School district · New Jersey · LEAID 3415360
South Plainfield School District
South Plainfield School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable New Jersey districts (3,516 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for South Plainfield School District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).
- $73,145
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $28,679
- Per-pupil spending
- 3,516
- Students enrolled
- 30th
- Pct. in NJ
Below benchmark
South Plainfield School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable New Jersey districts (3,516 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $73,145, near the national average of $70,245, serving 3,516 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- Smaller enrollment scale: South Plainfield School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable New Jersey districts (3,516 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
- 30th percentile for New Jersey
- 65th percentile nationally
- 27% of spending reaches instructional salaries
- New Jersey ranks #15 of 49 on the salary estimate and #9 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
- South Plainfield School District ranks #363 of 510 New Jersey districts by estimated teacher salary and #302 of 510 by per-pupil spending. Perth Amboy Public School District pay #1 at $159,259 is not Asbury Park School District spending #1 at $62,321 per pupil
- +4.5% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)
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Instructional payroll mix vs New Jersey median
Among 577 New Jersey districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, South Plainfield School District's instructional payroll puts 78.6% into regular program , 3.9 points above the state median of 74.7%. Regular-program teachers claim more of the instructional salary pool here than at the median New Jersey district.
| Program | South Plainfield | NJ median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular program | 78.6% | 74.7% | +3.9 pp |
| Special education | 19.4% | 19.7% | -0.3 pp |
| Other programs | 2.0% | 4.0% | -2.0 pp |
Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 577 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 3415360 · FY2023.
LEAID 3415360 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
South Plainfield F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $73,145 estimated average teacher salary · P30 in New Jersey · P65 nationally · 27% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Franklin ($251est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for South Plainfield
Salary neighbourhood · South Plainfield
South Plainfield 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).
- Toms · low pole
Toms · low pole
$70,980 est. salary
- Franklin · near
Franklin · near
$72,894 est. salary
- South · this district
South · this district
$73,145 est. salary
- Bayonne · near
Bayonne · near
$73,975 est. salary
- Vineland · near
Vineland · near
$74,124 est. salary
- Perth · top pay
Perth · top pay
$159,259 est. salary
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for South Plainfield
South Plainfield School District's estimated salary vs. every US district
NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only
$73,145 Top 35% higher than 65% of 10,684 US districts
Show national distribution
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 Plainfield in New Jersey's lower-third pay band
Same 510 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)
- Perth Amboy Public School District
Perth Amboy Public School District
$159,259 est. avg salary
- Asbury Park School District
Asbury Park School District
$98,778 est. avg salary
- South Plainfield School District
South Plainfield School District
$73,145 est. avg salary
What this shows South Plainfield School District ranks #363 of 510 New Jersey districts by estimated teacher salary and #302 of 510 by per-pupil spending. Perth Amboy Public School District pay #1 at $159,259 is not Asbury Park School District spending #1 at $62,321 per pupil
The same districts by per-pupil spending
South Plainfield School District is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar
- Asbury Park School District
Asbury Park School District
$62,321 per pupil
- Perth Amboy Public School District
Perth Amboy Public School District
$46,538 per pupil
- South Plainfield School District
South Plainfield School District
$28,679 per pupil
What this shows Asbury Park School District leads spending at $62,321 per pupil; Perth Amboy Public School District leads pay.
What stands out about South Plainfield School District
- Estimated teacher pay here moved +4.5% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing New Jersey's statewide +11.0% by 6.5 points, a growth rate faster than 20% of the 375 New Jersey districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
- Its per-pupil spending of $28,679 is among the highest in the nation.
New Jersey prices absorb part of this salary
- Nominal district estimate
- $73,144.866
- New Jersey price level
- 108.9 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $67,142
The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.
BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.
-8% versus the nominal figure.
Prices in New Jersey run above the national average, so this salary has roughly the buying power of the national-price equivalent above. Comparing it with a district in a cheaper state without this adjustment overstates its relative value.
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 New Jersey 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 Plainfield School District
What the Numbers Say About South Plainfield School District
South Plainfield School District is a small-to-mid-sized school district in New Jersey, serving 3,516 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $28,679. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $73,145, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3415360 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
Relative to the New Jersey statewide average of $78,597, teacher pay in South Plainfield School District runs materially below the state benchmark, a 6.9% gap, and near the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (4.1% differential). Among enrolling districts in New Jersey, it pays more than 30% of them. New Jersey itself ranks #15 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.
On the budget side, South Plainfield School District reports $100.8M in total expenditure against $91.6M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 27% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $18.8M, special-education teacher pay is $4.6M.
How does South Plainfield School District compare?
Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the New Jersey average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.
South Plainfield School District pays -21.0% less than Newark Public School District · per-pupil $28,679 vs $44,682
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 New Jersey districts
On pay, South Plainfield School District sits closest to Hamilton Township School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Rancocas Valley Regional High 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.
- Hamilton Township School District
- Weehawken Public School District
- Absecon Public Schools District
- Haddonfield School District
- Franklin Township Public School District
- Robbinsville Public School District
- Woodland Park School District
- Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District
- Denville Township K-8 School District
- Harrison Township School District
- Cumberland Regional School District
- Rancocas Valley Regional High School District
- Bogota Public School District
- Westwood Regional School District
- Berkeley Heights School District
- Phillipsburg School District
- Newton Public School District
- Hasbrouck Heights School District
- Kearny
- Winslow Township School District
- Kenilworth School District
- Rutherford School District
Similar estimated teacher pay
Similar per-pupil investment
- Rancocas Valley Regional High School District$28,682 per pupil+0.0% versus this district · $86,153 estimated salary
- Bogota Public School District$28,684 per pupil+0.0% versus this district · $76,887 estimated salary
- Westwood Regional School District$28,667 per pupil-0.0% versus this district · $86,347 estimated salary
Out-of-state districts near South Plainfield School District's smaller enrollment
Two out-of-state peer sets for South Plainfield School District: closest on enrollment (3,516 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($73,145 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
Instructional Salary by Program
The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in South Plainfield School District: the regular program, special education and other programs. It reports no separate figure for vocational programs. Together they are 89% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 11% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.
New Jersey Teacher Pay Overview
The highest average among comparably sized New Jersey districts belongs to Perth Amboy Public School District at $159,259. Placed 323 of 422, South Plainfield School District is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. Because New Jersey prices run above the national average, this salary is worth less than the same number elsewhere; Washington and Hawaii are the states it can be compared with directly on BEA's price parity.
View all New Jersey districts →Other New Jersey Districts
Smaller-district sample from 522 New Jersey peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.
This is a sample of 6 from 522 New Jersey districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.
Frequently Asked Questions about South Plainfield School District
What is the average teacher salary in South Plainfield School District?
The average teacher salary in South Plainfield School District is $73,145 (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 Plainfield School District teacher pay compare to the New Jersey average?
South Plainfield School District pays 6.9% less than the New Jersey state average of $78,597. The district's average is $73,145.
How does South Plainfield School District teacher pay compare to the national average?
South Plainfield School District pays 4.1% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $73,145.
What is the per-pupil spending in South Plainfield School District?
South Plainfield School District spends approximately $28,679 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.
What percentage of South Plainfield School District's budget goes to teacher salaries?
Instructional salaries account for 27% of South Plainfield School District's total expenditure of $100.8M (NCES FY2023).
Next read for South Plainfield 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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| Sources | Public official public datasets |