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School district · Pennsylvania · LEAID 4224480

Upper Merion Area SD

Upper Merion Area SD is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Pennsylvania districts (4,369 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Upper Merion Area SD come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$110,446
Est. avg teacher salary

Well above benchmark

$35,972
Per-pupil spending
4,369
Students enrolled
98th
Pct. in PA
$110,446

Upper Merion Area SD is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Pennsylvania districts (4,369 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $110,446, above the national average of $70,245, serving 4,369 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Upper Merion Area SD is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Pennsylvania districts (4,369 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 98th percentile for Pennsylvania
  • 94th percentile nationally
  • 25% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Pennsylvania ranks #11 of 49 on the salary estimate and #6 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Upper Merion Area SD ranks #11 of 505 Pennsylvania districts by estimated teacher salary and #14 of 505 by per-pupil spending. Farrell Area SD pay #1 at $144,913 is not Wilkinsburg Borough SD spending #1 at $61,501 per pupil

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How the salary estimate is built

FY2023 teacher salary expenditure

$38,656,000 ÷ 350.00 reported teacher FTE = $110,446

  • Regular program $27,813,000 · 72.0%
  • Special education $8,823,000 · 22.8%
  • Vocational programs $560,000 · 1.4%
  • Other programs $1,460,000 · 3.8%

These NCES F-33 program totals make up the numerator of the district-level average; they do not describe an individual teacher's pay or contract.

Instructional payroll mix vs Pennsylvania median

Among 520 Pennsylvania districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Upper Merion Area SD's instructional payroll puts 22.8% into special education , 4.0 points above the state median of 18.8%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Pennsylvania peer.

Program Upper Merion PA median Gap
Regular program 72.0% 75.1% -3.1 pp
Special education 22.8% 18.8% +4.0 pp
Vocational programs 1.4% 1.3% +0.1 pp
Other programs 3.8% 3.7% +0.1 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 520 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 4224480 · FY2023.

LEAID 4224480 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Upper Merion F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +35% vs state RANK-ST-TOP P98 in state RANK-NAT-TOP P94 national PPE-HIGH $36K/pupil ENR-MID 4,369 students INSTR-LOW 25% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Neshaminy FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $110,446 estimated average teacher salary · P98 in Pennsylvania · P94 nationally · 25% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Neshaminy ($260est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Upper Merion

Salary neighbourhood · Upper Merion

Upper Merion 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 Upper Merion

Upper Merion Area SD's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$110,446 Top 6% higher than 94% 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%). Below this entry. $70,000–$80,000: 1,633 US districts (15%). Below this entry. $80,000–$90,000: 1,097 US districts (10%). Below this entry. $90,000–$100,000: 662 US districts (6%). Below this entry. $100,000–$110,000: 371 US districts (3%). Below this entry. $110,000–$120,000: 249 US districts (2%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Upper Merion Area SD $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

Upper Merion in Pennsylvania's upper-third pay band

Same 505 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Upper Merion Area SD ranks #11 of 505 Pennsylvania districts by estimated teacher salary and #14 of 505 by per-pupil spending. Farrell Area SD pay #1 at $144,913 is not Wilkinsburg Borough SD spending #1 at $61,501 per pupil

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Upper Merion Area SD is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Wilkinsburg Borough SD leads spending at $61,501 per pupil; Farrell Area SD leads pay.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

What stands out about Upper Merion Area SD

  • It ranks in the top 10% of US districts for estimated teacher pay, higher than 94% of the 10,684 reliable-salary districts nationally.
  • Its per-pupil spending of $35,972 is among the highest in the nation.

Pennsylvania sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$110,445.714

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Pennsylvania price level
97.4 / 100

BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.

National-price equivalent
$113,394

+3% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Upper Merion Area SD

What the Numbers Say About Upper Merion Area SD

Upper Merion Area SD is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Pennsylvania, serving 4,369 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $35,972. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $110,446, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 4224480 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Pennsylvania statewide average of $82,070, teacher pay in Upper Merion Area SD runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 34.6% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (57.2% differential). Among enrolling districts in Pennsylvania, it pays more than 98% of them. Pennsylvania itself ranks #11 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Upper Merion Area SD reports $157.2M in total expenditure against $128.3M 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 $27.8M, special-education teacher pay is $8.8M.

How does Upper Merion Area SD compare?

Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Pennsylvania average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.

Upper Merion Area SD $110,446
Philadelphia City SD $74,421
Pennsylvania avg $82,070
National avg $70,245

Upper Merion Area SD pays +48.4% more than Philadelphia City SD · per-pupil $35,972 vs $38,060

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 Pennsylvania districts

On pay, Upper Merion Area SD sits closest to Neshaminy SD; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Lower Merion SD. 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. Neshaminy SD
  2. Bristol Borough SD
  3. Ridley SD
  4. Octorara Area SD
  5. New Castle Area SD
  6. Rose Tree Media SD
  7. Chartiers Valley SD
  8. Quakertown Community SD
  9. Montour SD
  10. Garnet Valley SD
  11. Bethel Park SD
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Lower Merion SD
  2. Lower Moreland Township SD
  3. Woodland Hills SD
  4. New Hope-Solebury SD
  5. Coatesville Area SD
  6. Chichester SD
  7. Northern Lebanon SD
  8. Palisades SD
  9. Southern York County SD
  10. Radnor Township SD
  11. Manheim Central SD

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Upper Merion Area SD's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Upper Merion Area SD: closest on enrollment (4,369 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($110,446 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

$128.3M
Total Revenue
$157.2M
Total Expenditure
$38.7M
Instruction Salaries
25% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$27.8M
Regular Program
$8.8M
Special Education
$0.6M
Vocational
$1.5M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Upper Merion Area SD: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 100% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 0% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Pennsylvania Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Pennsylvania districts belongs to Farrell Area SD at $144,913. Upper Merion Area SD sits in the upper quarter of that field at 11 of 485, nearer the ceiling than the floor. On BEA's price parity Pennsylvania sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Vermont and Texas are its nearest price peers.

View all Pennsylvania districts →

Other Pennsylvania Districts

Smaller-district sample from 505 Pennsylvania peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Lebanon SD
$80,420
4,947 students
Carlisle Area SD
$68,920
4,977 students
Springfield SD
$91,921
4,382 students
Delaware Valley SD
$89,748
4,313 students
Waynesboro Area SD
$80,847
4,303 students
South Western SD
$85,327
4,298 students

This is a sample of 6 from 505 Pennsylvania districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Upper Merion Area SD
What is the average teacher salary in Upper Merion Area SD?

The average teacher salary in Upper Merion Area SD is $110,446 (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 Upper Merion Area SD teacher pay compare to the Pennsylvania average?

Upper Merion Area SD pays 34.6% more than the Pennsylvania state average of $82,070. The district's average is $110,446.

How does Upper Merion Area SD teacher pay compare to the national average?

Upper Merion Area SD pays 57.2% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $110,446.

What is the per-pupil spending in Upper Merion Area SD?

Upper Merion Area SD spends approximately $35,972 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Upper Merion Area SD's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 25% of Upper Merion Area SD's total expenditure of $157.2M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Upper Merion Area SD
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. Upper Merion Area SD'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.