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School district · New York · LEAID 3630120

Watertown City School District

Watertown City School District sits in the lowest third of New York districts on estimated teacher pay at $61,795 (above only 12% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Watertown City School District come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$61,795
Est. avg teacher salary

Well below benchmark

$21,459
Per-pupil spending
3,908
Students enrolled
12th
Pct. in NY
$61,795

Watertown City School District sits in the lowest third of New York districts on estimated teacher pay at $61,795 (above only 12% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $61,795, below the national average of $70,245, serving 3,908 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Watertown City School District sits in the lowest third of New York districts on estimated teacher pay at $61,795 (above only 12% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 12th percentile for New York
  • 41st percentile nationally
  • 35% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • New York ranks #4 of 49 on the salary estimate and #7 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Watertown City School District ranks #556 of 635 New York districts by estimated teacher salary and #632 of 635 by per-pupil spending. North Merrick Union Free School District pay #1 at $176,270 is not Downsville Central School District spending #1 at $60,637 per pupil
  • -7.4% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs New York median

Among 674 New York districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Watertown City School District's instructional payroll puts 81.3% into regular program , 3.9 points above the state median of 77.4%. Regular-program teachers claim more of the instructional salary pool here than at the median New York district.

Program Watertown City NY median Gap
Regular program 81.3% 77.4% +3.9 pp
Special education 15.8% 18.3% -2.5 pp
Other programs 2.5% 3.5% -1.0 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 674 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 3630120 · FY2023.

LEAID 3630120 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Watertown City F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -31% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P12 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P41 national PPE-MID $21K/pupil ENR-MID 3,908 students INSTR-LOW 35% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Churchville-chili FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $61,795 estimated average teacher salary · P12 in New York · P41 nationally · 35% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Buffalo (+$7,413est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Watertown City

Salary neighbourhood · Watertown City

Watertown City 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).

est. salary
Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey As of FY2023
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Watertown City

Watertown City School District's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$61,795 41st percentile higher than 41% 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

Watertown City in New York's lower-third pay band

Same 635 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Watertown City School District ranks #556 of 635 New York districts by estimated teacher salary and #632 of 635 by per-pupil spending. North Merrick Union Free School District pay #1 at $176,270 is not Downsville Central School District spending #1 at $60,637 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Watertown City School District is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Downsville Central School District leads spending at $60,637 per pupil; North Merrick Union Free School District leads pay.

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

What stands out about Watertown City School District

  • Estimated teacher pay here moved -7.4% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing New York's statewide +9.4% by 16.8 points, a growth rate faster than 5% of the 384 New York districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

New York prices absorb part of this salary

Nominal district estimate
$61,794.551

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

New York price level
107.8 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$57,301

-7% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in New York 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 New York 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 Watertown City School District

What the Numbers Say About Watertown City School District

Watertown City School District is a small-to-mid-sized school district in New York, serving 3,908 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $21,459. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $61,795, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 3630120 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the New York statewide average of $89,760, teacher pay in Watertown City School District runs materially below the state benchmark, a 31.2% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (12.0% differential). Among enrolling districts in New York, it pays more than 12% of them. New York itself ranks #4 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Watertown City School District reports $83.9M in total expenditure against $92.4M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 35% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $14.5M, special-education teacher pay is $2.8M.

How does Watertown City School District compare?

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

Watertown City School District $61,795
Buffalo City School District $69,208
New York avg $89,760
National avg $70,245

Watertown City School District pays -10.7% less than Buffalo City School District · per-pupil $21,459 vs $40,178

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 New York districts

On pay, Watertown City School District sits closest to Churchville-chili Central School District; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Starpoint Central 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. Churchville-chili Central School District
  2. Phelps-clifton Springs Central School District
  3. Waterloo Central School District
  4. East Irondequoit Central School District
  5. Whitney Point Central School District
  6. Central Valley CSD at Ilion-mohawk
  7. Geneva City School District
  8. Gouverneur Central School District
  9. Waverly Central School District
  10. Granville Central School District
  11. Jamestown City School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Starpoint Central School District
  2. Victor Central School District
  3. South Jefferson Central School District
  4. Mechanicville City School District
  5. North Colonie CSD
  6. Shenendehowa Central School District
  7. Falconer Central School District
  8. Southwestern Central School District at Jamestown
  9. Williamsville Central School District
  10. General Brown Central School District
  11. Rotterdam-mohonasen Central School District

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Watertown City School District's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Watertown City School District: closest on enrollment (3,908 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($61,795 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

$92.4M
Total Revenue
$83.9M
Total Expenditure
$29.3M
Instruction Salaries
35% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$14.5M
Regular Program
$2.8M
Special Education
$0.1M
Vocational
$0.4M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Watertown City 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 61% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 39% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

New York Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized New York districts belongs to North Merrick Union Free School District at $176,270. Placed 508 of 551, Watertown City School District is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. Because New York prices run above the national average, this salary is worth less than the same number elsewhere; Massachusetts and Washington are the states it can be compared with directly on BEA's price parity.

View all New York districts →

Other New York Districts

Smaller-district sample from 641 New York peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Brookhaven-comsewogue Union Free School District
$127,537
3,525 students
Sweet Home Central School District
$98,022
3,520 students
Corning City School District
$90,512
4,317 students
Niskayuna Central School District
$88,196
4,320 students
Oswego City School District
$103,372
3,488 students
Union-endicott Central School District
$72,673
3,475 students

This is a sample of 6 from 641 New York districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Watertown City School District
What is the average teacher salary in Watertown City School District?

The average teacher salary in Watertown City School District is $61,795 (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 Watertown City School District teacher pay compare to the New York average?

Watertown City School District pays 31.2% less than the New York state average of $89,760. The district's average is $61,795.

How does Watertown City School District teacher pay compare to the national average?

Watertown City School District pays 12.0% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $61,795.

What is the per-pupil spending in Watertown City School District?

Watertown City School District spends approximately $21,459 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Watertown City School District's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 35% of Watertown City School District's total expenditure of $83.9M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Watertown City 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. Watertown City 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.