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2026-27 · State salary guide

South DakotaTeacher salary schedules 2026-27

Find your district ↓
Starting pay$46,201
Top pay$75,525

Lowest published bachelor’s starting pay → highest published maximum across degree lanes in the districts below. Years and eligibility vary.

Average salary
$58,486NEA 2024-25
Starting salary
$47,196NEA 2024-25
State minimum
$46,201See state terms
Districts sourced
8Official schedules

South Dakota's average teacher salary was $58,486 in 2024-25 and the average starting salary was $47,196, according to the NEA.

South Dakota's average teacher salary was $58,486 in 2024-25 and the average starting salary was $47,196, according to the NEA. State law sets a minimum teacher salary that rises each year with the state's target teacher salary; it is $46,201 for 2026-27. Among the largest districts, 2026-27 starting pay for a new bachelor's-degree teacher ranges from $46,201 in Rapid City to $55,615 in Brandon Valley. Harrisburg, Brookings, Huron and Meade do not post their teacher salary schedules online.

Last verified · View sources

Experience × education

Your pay, step by step.

Read across from your credited step to your degree lane. These are published observations; missing steps are not estimated.

Aberdeen School District 06-1

Official schedule ↗
Aberdeen School District 06-1 · 2026-27 · Annual base salary by published step. Darker cells indicate higher pay; every cell shows its amount.
StepBachelor’sMaster’sDoctorate
0$50,400$53,100$58,500
1$50,800$53,500$58,900
2$51,200$53,900$59,300
3$51,600$54,300$59,700
4$52,000$54,700$60,100
5$52,400$55,100$60,500
6$52,800$55,500$60,900
7$53,200$55,900$61,300
8$53,600$56,300$61,700
9$54,000$56,700$62,100
10$54,400$57,100$62,500
11$54,800$57,500$62,900
12$55,200$57,900$63,300
13$55,600$58,300$63,700
14$56,000$58,700$64,100
15$56,400$59,100$64,500
16$56,800$59,500$64,900
17$57,200$59,900$65,300
18$57,600$60,300$65,700
19$58,000$60,700$66,100
20$58,400$61,100$66,500
21$58,800$61,500$66,900
22$59,200$61,900$67,300
23$59,600$62,300$67,700
24$60,000$62,700$68,100
25$60,400$63,100$68,500
26$60,800$63,500$68,900
27$61,200$63,900$69,300
28$61,600$64,300$69,700
29$62,000$64,700$70,100
30$62,400$65,100$70,500

Douglas School District 51-1

Official schedule ↗
Douglas School District 51-1 · 2026-27 · Annual base salary by published step. Darker cells indicate higher pay; every cell shows its amount.
StepBachelor’sMaster’sDoctorate
0$54,000$59,000Not published
1$54,750$59,750Not published
2$55,500$60,500Not published
3$56,250$61,250Not published
4$57,000$62,000Not published
5$57,750$62,750Not published
6$58,500$63,500Not published
7$59,250$64,250Not published
8$60,000$65,000Not published
9$60,750$65,750Not published
10$61,500$66,500Not published
11$62,250$67,250Not published
12$63,000$68,000Not published
13$63,750$68,750Not published

Brandon Valley School District 49-2

Official schedule ↗
Brandon Valley School District 49-2 · 2026-27 · Annual base salary by published step. Darker cells indicate higher pay; every cell shows its amount.
StepBachelor’sMaster’sDoctorate
0$55,615$56,224Not published
1$55,915$56,541Not published
2$56,224$56,884Not published
3$56,541$57,250Not published
4$56,884$57,623Not published
5$57,250$58,013Not published
6$57,623$58,416Not published
7$58,013$58,825Not published
8$58,416$59,235Not published
9$58,825$59,655Not published
10$59,235$60,091Not published

Rapid City Area School District 51-4

Official schedule ↗
Rapid City Area School District 51-4 · 2026-27 · Annual base salary by published step. Darker cells indicate higher pay; every cell shows its amount.
StepBachelor’sMaster’sDoctorate
0$46,201$47,301$47,801
1$46,701$47,801$48,301
2$47,278$48,378$48,878
3$48,460$49,560$50,060
4$49,672$50,772$51,272
5$50,913$52,013$52,513
6$52,186$53,286$53,786

District pay rankings.

Ranked by highest published maximum across degree lanes. Annual base pay, by education level. Years and contract terms can differ; open each schedule before comparing.

Select a column heading to sort. Scroll the table horizontally for more columns. Missing values are marked “Not published”.

South Dakota district salary comparison
Official source
Sioux Falls School District 49-5Sioux Falls2026-27$53,981$55,061$60,196$75,525Not publishedSchedule ↗ for Sioux Falls School District 49-5
Aberdeen School District 06-1Aberdeen2026-27$50,400$53,100$62,400$65,100$70,500Schedule ↗ for Aberdeen School District 06-1
Douglas School District 51-1Box Elder2026-27$54,000$59,000$63,750$68,750Not publishedSchedule ↗ for Douglas School District 51-1
Brandon Valley School District 49-2Brandon2026-27$55,615$56,224$59,235$60,091Not publishedSchedule ↗ for Brandon Valley School District 49-2
Rapid City Area School District 51-4Rapid City2026-27$46,201$47,301Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedSchedule ↗ for Rapid City Area School District 51-4
Watertown School District 14-4Watertown2026-27$51,500Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedSchedule ↗ for Watertown School District 14-4
Yankton School District 63-3Yankton2026-27$52,535Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedSchedule ↗ for Yankton School District 63-3
Spearfish School District 40-2Spearfish2026-27$50,750Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedSchedule ↗ for Spearfish School District 40-2

8 districts shown

Empty classroom desks in window light, in cobalt duotone.School life, in focus

The district picture

Starting pay to top pay

Largest districts included in this guide, sorted by published top pay. Starting pay is the bachelor’s entry rate; top pay is the highest published maximum across degree lanes.

━ Bachelor’s start▨ Top pay · all degree lanes
Sioux Falls School District 49-52026-27

BA start $53,981

Top $75,525

Aberdeen School District 06-12026-27

BA start $50,400

Top $70,500

Douglas School District 51-12026-27

BA start $54,000

Top $68,750

Brandon Valley School District 49-22026-27

BA start $55,615

Top $60,091

Rapid City Area School District 51-42026-27

BA start $46,201

Top Not published

Harrisburg School District 41-2Year not published

Schedule not published

Brookings School District 05-1Year not published

Schedule not published

Watertown School District 14-42026-27

BA start $51,500

Top Not published

Huron School District 02-2Year not published

Schedule not published

Yankton School District 63-32026-27

BA start $52,535

Top Not published

Meade School District 46-1Year not published

Schedule not published

Spearfish School District 40-22026-27

BA start $50,750

Top Not published

Annual base salary on a shared zero-based scale. Top pay can require advanced qualifications and many years of service. Missing values are not zero.
View district chart data
Published district pay
DistrictYearBA startTop pay
Sioux Falls School District 49-52026-27$53,981$75,525
Aberdeen School District 06-12026-27$50,400$70,500
Douglas School District 51-12026-27$54,000$68,750
Brandon Valley School District 49-22026-27$55,615$60,091
Rapid City Area School District 51-42026-27$46,201Not published
Harrisburg School District 41-2Not publishedNot publishedNot published
Brookings School District 05-1Not publishedNot publishedNot published
Watertown School District 14-42026-27$51,500Not published
Huron School District 02-2Not publishedNot publishedNot published
Yankton School District 63-32026-27$52,535Not published
Meade School District 46-1Not publishedNot publishedNot published
Spearfish School District 40-22026-27$50,750Not published

Experience & progression

How pay grows by step

Bachelor’s lane · 4 districts with numeric step data

$0k$20k$40k$60k$80k08152330Experience stepRapid City Area School District 51-4: step 0, $46,201Rapid City Area School District 51-4: step 1, $46,701Rapid City Area School District 51-4: step 2, $47,278Rapid City Area School District 51-4: step 3, $48,460Rapid City Area School District 51-4: step 4, $49,672Rapid City Area School District 51-4: step 5, $50,913Rapid City Area School District 51-4: step 6, $52,186Brandon Valley School District 49-2: step 0, $55,615Brandon Valley School District 49-2: step 1, $55,915Brandon Valley School District 49-2: step 2, $56,224Brandon Valley School District 49-2: step 3, $56,541Brandon Valley School District 49-2: step 4, $56,884Brandon Valley School District 49-2: step 5, $57,250Brandon Valley School District 49-2: step 6, $57,623Brandon Valley School District 49-2: step 7, $58,013Brandon Valley School District 49-2: step 8, $58,416Brandon Valley School District 49-2: step 9, $58,825Brandon Valley School District 49-2: step 10, $59,235Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 0, $50,400Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 1, $50,800Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 2, $51,200Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 3, $51,600Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 4, $52,000Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 5, $52,400Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 6, $52,800Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 7, $53,200Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 8, $53,600Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 9, $54,000Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 10, $54,400Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 11, $54,800Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 12, $55,200Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 13, $55,600Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 14, $56,000Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 15, $56,400Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 16, $56,800Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 17, $57,200Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 18, $57,600Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 19, $58,000Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 20, $58,400Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 21, $58,800Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 22, $59,200Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 23, $59,600Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 24, $60,000Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 25, $60,400Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 26, $60,800Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 27, $61,200Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 28, $61,600Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 29, $62,000Aberdeen School District 06-1: step 30, $62,400Douglas School District 51-1: step 0, $54,000Douglas School District 51-1: step 1, $54,750Douglas School District 51-1: step 2, $55,500Douglas School District 51-1: step 3, $56,250Douglas School District 51-1: step 4, $57,000Douglas School District 51-1: step 5, $57,750Douglas School District 51-1: step 6, $58,500Douglas School District 51-1: step 7, $59,250Douglas School District 51-1: step 8, $60,000Douglas School District 51-1: step 9, $60,750Douglas School District 51-1: step 10, $61,500Douglas School District 51-1: step 11, $62,250Douglas School District 51-1: step 12, $63,000Douglas School District 51-1: step 13, $63,750
  • Rapid City Area School District 51-42026-27
  • Brandon Valley School District 49-22026-27
  • Aberdeen School District 06-12026-27
  • Douglas School District 51-12026-27
Lines connect published observations, not estimated salaries for missing steps. A step is not always a year of service. District placement rules and schedule years vary.
View step progression data
Bachelor’s lane by published step
DistrictStepAnnual pay
Rapid City Area School District 51-40$46,201
Rapid City Area School District 51-41$46,701
Rapid City Area School District 51-42$47,278
Rapid City Area School District 51-43$48,460
Rapid City Area School District 51-44$49,672
Rapid City Area School District 51-45$50,913
Rapid City Area School District 51-46$52,186
Brandon Valley School District 49-20$55,615
Brandon Valley School District 49-21$55,915
Brandon Valley School District 49-22$56,224
Brandon Valley School District 49-23$56,541
Brandon Valley School District 49-24$56,884
Brandon Valley School District 49-25$57,250
Brandon Valley School District 49-26$57,623
Brandon Valley School District 49-27$58,013
Brandon Valley School District 49-28$58,416
Brandon Valley School District 49-29$58,825
Brandon Valley School District 49-210$59,235
Aberdeen School District 06-10$50,400
Aberdeen School District 06-11$50,800
Aberdeen School District 06-12$51,200
Aberdeen School District 06-13$51,600
Aberdeen School District 06-14$52,000
Aberdeen School District 06-15$52,400
Aberdeen School District 06-16$52,800
Aberdeen School District 06-17$53,200
Aberdeen School District 06-18$53,600
Aberdeen School District 06-19$54,000
Aberdeen School District 06-110$54,400
Aberdeen School District 06-111$54,800
Aberdeen School District 06-112$55,200
Aberdeen School District 06-113$55,600
Aberdeen School District 06-114$56,000
Aberdeen School District 06-115$56,400
Aberdeen School District 06-116$56,800
Aberdeen School District 06-117$57,200
Aberdeen School District 06-118$57,600
Aberdeen School District 06-119$58,000
Aberdeen School District 06-120$58,400
Aberdeen School District 06-121$58,800
Aberdeen School District 06-122$59,200
Aberdeen School District 06-123$59,600
Aberdeen School District 06-124$60,000
Aberdeen School District 06-125$60,400
Aberdeen School District 06-126$60,800
Aberdeen School District 06-127$61,200
Aberdeen School District 06-128$61,600
Aberdeen School District 06-129$62,000
Aberdeen School District 06-130$62,400
Douglas School District 51-10$54,000
Douglas School District 51-11$54,750
Douglas School District 51-12$55,500
Douglas School District 51-13$56,250
Douglas School District 51-14$57,000
Douglas School District 51-15$57,750
Douglas School District 51-16$58,500
Douglas School District 51-17$59,250
Douglas School District 51-18$60,000
Douglas School District 51-19$60,750
Douglas School District 51-110$61,500
Douglas School District 51-111$62,250
Douglas School District 51-112$63,000
Douglas School District 51-113$63,750

The wider picture

Salary in context

South Dakota average$58,486
NEA 2024-25 · Source
State minimum$46,201
See state minimum terms below · Source
National average$74,495
Reporting year not published · Source
Average pay describes the workforce; a minimum is a floor subject to state rules. These measures can cover different years and are not equivalent starting offers.
View salary context data
State and national salary measures
MeasureAmountContext
South Dakota average$58,486NEA 2024-25
State minimum$46,201See state minimum terms below
National average$74,495Reporting year not published

State minimum salary

$46,201

SDCL 13-13-73.8 (enacted 2024) set a state minimum teacher salary of $45,000 for FY2025, raised each year by the percentage change in the target teacher salary: $45,563 for FY2026 and $46,201 for FY2027 (2026-27), per the SD Department of Education's FY27 Teacher Compensation Accountability calculator. Districts paying below the minimum face a $500-per-teacher penalty unless granted a waiver.

Read the state minimum source ↗

Before you compare offers

Match the school year, degree lane and credited experience. The published maximum is not a promise of starting placement. Confirm contract days, supplements and eligibility in each district’s official schedule.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find South Dakota district salary schedules?

Use the district comparison table on this page to open a district guide and its official salary schedule. Each source is linked with a verification date.

Does a master’s degree change the salary?

Check the master’s lane in the district’s published schedule. Degree supplements and placement rules vary; a missing value here does not mean there is no additional pay.

Sources and last checked

Last verified

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