School district · Tennessee · LEAID 4703990
Sullivan County
Sullivan County sits in the lowest third of Tennessee districts on estimated teacher pay at $53,414 (above only 24% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Sullivan County come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).
- $53,414
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $13,973
- Per-pupil spending
- 8,380
- Students enrolled
- 24th
- Pct. in TN
Below benchmark
Sullivan County sits in the lowest third of Tennessee districts on estimated teacher pay at $53,414 (above only 24% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $53,414, below the national average of $70,245, serving 8,380 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- Lower-third pay in state: Sullivan County sits in the lowest third of Tennessee districts on estimated teacher pay at $53,414 (above only 24% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
- 24th percentile for Tennessee
- 23rd percentile nationally
- 32% of spending reaches instructional salaries
- Tennessee ranks #38 of 49 on the salary estimate and #13 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
- Sullivan County ranks #106 of 139 Tennessee districts by estimated teacher salary and #27 of 139 by per-pupil spending. Achievement School District pay #1 at $82,057 is not Franklin SSD spending #1 at $24,604 per pupil
- +18.9% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)
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LEAID 4703990 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
Sullivan County F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $53,414 estimated average teacher salary · P24 in Tennessee · P23 nationally · 32% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Cumberland (+$209est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for Sullivan County
Salary neighbourhood · Sullivan County
Sullivan County 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).
- Union · low pole $32,029
Union · low pole
$32,029 est. salary
- Dickson · near
Dickson · near
$51,753 est. salary
- Warren · near
Warren · near
$51,973 est. salary
- Sullivan
Sullivan · this district
$53,414 est. salary
- Cumberland · near
Cumberland · near
$53,622 est. salary
- Achievement · top pay
Achievement · top pay
$82,057 est. salary
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Sullivan County
Sullivan County's estimated salary vs. every US district
NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only
$53,414 23rd percentile higher than 23% 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
Sullivan County in Tennessee's lower-third pay band
Same 139 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)
- Achievement School District
Achievement School District
$82,057 est. avg salary
- Franklin SSD
Franklin SSD
$74,294 est. avg salary
- Sullivan County
Sullivan County
$53,414 est. avg salary
What this shows Sullivan County ranks #106 of 139 Tennessee districts by estimated teacher salary and #27 of 139 by per-pupil spending. Achievement School District pay #1 at $82,057 is not Franklin SSD spending #1 at $24,604 per pupil
The same districts by per-pupil spending
Sullivan County is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar
- Franklin SSD
Franklin SSD
$24,604 per pupil
- Achievement School District
Achievement School District
$14,678 per pupil
- Sullivan County
Sullivan County
$13,973 per pupil
What this shows Franklin SSD leads spending at $24,604 per pupil; Achievement School District leads pay.
What stands out about Sullivan County
- Estimated teacher pay here rose +18.9% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Tennessee's statewide +12.8% by 6.1 points, a growth rate faster than 79% of the 141 Tennessee districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
- Enrolment fell from 9,464 to 8,380 students (11.5% 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
- $53,413.826
- Tennessee price level
- 92.1 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $57,999
The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.
BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.
+9% versus the nominal figure.
Prices in Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Sullivan County
What the Numbers Say About Sullivan County
Sullivan County is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Tennessee, serving 8,380 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $13,973. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $53,414, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 4703990 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
Relative to the Tennessee statewide average of $57,941, teacher pay in Sullivan County runs materially below the state benchmark, a 7.8% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (24.0% differential). Among enrolling districts in Tennessee, it pays more than 24% of them. Tennessee itself ranks #38 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.
On the budget side, Sullivan County reports $117.1M in total expenditure against $109.7M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 32% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $27.1M, special-education teacher pay is $3.4M.
How does Sullivan County compare?
Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Tennessee average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.
Sullivan County pays -9.0% less than Memphis-Shelby County Schools · per-pupil $13,973 vs $16,050
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 Tennessee districts
On pay, Sullivan County sits closest to Coffee County; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Lenoir City. 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 with similar lower pay
Two out-of-state peer sets for Sullivan County: closest on enrollment (8,380 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($53,414 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 Sullivan County: the regular program, special education and vocational programs. It reports no separate figure for other programs. Together they are 87% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 13% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.
Tennessee Teacher Pay Overview
The highest average among comparably sized Tennessee districts belongs to Achievement School District at $82,057. Placed 104 of 137, Sullivan County is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. Indiana and Idaho are the states closest to Tennessee 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 Tennessee districts →Other Tennessee Districts
The bar behind each salary shows its magnitude within this Tennessee sample (including Sullivan County). Hover or focus a value for the exact comparison.
This is a sample of 6 from 138 Tennessee districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sullivan County
What is the average teacher salary in Sullivan County?
The average teacher salary in Sullivan County is $53,414 (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 Sullivan County teacher pay compare to the Tennessee average?
Sullivan County pays 7.8% less than the Tennessee state average of $57,941. The district's average is $53,414.
How does Sullivan County teacher pay compare to the national average?
Sullivan County pays 24.0% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $53,414.
What is the per-pupil spending in Sullivan County?
Sullivan County spends approximately $13,973 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.
What percentage of Sullivan County's budget goes to teacher salaries?
Instructional salaries account for 32% of Sullivan County's total expenditure of $117.1M (NCES FY2023).
Next read for Sullivan County
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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