School district · Oklahoma · LEAID 4030240
Tulsa
Tulsa is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Oklahoma districts (33,871 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Tulsa come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).
- $52,596
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $14,252
- Per-pupil spending
- 33,871
- Students enrolled
- 89th
- Pct. in OK
Above benchmark
Tulsa is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Oklahoma districts (33,871 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $52,596, below the national average of $70,245, serving 33,871 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- Large enrollment scale: Tulsa is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Oklahoma districts (33,871 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
- 89th percentile for Oklahoma
- 21st percentile nationally
- 25% of spending reaches instructional salaries
- Oklahoma ranks #48 of 49 on the salary estimate and #25 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
- Tulsa ranks #45 of 413 Oklahoma districts by estimated teacher salary and #141 of 413 by per-pupil spending. Varnum pay #1 at $65,364 is not Frontier spending #1 at $34,520 per pupil
- -8.1% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)
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Instructional payroll mix vs Oklahoma median
Among 507 Oklahoma districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Tulsa's instructional payroll puts 21.8% into other programs , 12.2 points above the state median of 9.6%. The mix below is the district's own F-33 program split against the in-state median, not a quality score.
| Program | Tulsa | OK median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular program | 64.9% | 76.8% | -11.9 pp |
| Special education | 12.3% | 8.4% | +3.9 pp |
| Vocational programs | 0.9% | 3.6% | -2.7 pp |
| Other programs | 21.8% | 9.6% | +12.2 pp |
Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 507 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 4030240 · FY2023.
LEAID 4030240 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
Tulsa F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $52,596 estimated average teacher salary · P89 in Oklahoma · P21 nationally · 25% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Oklahoma (+$85est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for Tulsa
Salary neighbourhood · Tulsa
Tulsa 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).
- El · low pole
El · low pole
$42,828 est. salary
- Moore · near
Moore · near
$51,968 est. salary
- Western · near
Western · near
$52,288 est. salary
- Tulsa · this district
Tulsa · this district
$52,596 est. salary
- Oklahoma · near
Oklahoma · near
$52,681 est. salary
- Yukon · top pay
Yukon · top pay
$54,020 est. salary
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Tulsa
Tulsa's estimated salary vs. every US district
NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only
$52,596 21st percentile higher than 21% 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
Tulsa in Oklahoma's upper-third pay band
Same 413 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)
- Varnum
Varnum
$65,364 est. avg salary
- Tulsa
Tulsa
$52,596 est. avg salary
- Frontier
Frontier
$49,213 est. avg salary
What this shows Tulsa ranks #45 of 413 Oklahoma districts by estimated teacher salary and #141 of 413 by per-pupil spending. Varnum pay #1 at $65,364 is not Frontier spending #1 at $34,520 per pupil
The same districts by per-pupil spending
Tulsa is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar
- Frontier
Frontier
$34,520 per pupil
- Tulsa
Tulsa
$14,252 per pupil
- Varnum $12,753
Varnum
$12,753 per pupil
What this shows Frontier leads spending at $34,520 per pupil; Varnum leads pay.
What stands out about Tulsa
- Estimated teacher pay here moved -8.1% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Oklahoma's statewide +6.4% by 14.5 points, a growth rate faster than 10% of the 503 Oklahoma districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
- This is a contracting district: 36,512 students in FY2019 down to 33,871 in FY2023, a 7.2% decline. Enrolment drives most state funding formulas, so the finance figures below describe a budget under downward pressure rather than a steady state.
This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests
- Nominal district estimate
- $52,595.938
- Oklahoma price level
- 88.7 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $59,310
The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.
BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.
+13% versus the nominal figure.
Prices in Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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 Tulsa
What the Numbers Say About Tulsa
Tulsa is a mid-sized school district in Oklahoma, serving 33,871 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $14,252. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $52,596, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 4030240 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
Relative to the Oklahoma statewide average of $48,569, teacher pay in Tulsa runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 8.3% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (25.1% differential). Among enrolling districts in Oklahoma, it pays more than 89% of them. Oklahoma itself ranks #48 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.
On the budget side, Tulsa reports $482.7M in total expenditure against $498.0M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 25% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $58.6M, special-education teacher pay is $11.1M.
How does Tulsa compare?
Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Oklahoma average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.
Tulsa pays -0.2% less than Oklahoma City · per-pupil $14,252 vs $15,639
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 Oklahoma districts
Oklahoma City is Tulsa's nearest match on both pay and per-pupil investment, which is uncommon: the two signals point at different districts for roughly 98% of districts. 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 Tulsa's enrollment scale
Two out-of-state peer sets for Tulsa: closest on enrollment (33,871 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($52,596 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 Tulsa: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 76% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 24% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.
Oklahoma Teacher Pay Overview
The highest average among comparably sized Oklahoma districts belongs to Mangum at $64,076. Tulsa sits in the upper quarter of that field at 21 of 219, nearer the ceiling than the floor. Louisiana and Iowa are the states closest to Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma districts →Other Oklahoma Districts
Large-district sample from 412 Oklahoma peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.
This is a sample of 6 from 412 Oklahoma districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tulsa
What is the average teacher salary in Tulsa?
The average teacher salary in Tulsa is $52,596 (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 Tulsa teacher pay compare to the Oklahoma average?
Tulsa pays 8.3% more than the Oklahoma state average of $48,569. The district's average is $52,596.
How does Tulsa teacher pay compare to the national average?
Tulsa pays 25.1% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $52,596.
What is the per-pupil spending in Tulsa?
Tulsa spends approximately $14,252 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.
What percentage of Tulsa's budget goes to teacher salaries?
Instructional salaries account for 25% of Tulsa's total expenditure of $482.7M (NCES FY2023).
Next read for Tulsa
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 |