Texas superintendent salaries show almost no relationship to student outcomes. An analysis of 1,018 traditional school districts reveals who's overpaying — and what's hidden in the contract.
Data: TEA Superintendent Salary Reports (2025-26) & A-F Accountability Ratings (2025) • Analysis: Local Insights
Each dot is a Texas school district. Position shows enrollment (horizontal) and superintendent salary (vertical). Color shows student outcomes. If pay followed performance, green dots would be higher. They aren't.
Each line is a district. Red lines got raises and worse ratings. The steeper the slope, the bigger the raise. 134 districts declined while pay climbed.
Base salary is only part of the story. Some districts layer on six figures in extras — bonuses, car allowances, housing, deferred comp.
These districts have fewer than 200 students — and still pay six-figure superintendent salaries.
Every dot is a district, arranged by salary within its rating group. The distributions overlap almost completely — F-rated districts pay the same as A-rated ones.