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School district · Iowa · LEAID 1927000

Spirit Lake Comm School District

Spirit Lake Comm School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Iowa districts (1,304 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Spirit Lake Comm School District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$67,118
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$13,696
Per-pupil spending
1,304
Students enrolled
71st
Pct. in IA
$67,118

Spirit Lake Comm School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Iowa districts (1,304 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $67,118, near the national average of $70,245, serving 1,304 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Spirit Lake Comm School District is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Iowa districts (1,304 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 71st percentile for Iowa
  • 53rd percentile nationally
  • 36% 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.
  • Spirit Lake Comm School District ranks #89 of 303 Iowa districts by estimated teacher salary and #277 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
  • +5.3% 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, Spirit Lake Comm School District's instructional payroll puts 75.3% into regular program , 6.5 points above the state median of 68.8%. Regular-program teachers claim more of the instructional salary pool here than at the median Iowa district.

Program Spirit Lake IA median Gap
Regular program 75.3% 68.8% +6.5 pp
Special education 11.1% 12.6% -1.4 pp
Vocational programs 2.8% 4.7% -1.9 pp
Other programs 10.8% 13.9% -3.1 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 1927000 · FY2023.

LEAID 1927000 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Spirit Lake F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-ABOVE +5% vs state RANK-ST-MID P71 in state RANK-NAT-MID P53 national PPE-LOW $14K/pupil ENR-SMALL 1,304 students INSTR-MID 36% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Sigourney FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $67,118 estimated average teacher salary · P71 in Iowa · P53 nationally · 36% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Marshalltown (+$702est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Spirit Lake

Salary neighbourhood · Spirit Lake

Spirit Lake 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 Spirit Lake

Spirit Lake Comm School District's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$67,118 Top 47% higher than 53% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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

Spirit Lake 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 Spirit Lake Comm School District ranks #89 of 303 Iowa districts by estimated teacher salary and #277 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

Spirit Lake 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 Spirit Lake Comm School District

  • Estimated teacher pay here moved +5.3% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Iowa's statewide +9.0% by 3.7 points, a growth rate faster than 24% of the 324 Iowa districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$67,118.106

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
$75,610

+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 Spirit Lake Comm School District

What the Numbers Say About Spirit Lake Comm School District

Spirit Lake Comm School District is a small school district in Iowa, serving 1,304 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $13,696. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $67,118, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 1927000 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Iowa statewide average of $63,660, teacher pay in Spirit Lake Comm School District runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 5.4% gap, and near the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (4.5% differential). Among enrolling districts in Iowa, it pays more than 71% 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, Spirit Lake Comm School District reports $17.9M in total expenditure against $19.4M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 36% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $4.1M, special-education teacher pay is $0.6M.

How does Spirit Lake 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.

Spirit Lake Comm School District $67,118
Des Moines Independent Comm School District $69,203
Iowa avg $63,660
National avg $70,245

Spirit Lake Comm School District pays -3.0% less than Des Moines Independent Comm School District · per-pupil $13,696 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, Spirit Lake Comm School District sits closest to Sigourney Comm School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Tri-Center 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. Sigourney Comm School District
  2. Mount Pleasant Comm School District
  3. Aplington-Parkersburg Comm School District
  4. Van Meter Comm School District
  5. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Comm School District
  6. Chariton Comm School District
  7. Odebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove Comm School District
  8. Schaller-Crestland Comm School District
  9. Spencer Comm School District
  10. Westwood Comm School District
  11. Hinton Comm School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Tri-Center Comm School District
  2. Iowa Falls Comm School District
  3. Northeast Comm School District
  4. West Lyon Comm School District
  5. Rock Valley Comm School District
  6. West Hancock Comm School District
  7. Hudson Comm School District
  8. Tipton Comm School District
  9. Cherokee Comm School District
  10. Montezuma Comm School District
  11. Lawton-Bronson Comm School District

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Spirit Lake Comm School District's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Spirit Lake Comm School District: closest on enrollment (1,304 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($67,118 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

$19.4M
Total Revenue
$17.9M
Total Expenditure
$6.4M
Instruction Salaries
36% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$4.1M
Regular Program
$0.6M
Special Education
$0.2M
Vocational
$0.6M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Spirit Lake 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 85% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 15% 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. Spirit Lake Comm School District places 83 of 237 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. 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.

Nevada Comm School District
$63,444
1,542 students
Hampton-Dumont Comm School District
$71,360
1,298 students
West Liberty Comm School District
$62,939
1,284 students
Maquoketa Comm School District
$61,733
1,282 students
Iowa Falls Comm School District
$62,455
1,278 students
Saydel Comm School District
$60,094
1,337 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 Spirit Lake Comm School District
What is the average teacher salary in Spirit Lake Comm School District?

The average teacher salary in Spirit Lake Comm School District is $67,118 (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 Spirit Lake Comm School District teacher pay compare to the Iowa average?

Spirit Lake Comm School District pays 5.4% more than the Iowa state average of $63,660. The district's average is $67,118.

How does Spirit Lake Comm School District teacher pay compare to the national average?

Spirit Lake Comm School District pays 4.5% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $67,118.

What is the per-pupil spending in Spirit Lake Comm School District?

Spirit Lake Comm School District spends approximately $13,696 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Spirit Lake Comm School District's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 36% of Spirit Lake Comm School District's total expenditure of $17.9M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Spirit Lake 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. Spirit Lake 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.