Frequently Asked Questions

No, they are district-level averages derived from finance data, not individual teacher pay. The NCES F-33 finance survey reports total instructional salary expenditures (including teachers, aides, and assistants) but not individual salary records. PlainTeacher divides that spending by each district's teacher headcount, using the REAL reported figure from the NCES CCD Staff Universe Survey wherever it exists (about 99% of districts), and falling back to an estimated headcount (enrollment ÷ the national 15:1 student-teacher ratio) only for the small minority of districts that report staffing at a sub-district level. Each district page states which method was used.

Two NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) sources, both FY2022 (2021-22 school year): the F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, which supplies total instructional salary spending, and the CCD Staff Universe Survey, which supplies each district's reported teacher headcount. Both are annual federal surveys covering every public school district in the United States.

For the ~99% of districts using a real reported teacher headcount, variation reflects genuine differences in local pay, cost of living, and staffing levels. For the small minority using the 15:1 ratio estimate, additional variance can come from: the 15:1 ratio not matching that district's actual ratio; Z33 (instructional salaries) including aides and assistants in addition to teachers; specialized service districts (County Offices of Education, etc.) that serve more students than they enroll. Small districts with fewer than 100 students are most prone to statistical noise in either method.

The F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey is an annual census conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). It collects detailed revenue and expenditure data from every public school district (Local Education Agency or LEA) in the US. Variable Z33 specifically captures total instructional salary expenditures.

For accurate, individual-level salary data, check your state's public employee salary database, your district's approved salary schedule (usually on the district website), or contact the local teachers union. Many states publish this information online.

PlainTeacher covers over 13,000 public school districts across all 50 states and DC. This includes all government-entity LEAs with at least 25 enrolled students that reported F-33 data for FY2022.

PlainTeacher covers public school districts as defined in the NCES CCD. Many charter school management organizations are included if they are classified as LEAs. Private schools are not in the CCD and are therefore not included.

The current database reflects FY2022 (2021-22 school year) F-33 data, published by NCES in June 2024. NCES updates F-33 annually. We update PlainTeacher when new data becomes available.