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School district · South Dakota · LEAID 4676620

Watertown School District 14-4

Watertown School District 14-4 is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable South Dakota districts (3,803 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Watertown School District 14-4 come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$53,596
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$13,165
Per-pupil spending
3,803
Students enrolled
79th
Pct. in SD
$53,596

Watertown School District 14-4 is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable South Dakota districts (3,803 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $53,596, below the national average of $70,245, serving 3,803 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Large enrollment scale: Watertown School District 14-4 is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable South Dakota districts (3,803 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 79th percentile for South Dakota
  • 23rd percentile nationally
  • 33% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • South Dakota ranks #46 of 49 on the salary estimate and #42 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Watertown School District 14-4 ranks #26 of 121 South Dakota districts by estimated teacher salary and #96 of 121 by per-pupil spending. Eagle Butte School District 20-1 leads both cuts in this pool; pay rank is still not spending rank
  • +10.0% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs South Dakota median

Among 148 South Dakota districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Watertown School District 14-4's instructional payroll puts 14.4% into special education , 4.7 points above the state median of 9.7%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical South Dakota peer.

Program Watertown School SD median Gap
Regular program 80.4% 79.9% +0.5 pp
Special education 14.4% 9.7% +4.7 pp
Vocational programs 1.0% 5.1% -4.0 pp
Other programs 4.1% 5.1% -1.0 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 148 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 4676620 · FY2023.

LEAID 4676620 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Watertown School F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-ABOVE +6% vs state RANK-ST-MID P79 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P23 national PPE-LOW $13K/pupil ENR-MID 3,803 students INSTR-LOW 33% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Brookings FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $53,596 estimated average teacher salary · P79 in South Dakota · P23 nationally · 33% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Beresford ($3est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Watertown School

Salary neighbourhood · Watertown School

Watertown 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).

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

Watertown School District 14-4's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$53,596 23rd percentile higher than 23% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$70,000: 2,402 US districts (22%). Above this entry. $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

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$53,595.755

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

South Dakota price level
88.1 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$60,801

+13% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 School District 14-4

What the Numbers Say About Watertown School District 14-4

Watertown School District 14-4 is a small-to-mid-sized school district in South Dakota, serving 3,803 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $13,165. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $53,596, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 4676620 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the South Dakota statewide average of $50,422, teacher pay in Watertown School District 14-4 runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 6.3% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (23.7% differential). Among enrolling districts in South Dakota, it pays more than 79% of them. South Dakota itself ranks #46 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Watertown School District 14-4 reports $50.1M in total expenditure against $45.9M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 33% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $10.9M, special-education teacher pay is $1.9M.

How does Watertown School District 14-4 compare?

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

Watertown School District 14-4 $53,596
Sioux Falls School District 49-5 $54,143
South Dakota avg $50,422
National avg $70,245

Watertown School District 14-4 pays -1.0% less than Sioux Falls School District 49-5 · per-pupil $13,165 vs $13,239

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 South Dakota districts

On pay, Watertown School District 14-4 sits closest to Brookings School District 05-1; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Tea Area School District 41-5. 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. Brookings School District 05-1
  2. Oglala Lakota County 65-1
  3. Lennox School District 41-4
  4. Madison Central School District 39-2
  5. Spearfish School District 40-2
  6. Tea Area School District 41-5
  7. Pierre School District 32-2
  8. West Central School District 49-7
  9. Sisseton School District 54-2
  10. Todd County School District 66-1
  11. Mitchell School District 17-2
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Tea Area School District 41-5
  2. Dell Rapids School District 49-3
  3. West Central School District 49-7
  4. Pierre School District 32-2
  5. Huron School District 02-2
  6. Rapid City Area School District 51-4
  7. Aberdeen School District 06-1
  8. Brandon Valley School District 49-2
  9. Belle Fourche School District 09-1
  10. Lennox School District 41-4
  11. Mitchell School District 17-2

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Watertown School District 14-4's enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Watertown School District 14-4: closest on enrollment (3,803 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($53,596 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

$45.9M
Total Revenue
$50.1M
Total Expenditure
$16.7M
Instruction Salaries
33% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$10.9M
Regular Program
$1.9M
Special Education
$0.1M
Vocational
$0.6M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Watertown School District 14-4: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 81% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 19% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

South Dakota Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized South Dakota districts belongs to Douglas School District 51-1 at $61,738. Watertown School District 14-4 places 21 of 49 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. North Dakota and Oklahoma are the states closest to South Dakota 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 South Dakota districts →

Other South Dakota Districts

Large-district sample from 120 South Dakota peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

Mitchell School District 17-2
$55,929
2,735 students
Brandon Valley School District 49-2
$60,093
4,949 students
Spearfish School District 40-2
$52,706
2,438 students
Tea Area School District 41-5
$54,536
2,362 students
Todd County School District 66-1
$51,392
2,044 students
Oglala Lakota County 65-1
$53,183
1,798 students

This is a sample of 6 from 120 South Dakota districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Watertown School District 14-4
What is the average teacher salary in Watertown School District 14-4?

The average teacher salary in Watertown School District 14-4 is $53,596 (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 Watertown School District 14-4 teacher pay compare to the South Dakota average?

Watertown School District 14-4 pays 6.3% more than the South Dakota state average of $50,422. The district's average is $53,596.

How does Watertown School District 14-4 teacher pay compare to the national average?

Watertown School District 14-4 pays 23.7% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $53,596.

What is the per-pupil spending in Watertown School District 14-4?

Watertown School District 14-4 spends approximately $13,165 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Watertown School District 14-4's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 33% of Watertown School District 14-4's total expenditure of $50.1M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Watertown School District 14-4
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 School District 14-4'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.