South Tama County
  7. Riverside Comm School District
  8. IKM-Manning Comm School District
  9. Riceville Comm School District
  10. North Iowa Comm School District
  11. Pekin Comm School District

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near South O'Brien Comm School District's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for South O'Brien Comm School District: closest on enrollment (576 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($59,754 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

$10.8M
Total Revenue
$9.8M
Total Expenditure
$3.2M
Instruction Salaries
33% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$1.7M
Regular Program
$0.4M
Special Education
$0.2M
Vocational
$0.4M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in South O'Brien Comm School District: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 82% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 18% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Iowa Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Iowa districts belongs to Linn-Mar Comm School District at $82,552. Placed 198 of 237, South O'Brien Comm School District is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. Louisiana and Oklahoma are the states closest to Iowa on BEA's price parity, which makes them the fair comparison; against a costlier state this salary goes further than its number suggests.

View all Iowa districts →

Other Iowa Districts

Smaller-district sample from 302 Iowa peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Wayne Comm School District
$62,031
614 students
North Mahaska Comm School District
$60,495
616 students
North Linn Comm School District
$70,449
535 students
Bedford Comm School District
$59,382
535 students
Woodbine Comm School District
$59,730
534 students
South Winneshiek Comm School District
$63,684
531 students

This is a sample of 6 from 302 Iowa districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about South O'Brien Comm School District
What is the average teacher salary in South O'Brien Comm School District?

The average teacher salary in South O'Brien Comm School District is $59,754 (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 South O'Brien Comm School District teacher pay compare to the Iowa average?

South O'Brien Comm School District pays 6.1% less than the Iowa state average of $63,660. The district's average is $59,754.

How does South O'Brien Comm School District teacher pay compare to the national average?

South O'Brien Comm School District pays 14.9% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $59,754.

What is the per-pupil spending in South O'Brien Comm School District?

South O'Brien Comm School District spends approximately $16,997 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of South O'Brien Comm School District's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 33% of South O'Brien Comm School District's total expenditure of $9.8M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for South O'Brien Comm School District
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. South O'Brien Comm School District'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.