School district · Maine · LEAID 2312330
South Portland Public Schools
South Portland Public Schools spends $29,695 per pupil, in the highest third among comparable Maine districts with a reliable figure. Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for South Portland Public Schools come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).
- $73,148
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $29,695
- Per-pupil spending
- 3,081
- Students enrolled
- 85th
- Pct. in ME
Well above benchmark
South Portland Public Schools spends $29,695 per pupil, in the highest third among comparable Maine districts with a reliable figure. Estimated average teacher salary is $73,148, near the national average of $70,245, serving 3,081 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- High per-pupil spending: South Portland Public Schools spends $29,695 per pupil, in the highest third among comparable Maine districts with a reliable figure.
- 85th percentile for Maine
- 65th percentile nationally
- 26% 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.
- South Portland Public Schools ranks #18 of 119 Maine districts by estimated teacher salary and #6 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
- +14.6% 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, South Portland Public Schools's instructional payroll puts 77.5% into regular program , 5.5 points below the state median of 83.0%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.
| Program | South Portland | ME median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular program | 77.5% | 83.0% | -5.5 pp |
| Special education | 15.1% | 13.6% | +1.5 pp |
| Other programs | 7.4% | 2.2% | +5.1 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 2312330 · FY2023.
LEAID 2312330 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
South Portland F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $73,148 estimated average teacher salary · P85 in Maine · P65 nationally · 26% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: RSU (+$256est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for South Portland
Salary neighbourhood · South Portland
South Portland 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).
- RSU · low pole
RSU · low pole
$49,579 est. salary
- RSU · near
RSU · near
$72,360 est. salary
- South · this district
South · this district
$73,148 est. salary
- RSU · near
RSU · near
$73,405 est. salary
- Portland · near
Portland · near
$73,551 est. salary
- Scarborough · top pay
Scarborough · top pay
$88,770 est. salary
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for South Portland
South Portland Public Schools's estimated salary vs. every US district
NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only
$73,148 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 Portland in Maine's upper-third pay band
Same 119 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)
- Cape Elizabeth Public Schools
Cape Elizabeth Public Schools
$90,864 est. avg salary
- South Portland Public Schools
South Portland Public Schools
$73,148 est. avg salary
- RSU 24
RSU 24
$57,046 est. avg salary
What this shows South Portland Public Schools ranks #18 of 119 Maine districts by estimated teacher salary and #6 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
The same districts by per-pupil spending
South Portland Public Schools is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar
- RSU 24
RSU 24
$38,957 per pupil
- South Portland Public Schools
South Portland Public Schools
$29,695 per pupil
- Cape Elizabeth Public Schools
Cape Elizabeth Public Schools
$21,275 per pupil
What this shows RSU 24 leads spending at $38,957 per pupil; Cape Elizabeth Public Schools leads pay.
What stands out about South Portland Public Schools
- Estimated teacher pay here moved +14.6% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Maine's statewide +20.0% by 5.3 points, a growth rate faster than 32% of the 159 Maine districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
- Its per-pupil spending of $29,695 is among the highest in the nation.
Maine sits close to national prices
- Nominal district estimate
- $73,148.421
- Maine price level
- 98.0 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $74,669
The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.
BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.
+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 South Portland Public Schools
What the Numbers Say About South Portland Public Schools
South Portland Public Schools is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Maine, serving 3,081 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $29,695. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $73,148, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2312330 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
Relative to the Maine statewide average of $62,872, teacher pay in South Portland Public Schools runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 16.3% gap, and near the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (4.1% differential). Among enrolling districts in Maine, it pays more than 85% 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, South Portland Public Schools reports $91.5M in total expenditure against $64.0M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 26% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $15.4M, special-education teacher pay is $3.0M.
How does South Portland Public Schools compare?
Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Maine average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.
South Portland Public Schools pays -0.5% less than Portland Public Schools · per-pupil $29,695 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, South Portland Public Schools sits closest to RSU 21; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is RSU 12. 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.
Similar estimated teacher pay
Similar per-pupil investment
Out-of-state districts near South Portland Public Schools's enrollment scale
Two out-of-state peer sets for South Portland Public Schools: closest on enrollment (3,081 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($73,148 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 Portland Public Schools: the regular program, special education and other programs. It reports no separate figure for vocational programs. Together they are 83% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 17% 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. South Portland Public Schools sits in the upper quarter of that field at 18 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
Large-district sample from 118 Maine peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.
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 South Portland Public Schools
What is the average teacher salary in South Portland Public Schools?
The average teacher salary in South Portland Public Schools is $73,148 (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 Portland Public Schools teacher pay compare to the Maine average?
South Portland Public Schools pays 16.3% more than the Maine state average of $62,872. The district's average is $73,148.
How does South Portland Public Schools teacher pay compare to the national average?
South Portland Public Schools pays 4.1% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $73,148.
What is the per-pupil spending in South Portland Public Schools?
South Portland Public Schools spends approximately $29,695 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.
What percentage of South Portland Public Schools's budget goes to teacher salaries?
Instructional salaries account for 26% of South Portland Public Schools's total expenditure of $91.5M (NCES FY2023).
Next read for South Portland Public Schools
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 |