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School district · Minnesota · LEAID 2700104

West Central Area

West Central Area sits in the lowest third of Minnesota districts on estimated teacher pay at $59,338 (above only 22% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for West Central Area come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$59,338
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$16,724
Per-pupil spending
779
Students enrolled
22nd
Pct. in MN
$59,338

West Central Area sits in the lowest third of Minnesota districts on estimated teacher pay at $59,338 (above only 22% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $59,338, below the national average of $70,245, serving 779 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: West Central Area sits in the lowest third of Minnesota districts on estimated teacher pay at $59,338 (above only 22% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 22nd percentile for Minnesota
  • 35th percentile nationally
  • 36% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Minnesota ranks #22 of 49 on the salary estimate and #21 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • West Central Area ranks #241 of 310 Minnesota districts by estimated teacher salary and #221 of 310 by per-pupil spending. Bloomington Public School District pay #1 at $101,366 is not Red Rock Central School District spending #1 at $46,321 per pupil
  • +17.5% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Minnesota median

Among 354 Minnesota districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, West Central Area's instructional payroll puts 13.1% into special education , 2.2 points below the state median of 15.3%. Special-education salary is a thinner slice of instructional pay here than at the median Minnesota district, not a judgment of need, only of how F-33 codes the payroll.

Program West Central MN median Gap
Regular program 81.7% 79.6% +2.1 pp
Special education 13.1% 15.3% -2.2 pp
Vocational programs 4.5% 3.4% +1.1 pp
Other programs 0.7% 0.4% +0.3 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 354 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2700104 · FY2023.

LEAID 2700104 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

West Central F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -13% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P22 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P35 national PPE-MID $17K/pupil ENR-SMALL 779 students INSTR-MID 36% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Kerkhoven-murdock-sunburg FY-2023-LIGHT FY2023 book

FY2023: $59,338 estimated average teacher salary · P22 in Minnesota · P35 nationally · 36% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Spring (+$3,881est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for West Central

Salary neighbourhood · West Central

West Central 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 West Central

West Central Area's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$59,338 35th percentile higher than 35% 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. West Central Area $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

West Central in Minnesota's lower-third pay band

Same 310 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows West Central Area ranks #241 of 310 Minnesota districts by estimated teacher salary and #221 of 310 by per-pupil spending. Bloomington Public School District pay #1 at $101,366 is not Red Rock Central School District spending #1 at $46,321 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

West Central Area is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Red Rock Central School District leads spending at $46,321 per pupil; Bloomington Public School District leads pay.

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

What stands out about West Central Area

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +17.5% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Minnesota's statewide +14.0% by 3.5 points, a growth rate faster than 65% of the 326 Minnesota districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

Minnesota sits close to national prices

Nominal district estimate
$59,338.462

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Minnesota price level
98.3 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$60,363

+2% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 West Central Area

What the Numbers Say About West Central Area

West Central Area is a small school district in Minnesota, serving 779 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $16,724. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $59,338, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2700104 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Minnesota statewide average of $68,032, teacher pay in West Central Area runs materially below the state benchmark, a 12.8% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (15.5% differential). Among enrolling districts in Minnesota, it pays more than 22% of them. Minnesota itself ranks #22 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, West Central Area reports $13.0M in total expenditure against $12.0M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 36% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $3.2M, special-education teacher pay is $0.5M.

How does West Central Area compare?

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

West Central Area $59,338
Anoka-Hennepin School District $83,820
Minnesota avg $68,032
National avg $70,245

West Central Area pays -29.2% less than Anoka-Hennepin School District · per-pupil $16,724 vs $17,610

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 Minnesota districts

On pay, West Central Area sits closest to Kerkhoven-murdock-sunburg; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Aitkin Public 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. Kerkhoven-murdock-sunburg
  2. Cleveland Public School District
  3. Rockford Public School District
  4. Windom Public School District
  5. Pipestone Area School District
  6. Pequot Lakes Public Schools
  7. Kimball Public School District
  8. Kingsland Public School District
  9. Pierz Public School District
  10. Stewartville Public School District
  11. Eden Valley-watkins School District
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Aitkin Public School District
  2. New London-spicer School District
  3. Chatfield Public Schools
  4. Breckenridge Public School District
  5. Morris Area Public Schools
  6. Hayfield Public School District
  7. Henning Public School District
  8. Nrheg School District
  9. Fillmore Central
  10. Waseca Public School District
  11. St. James Public School District

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near West Central Area's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for West Central Area: closest on enrollment (779 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($59,338 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

$12.0M
Total Revenue
$13.0M
Total Expenditure
$4.8M
Instruction Salaries
36% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$3.2M
Regular Program
$0.5M
Special Education
$0.2M
Vocational
$0.0M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in West Central Area: 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.

Minnesota Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Minnesota districts belongs to Bloomington Public School District at $101,366. Placed 208 of 250, West Central Area is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. On BEA's price parity Minnesota sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Maine and Nevada are its nearest price peers.

View all Minnesota districts →

Other Minnesota Districts

Smaller-district sample from 315 Minnesota peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Pine River-backus School District
$60,854
903 students
Kenyon-wanamingo School District
$64,281
654 students
Martin County West School District
$65,049
650 students
Le Sueur-henderson School District
$51,638
911 students
Medford Public School District
$72,012
912 students
Barnesville Public School Dist.
$70,843
912 students

This is a sample of 6 from 315 Minnesota districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about West Central Area
What is the average teacher salary in West Central Area?

The average teacher salary in West Central Area is $59,338 (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 West Central Area teacher pay compare to the Minnesota average?

West Central Area pays 12.8% less than the Minnesota state average of $68,032. The district's average is $59,338.

How does West Central Area teacher pay compare to the national average?

West Central Area pays 15.5% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $59,338.

What is the per-pupil spending in West Central Area?

West Central Area spends approximately $16,724 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of West Central Area's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 36% of West Central Area's total expenditure of $13.0M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for West Central Area
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. West Central Area'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.