School district · Washington · LEAID 5308700
Tacoma School District
Tacoma School District is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Washington districts (28,311 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Tacoma School District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).
- $110,691
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $24,274
- Per-pupil spending
- 28,311
- Students enrolled
- 93rd
- Pct. in WA
Well above benchmark
Tacoma School District is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Washington districts (28,311 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $110,691, above the national average of $70,245, serving 28,311 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- Large enrollment scale: Tacoma School District is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Washington districts (28,311 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
- 93rd percentile for Washington
- 94th percentile nationally
- 30% of spending reaches instructional salaries
- Washington ranks #6 of 49 on the salary estimate and #12 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
- Tacoma School District ranks #15 of 229 Washington districts by estimated teacher salary and #27 of 229 by per-pupil spending. Lopez School District pay #1 at $132,000 is not Oakville School District spending #1 at $35,103 per pupil
- +27.8% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)
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Instructional payroll mix vs Washington median
Among 289 Washington districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Tacoma School District's instructional payroll puts 73.3% into regular program , 4.2 points below the state median of 77.4%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.
| Program | Tacoma School | WA median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular program | 73.3% | 77.4% | -4.2 pp |
| Special education | 11.8% | 9.4% | +2.3 pp |
| Vocational programs | 5.3% | 6.3% | -1.0 pp |
| Other programs | 9.7% | 6.9% | +2.8 pp |
Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 289 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 5308700 · FY2023.
LEAID 5308700 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
Tacoma School F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $110,691 estimated average teacher salary · P93 in Washington · P94 nationally · 30% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Northshore ($133est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for Tacoma School
Salary neighbourhood · Tacoma School
Tacoma School 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).
- Spokane · low pole
Spokane · low pole
$85,897 est. salary
- Lake · near
Lake · near
$110,467 est. salary
- Northshore · near
Northshore · near
$110,559 est. salary
- Tacoma · this district
Tacoma · this district
$110,691 est. salary
- Seattle · near
Seattle · near
$111,621 est. salary
- Everett · top pay
Everett · top pay
$123,009 est. salary
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Tacoma School
Tacoma School District's estimated salary vs. every US district
NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only
$110,691 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Tacoma School in Washington's upper-third pay band
Same 229 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)
- Lopez School District
Lopez School District
$132,000 est. avg salary
- Tacoma School District
Tacoma School District
$110,691 est. avg salary
- Oakville School District
Oakville School District
$57,620 est. avg salary
What this shows Tacoma School District ranks #15 of 229 Washington districts by estimated teacher salary and #27 of 229 by per-pupil spending. Lopez School District pay #1 at $132,000 is not Oakville School District spending #1 at $35,103 per pupil
The same districts by per-pupil spending
Tacoma School District is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar
- Oakville School District
Oakville School District
$35,103 per pupil
- Lopez School District
Lopez School District
$32,662 per pupil
- Tacoma School District
Tacoma School District
$24,274 per pupil
What this shows Oakville School District leads spending at $35,103 per pupil; Lopez School District leads pay.
What stands out about Tacoma School District
- It ranks in the top 10% of US districts for estimated teacher pay, higher than 94% of the 10,684 reliable-salary districts nationally.
- Estimated teacher pay here rose +27.8% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Washington's statewide +21.1% by 6.6 points, a growth rate faster than 80% of the 263 Washington districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
- Enrolment fell from 30,260 to 28,311 students (6.4% 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.
Washington prices absorb part of this salary
- Nominal district estimate
- $110,691.358
- Washington price level
- 108.4 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $102,142
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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Tacoma School District
What the Numbers Say About Tacoma School District
Tacoma School District is a mid-sized school district in Washington, serving 28,311 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $24,274. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $110,691, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 5308700 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
Relative to the Washington statewide average of $88,556, teacher pay in Tacoma School District runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 25.0% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (57.6% differential). Among enrolling districts in Washington, it pays more than 93% of them. Washington itself ranks #6 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.
On the budget side, Tacoma School District reports $687.2M in total expenditure against $656.3M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 30% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $132.5M, special-education teacher pay is $21.3M.
How does Tacoma School District compare?
Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Washington average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.
Tacoma School District pays -0.8% less than Seattle School District No. 1 · per-pupil $24,274 vs $27,288
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 Washington districts
On pay, Tacoma School District sits closest to Northshore School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Mukilteo 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.
Similar estimated teacher pay
Similar per-pupil investment
Out-of-state districts near Tacoma School District's enrollment scale
Two out-of-state peer sets for Tacoma School District: closest on enrollment (28,311 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($110,691 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 4 programs in Tacoma 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 88% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 12% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.
Washington Teacher Pay Overview
The highest average among comparably sized Washington districts belongs to Everett School District at $123,009. Tacoma School District sits in the upper quarter of that field at 14 of 191, nearer the ceiling than the floor. Because Washington prices run above the national average, this salary is worth less than the same number elsewhere; New York and New Jersey are the states it can be compared with directly on BEA's price parity.
View all Washington districts →Other Washington Districts
Large-district sample from 228 Washington peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.
This is a sample of 6 from 228 Washington districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tacoma School District
What is the average teacher salary in Tacoma School District?
The average teacher salary in Tacoma School District is $110,691 (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 Tacoma School District teacher pay compare to the Washington average?
Tacoma School District pays 25.0% more than the Washington state average of $88,556. The district's average is $110,691.
How does Tacoma School District teacher pay compare to the national average?
Tacoma School District pays 57.6% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $110,691.
What is the per-pupil spending in Tacoma School District?
Tacoma School District spends approximately $24,274 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.
What percentage of Tacoma School District's budget goes to teacher salaries?
Instructional salaries account for 30% of Tacoma School District's total expenditure of $687.2M (NCES FY2023).
Next read for Tacoma 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 |