PlainTeacher

How the data works

Our Methodology

PlainTeacher estimates average teacher salary from the NCES CCD F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, FY2022. Here is exactly how, and where the limits are.

Data Source

All data comes from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, collected annually by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education. The F-33 survey collects detailed revenue and expenditure data from every public school district (LEA) in the United States. PlainTeacher uses the FY2022 release (covering the 2021-22 school year), published by NCES in June 2024.

Salary Estimation Formula

The F-33 survey includes total dollar amounts for instructional salary expenditures (variable Z33) but does not include individual teacher headcount or full-time equivalent (FTE) staffing data at the district level. Because individual salary records are not available, PlainTeacher estimates average teacher salary using the following formula:

Estimated Avg Salary = Z33 / (Enrollment / 15)
Z33 = total instructional salary expenditures, 15 = national avg student-teacher ratio

Where Z33 is the total instructional salary expenditure (which includes teachers, instructional aides, and assistants) and 15 represents the national average student-teacher ratio. This produces estimates that align reasonably well with state-reported average salaries for large, traditional school districts.

Processing Steps

Our ETL pipeline transforms raw NCES F-33 financial data into searchable district salary profiles through the following stages:

  • Download NCES F-33 LEA finance files for FY2022 containing revenue and expenditure data for every public school district.
  • Filter to government-entity school districts, excluding most charter-only agencies and non-government LEAs that report differently.
  • Apply minimum enrollment threshold of 25 students to exclude non-operational entities and reporting artifacts.
  • Compute estimated average salary using the Z33 instructional expenditure formula described above.
  • Merge geographic metadata (state, county, city) from NCES CCD universe files for location-based browsing.
  • Compute state and national percentile rankings for salary estimates, enabling cross-district comparison.

Important Limitations

  • These are estimates, not reported salaries. Individual teacher salary data is not available in this dataset.
  • Z33 includes instructional aides and assistants, which may inflate estimates relative to teacher-only average salaries.
  • The 15:1 ratio is a national average. Actual student-teacher ratios vary significantly by district, grade level, and state policy.
  • Specialized service districts (County Offices of Education, Intermediate Service Districts) may show unusually high estimates because they serve many more students than they directly enroll.
  • Smaller or specialized districts may have incomplete, imputed, or zero values in F-33 data.

For accurate, individual-level salary data, consult your state's public employee salary database or teachers union contracts.

Coverage

  • 13,000+ school districts across all 50 states and the District of Columbia
  • FY2022 data (2021-22 school year)
  • Data source: NCES CCD F-33, published June 2024

Data Collection Method

NCES collects F-33 data through an annual survey of all local education agencies in the United States. State education agencies coordinate data collection from districts and submit standardized files to NCES. The F-33 survey captures total revenues by source (federal, state, local), total expenditures by function (instruction, support services, administration), and detailed instructional spending categories. NCES applies quality control checks, imputation for missing values, and validation against prior-year submissions before publishing the final dataset. The F-33 is the most comprehensive source of public school district financial data in the United States.

Update Schedule

NCES publishes F-33 data approximately 24 months after the fiscal year ends. We update our database when new F-33 releases become available. Between releases, district financial conditions may change due to state funding formula revisions, enrollment shifts, and local tax rate changes that are not reflected in our data.

Not Affiliated

PlainTeacher is not affiliated with the National Center for Education Statistics, the U.S. Department of Education, or any government agency.

Beyond our primary data sources, the following federal government resources provide additional context for transparency, methodology verification, and related public records:

  • FOIA.gov - Freedom of Information Act portal for requesting federal records.
  • USA.gov Government Works - Comprehensive directory of U.S. federal agencies and public datasets.
  • Data.gov - Central repository of U.S. federal open data, including the source agencies referenced on this page.
  • Regulations.gov - Federal Register notices, public comments, and rulemaking activity for source agencies.