Guide
How Much Do Elementary Teachers Make? Pay by State
Published
Elementary teachers are usually paid on the same district salary schedule as middle and high school teachers; nationally, the average teacher salary is $74,495 and the average starting salary is $48,112. In New York, New York City Public Schools starts a teacher with a bachelor’s degree at $71,314.
District schedules set pay by experience steps and education lanes. The state and district figures below show how those schedules and statewide averages compare.
Key Takeaways
- Elementary teachers share district schedules with other grade levels.
- Schedule pay can rise with experience and education.
- State averages and district salary schedules show different parts of teacher pay.
Median district schedule salaries
The Short Answer: Elementary Teachers Share the K–12 Schedule
Public elementary teachers usually share district salary schedules with middle and high school teachers, so the same schedule figures apply across those grades. District notes describe shared schedules in several places.
- Billings Public Schools, Montana: “One schedule covers both Billings Elementary and Billings High School districts.”
- Great Falls Public Schools, Montana: “One schedule covers the elementary and high school districts.”
- Kalispell Public Schools, Montana: “One schedule covers Kalispell Elementary and Flathead High School.”
- San Juan Unified, California: one “TK-12 credentialed teacher schedule” for all grades.
Why Grade Level Doesn't Change Pay
District salary schedules set pay by steps for years of experience and lanes for education, so the schedule does not set a separate elementary pay figure. The shared schedules above cover all grade levels.
Alpine School District in Utah is the stated exception: “Elementary teachers on the 8-hour lane (1A, +14.29%) earn more: a new bachelor's elementary teacher starts at $62,301. Secondary 6-period and extra-period lanes also pay above the base lane.”
What Is the Starting Salary for Elementary Teachers?
The median bachelor's starting salary across the district schedules is $52,800, and the median master's starting salary is $57,554. These are schedule medians across the districts with those figures.
The statewide starting-salary averages provide another point of comparison. For state figures and selected district schedules, see the teacher starting salary by state guide.
How Does Pay Grow Over a Career?
Schedule pay rises across experience steps and education lanes, with the median top-of-schedule salary at $94,659. The maximums below are medians across districts that publish the relevant schedule figure.
| Schedule measure | Median salary | Districts |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's starting salary | $52,800 | 435 |
| Bachelor's lane maximum | $76,533 | 410 |
| Master's starting salary | $57,554 | 397 |
| Master's lane maximum | $89,024.50 | 388 |
| Top-of-schedule salary, highest amount in any lane | $94,659 | 410 |
A lane maximum is the highest salary in that education lane. The top-of-schedule figure is the highest amount in any lane on the schedule. For a plain-language explanation of steps and lanes, read the teacher salary schedule explained.
Elementary Teacher Pay by State
Statewide averages cover teachers across all grade levels, while the district figures below show schedules for the largest district on each state page with a published bachelor's starting salary. The district amounts are schedule figures, not elementary-only salaries.
| State | Average teacher salary 2024-25 (NEA) | Average starting salary 2024-25 (NEA) | Largest district | School year | Bachelor's start | Bachelor's max | Master's start | Master's max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $103,552 | $59,424 | Los Angeles Unified | 2026-27 | $75,311 | $130,210 | Unknown | $130,794 |
| New York | $98,655 | $51,612 | New York City Public Schools | 2026-27 | $71,314 | $132,532 | $80,166 | $141,384 |
| Washington | $96,589 | $60,658 | Seattle Public Schools | 2026-27 | $64,758 | $67,870 | $75,054 | $121,803 |
| Massachusetts | $93,554 | $54,216 | Boston Public Schools | 2026-27 | $71,501 | $117,294 | $76,230 | $123,562 |
| Connecticut | $89,593 | $51,053 | Bridgeport Public Schools | 2026-27 | $51,079 | $83,715 | $53,699 | $97,635 |
| Maryland | $87,409 | $57,293 | Montgomery County Public Schools | 2026-27 | $66,690 | $85,333 | $72,432 | $127,634 |
| Rhode Island | $85,772 | $48,242 | Providence Public Schools | 2026-27 | $50,155.74 | $94,540.66 | $53,510.74 | $97,895.66 |
| New Jersey | $84,974 | $58,727 | Newark Public School District | 2026-27 | $70,000 | $110,000 | $72,250 | $112,250 |
| Oregon | $81,657 | $46,854 | Portland Public Schools | 2025-26 | $57,206 | $85,446 | $65,280 | $97,526 |
| Alaska | $81,450 | $53,650 | Anchorage School District | 2026-27 | $61,454 | $77,706 | Unknown | Unknown |
| Pennsylvania | $79,078 | $52,198 | School District of Philadelphia | 2026-27 | $57,444 | $85,743 | $59,133 | $96,832 |
| Illinois | $78,495 | $46,655 | Chicago Public Schools | 2026-27 | $74,611.84 | $124,168.12 | $79,779.64 | $129,335.15 |
| Delaware | $76,570 | $49,344 | Red Clay Consolidated School District | 2026-27 | $55,478 | $85,923 | $61,858 | $105,186 |
| Minnesota | $76,234 | $46,477 | Anoka-Hennepin School District | 2026-27 | $53,529 | $78,575 | $61,769 | $94,702 |
| Hawaii | $75,860 | $51,835 | Hawaii State Department of Education | 2026-27 | $55,259 | $78,720 | $59,680 | $85,018 |
| Nevada | $74,812 | $49,731 | Clark County School District | 2026-27 | $57,471 | $72,131 | $77,018 | $91,678 |
| Utah | $72,882 | $57,849 | Alpine School District | 2026-27 | $55,244 | $77,249 | $57,406 | $107,750 |
| Colorado | $72,781 | $45,489 | Denver Public Schools | 2026-27 | $58,667 | $94,565 | $64,246 | $103,342 |
| Vermont | $71,871 | $46,963 | Champlain Valley School District | 2026-27 | $54,636 | $81,796 | $61,192 | $98,733 |
| Georgia | $71,524 | $48,722 | Gwinnett County Public Schools | 2026-27 | $61,146 | $85,170 | $66,276 | $94,948 |
| Michigan | $71,023 | $43,093 | Detroit Public Schools Community District | 2025-26 | $55,000 | $81,400 | $60,000 | $93,000 |
| Ohio | $70,586 | $42,222 | Columbus City Schools | 2026-27 | $57,862 | $107,481 | $59,328 | $117,784 |
| New Mexico | $69,736 | $54,372 | Albuquerque Public Schools | 2026-27 | $59,210 | $71,104 | $59,785 | $86,844 |
| New Hampshire | $69,432 | $44,010 | Manchester School District | 2025-26 | $46,350 | $81,730 | $51,450 | $87,340 |
| Virginia | $69,254 | $50,448 | Fairfax County Public Schools | 2026-27 | $63,599 | $114,470 | $69,959 | $130,140 |
| Wisconsin | $67,794 | $43,288 | Madison Metropolitan School District | 2026-27 | $53,525 | $99,233 | $57,724 | $111,440 |
| Wyoming | $65,668 | $51,776 | Natrona County School District #1 | 2026-27 | $56,600 | $61,841 | $62,121 | $75,083 |
| Maine | $65,621 | $44,152 | Bangor School Department | 2026-27 | $47,549 | $85,632 | $51,429 | $92,620 |
| Iowa | $65,312 | $48,139 | Des Moines Public Schools | 2026-27 | $50,569 | $68,619 | $52,731 | $76,736 |
| Arizona | $64,291 | $44,869 | Mesa Public Schools | 2026-27 | $55,886 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| South Carolina | $64,050 | $48,426 | Greenville County Schools | 2026-27 | $54,606 | $83,647 | $58,942 | $92,981 |
| Texas | $63,749 | $49,465 | Houston ISD | 2026-27 | $70,000 | $92,000 | Unknown | Unknown |
| Nebraska | $63,326 | $39,561 | Omaha Public Schools | 2026-27 | $51,380 | Unknown | $58,023 | Unknown |
| Alabama | $62,985 | $47,955 | Mobile County Public Schools | 2026-27 | $48,552 | $70,492 | $52,913 | $81,063 |
| Idaho | $62,786 | $46,253 | Boise School District | 2026-27 | $50,540 | $64,427 | $52,026 | $84,390 |
| Oklahoma | $61,931 | $41,294 | Tulsa Public Schools | 2025-26 | $43,500 | $73,250 | $44,775 | $75,396 |
| Indiana | $61,661 | $45,958 | Fort Wayne Community Schools | 2026-27 | $50,000 | $75,274 | $50,295 | $83,347 |
| Kansas | $61,470 | $44,163 | Wichita Public Schools (USD 259) | 2026-27 | $52,401 | $61,215 | $55,667 | $73,962 |
| Tennessee | $61,222 | $47,230 | Memphis-Shelby County Schools | 2026-27 | $51,827.51 | $72,950.85 | $55,871.09 | $78,621.29 |
| North Dakota | $60,704 | $45,252 | Bismarck Public Schools | 2026-27 | $53,713 | $61,381 | $59,766 | $89,879 |
| Kentucky | $60,594 | $41,901 | Jefferson County Public Schools | 2026-27 | $49,479.56 | $83,701.37 | $56,151.50 | $90,368.50 |
| North Carolina | $60,323 | $44,952 | Wake County Public School System | 2026-27 | $55,340 | $73,399 | $61,102 | $81,072 |
| Montana | $59,305 | $36,682 | Billings Public Schools | 2026-27 | $50,852 | $74,247 | $58,542 | $84,768 |
| Arkansas | $59,193 | $50,076 | Springdale School District | 2026-27 | $55,000 | $74,257 | $57,526 | $79,728 |
| South Dakota | $58,486 | $47,196 | Sioux Falls School District 49-5 | 2026-27 | $53,981 | $60,196 | $55,061 | $75,525 |
| West Virginia | $58,099 | $45,294 | Kanawha County Schools | 2026-27 | $47,794 | $69,490 | $50,792 | $72,570 |
| Missouri | $57,366 | $40,682 | Springfield Public Schools | 2026-27 | $45,917 | $61,373 | $50,427 | $78,797 |
| Louisiana | $56,785 | $46,850 | Jefferson Parish Schools | 2026-27 | $53,000 | $66,000 | $53,500 | $66,500 |
| Florida | $56,663 | $49,435 | Miami-Dade County Public Schools | 2025-26 | $50,150 | $82,822 | $53,560 | $86,232 |
| Mississippi | $54,975 | $43,814 | DeSoto County School District | 2026-27 | $51,201 | $71,384 | $52,701 | $76,834 |
How Can You Find Your District's Salary Schedule?
Use the state page for your district to check its published schedule, then compare the salary lane and step that match your education and experience. The table shows the schedule year so you can identify which figures apply to that posting.
Open the relevant state page and locate your district's schedule. Check the bachelor's or master's lane, then find the starting salary and maximum for that lane. If a figure is marked Unknown, use the state page for the schedule details.
For a broader comparison of statewide averages, read how much do teachers make.
Figures come from the official salary schedules linked on our state and district pages. Districts revise schedules, so confirm the school year and placement rules with the official source before you rely on a number.