Education Pay: Teachers, Administrators and Training Roles (US Data)
US wage data for teachers, school and college administrators, instructional coordinators and training specialists, plus how salary schedules and benefits work.
Published by SalaryBases. Drafted with AI assistance and revised to remove or reword figures we could not trace to a source. Not reviewed by a licensed professional. Pay figures come only from the official datasets named beside each table and apply only to the country, year and definition stated there. Methodology
Education pay depends heavily on level, employer and published salary schedules. This guide replaces our earlier teacher comparison page, which promised twenty countries without verified figures for them. It covers the United States, where official data exists, and points to where international comparisons are actually published.
Teachers
| Occupation (SOC) | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education (25-2011) | $28,990 | $38,140 | $61,390 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education (25-2012) | $46,990 | $62,680 | $101,830 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education (25-2021) | $47,960 | $63,970 | $104,340 |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education (25-2022) | $48,080 | $64,370 | $102,540 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education (25-2031) | $48,780 | $72,040 | $107,600 |
| Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School (25-2052) | $49,350 | $65,120 | $103,010 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Scope: United States, national estimates, all industries, annual wages in US dollars (retrieved 9 October 2026). The median is the middle wage: half of the workers in the occupation earn more and half earn less; 10th/90th percentile mean 10% earn less/more. The survey covers wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments and excludes the self-employed, overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, equity and employer benefit costs. BLS methodology.
Preschool teachers have a median of $38,140, kindergarten teachers $62,680, elementary school teachers $63,970, middle school teachers $64,370 and secondary school teachers $72,040. Special education teachers in kindergarten and elementary school have a median of $65,120. For elementary teachers the 10th to 90th percentile spans $47,960 to $104,340, so experience and location matter as much as the role.
BLS notes that for occupations such as teachers, employers report annual rates rather than hourly rates scaled to a full-time year. That makes the annual figures a fair picture of what teachers are paid for their contract.
Administrators, coordinators, trainers and professors
| Occupation (SOC) | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary (11-9032) | $76,280 | $105,870 | $167,770 |
| Education Administrators, Postsecondary (11-9033) | $64,560 | $104,590 | $215,620 |
| Instructional Coordinators (25-9031) | $47,980 | $77,440 | $121,670 |
| Training and Development Specialists (13-1151) | $38,760 | $69,280 | $123,250 |
| Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary (25-1021) | $49,460 | $96,980 | $170,200 |
| Business Teachers, Postsecondary (25-1011) | $47,180 | $99,080 | $209,470 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Scope: United States, national estimates, all industries, annual wages in US dollars (retrieved 9 October 2026). The median is the middle wage: half of the workers in the occupation earn more and half earn less; 10th/90th percentile mean 10% earn less/more. The survey covers wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments and excludes the self-employed, overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, equity and employer benefit costs. BLS methodology.
Education administrators in kindergarten through secondary schools have a median of $105,870, and postsecondary administrators $104,590. Instructional coordinators have a median of $77,440 and training and development specialists $69,280. The two postsecondary teaching examples shown, computer science and business, have medians of $96,980 and $99,080, but pay in higher education varies by field, institution and type of appointment. Part-time and contingent faculty are often paid per course, which the annual figures do not describe.
How education pay is set
- Public school salary schedules: many US school districts publish a schedule with steps for years of experience and lanes for qualifications. You can look up your district's schedule on its website and see exactly what a given step pays.
- Contract length: some teachers work a 9 or 10 month contract. Check whether pay is spread over twelve months.
- Pensions and benefits: many public school teachers participate in state pension systems whose rules differ by state. These are part of total compensation but are not in the wage figures.
- Loan forgiveness: some teachers and public service employees may qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness; check current eligibility.
International comparisons
For comparisons between countries, the OECD's annual Education at a Glance report includes international data on teacher salaries. We do not reproduce numbers from it here. If you are considering teaching abroad, check the salary scale of the specific school or ministry, and compare living costs and taxes with the Cost of Living Comparison and Tax Estimator.
Putting this to use
Find your district or institution's published schedule, compare it with the percentile range above, and then look at benefits. The Job Offer Comparator can compare a teaching offer with another role, and the Career Switch Calculator helps if you are moving in or out of education. Technology roles in education sit under the occupations in our tech industry guide.
Key takeaways
- US teacher medians in the table run from $38,140 (preschool) to $72,040 (secondary).
- Published district salary schedules show exactly what each step and qualification pays.
- Pensions, contract length and loan forgiveness change the value of an offer but are not in the wage figures.
- We removed the unverified international figures; use the OECD report or the employer's own scale.
Sources used in this guide
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: methodology and tables — Every wage figure in the tables above (each row links to its own BLS occupation profile).
- Federal Student Aid: Public Service Loan Forgiveness — Loan forgiveness available to some public service and teaching employees.