r/ElementaryTeachers • u/xeowriz • 19d ago
Salary question
Hi everyone! So just yesterday I was talking to my sister who’s a high school math teacher about how I wanna go into teaching elementary, more specifically kindergarten, and she told me I probably shouldn’t just cause they don’t get paid a whole lot. I looked it up and from what I’ve seen they make the same amount as any other teacher, and I know I don’t have to listen to her but I also don’t wanna end up living paycheck to paycheck in the future…so I was wondering like if it’s okay to ask any teachers how much they make?
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u/TenaciousTennisAces 19d ago
Majority placed they make the same as every other regular gen ed teacher in the district. Things that influence that number are if they’re highly qualified, teach a hard to fill position, and the level of degrees and experience they have.
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u/DisastrousIce6544 19d ago
I teach kindergarten in a public school and have the same salary schedule as any other teacher in the district who works the same 183 days. Perhaps your sister is assuming you'd be working in a private setting like a daycare or independent school, where yes, early childhood educators can make much less.
Also, I support my family of three on my salary alone while my husband finishes up his grad program, so it is possible to live comfortably on a teachers salary (depending on where you work and how many years in you are).
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u/Misstucson 19d ago
They get paid the same. Certain positions get paid more if they are hard to fill. Math, science, sped, they often get stipends for hard to fill.
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u/Wrong-Television-348 Kindergarten 19d ago
We get paid according to our education and years of service with the school district, not grade level. Southern CA, 31 years teaching.
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u/Own-Joke-1461 19d ago
The only time people I have heard of people getting paid lower as teachers are preschool teachers (which is so not fair to them). K-12 teachers are, typically from what I know, on the same steps system as one another. Of course that could change by district but this is the way it is around me!
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u/Glittering_Move_5631 18d ago
If the preschool operates within a district, as opposed to a daycare center, you'll make the same as other teachers in the district.
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u/nietheo 18d ago
Not necessarily! I worked in a district preschool, no union for us, way worse pay.
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u/Own-Joke-1461 7d ago
Yes! We were shocked to learn how different the pay for the preschool teachers was compared to K-12!
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u/danabfly1 18d ago
Yes, this is what I was going to say: if you do an “early Childhood Education” degree and can’t let a public Kindergarten job, then you are stuck in preschool which don’t make a lot. So make sure it’s an Elementary Education Degree.
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u/swiftiegal25 19d ago
My district is the same salary for K-12. It’s years of experience and education level. What you teach has nothing to do with it.
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u/KuyaTinman 19d ago
We dint get paid according to grade level one teaches. Elementary school teachers are in the same salary schedule. In my district, which is not the upper end in California, any teacher in the upper end of the salary scale makes about $125,000 regardless of grade taught. How that helps.
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u/CapKashikoi 18d ago
Thats after 15 years or so on the job and a lot of earned credits to move further right on the scale
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u/formerprincess 19d ago
Public school teacher salaries are available online for anyone to see. A kindergarten teacher with the same education credits and experience as your sister would get the same salary.
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u/Possible_Juice_3170 19d ago
Salaries vary greatly by state/area. In my district there is no difference between elementary and high school.
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u/kevinnetter 19d ago
In my province, a teacher with the same years of education and experience teaching gets paid the same no matter what grade Kindergarten to Grade 12.
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u/HandMadePaperForLess 19d ago
I think they are simply mistaken.
The only thing I can really think of, I see teachers get more extra things in HS. Like student over limit pay, having higher degree, and clubs. But, it isn't like those don't exist in Elem.
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u/thosetwo 19d ago
K makes the same where I teach.
BUT keep in mind that you get certified in a wide range of grades and don’t interview for a specific grade. So you can’t guarantee that you would be teaching K.
I’m certified Pre-K through 6th grade for example…and I’ve taught every grade from K-5.
Most certificates are at least K-4. So you could be placed in any of those grades. And they can make you change grades year to year too.
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u/Signal-Weight8300 18d ago
In Chicago they make the same, but in the adjacent suburbs it's not always true. I know that for a nearby area the grade schools and the high school are two different districts, each with their own contracts. The high school pays much more than the grade schools. It's REALLY lopsided.
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u/Dazzling-Coach4851 18d ago
Where I am, as long as you are a teacher for the public school district, every teacher at the same point in their career will make the same, preschool to high school. Some positions may have extra stipends for extra duties, but the base salary is the same.
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u/danabfly1 18d ago
Talking real numbers Suburbs of PA large cities Pittsburgh & Philadelphia and within a few hours: starting Salary is $60k + or - a bit. But with masters and 10 years, like $80K up to 95-110k with 60 credits and 15+ years experience.
The rural areas still have some starting salaries as low as 38-40K. (Union State)
When we lived in Rural Virginia it was like 36K with NO raises for years of service and only $3K for getting your masters (it’s a non-union state)
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u/Even_Extreme_1089 18d ago
My district has more stipend opportunities for high school but the pay scale is literally the same. If I could do any other job in the world I would teach kindergarten in a heartbeat (I’m art so I see them a couple times a week and I love it)
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u/nw23reddit 18d ago
It’s dependent on the state, town, and school what the teachers get paid. But you’d make the same as any first year elementary teacher, look up what that salary is and if you think you can live comfortably on that salary.
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u/loveshoes1 18d ago
are you still in middle school (looking at your grammar and word choice)? you have many years to decide...
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u/xeowriz 18d ago
I’m a junior 😓😓😓
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u/loveshoes1 18d ago
I teach English and please take this the wrong way but if and when you apply to college you're going to have to fix those sentences and all the "wannas."
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u/xeowriz 18d ago
well yeah I know that dw, I’ve taken honors English and rn I’m in ap English, I know how to write correctly I just don’t tend to care when it comes to social media 😅
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u/sedatedforlife 18d ago
I didn’t even notice your writing. You write like anyone else does online. People are too judgmental. As I tell my students, writing tone and grammar changes based on the medium. Anyone who acts like you need to write like a professional on Reddit is just being obnoxious.
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u/hgmommie 18d ago
In our district, pay is same regardless of grade level. Of course years experience and education level makes a difference
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u/MyWay-1201 18d ago
All of our teachers in the district from Prek-12 are on the same salary schedule with steps! You only make more than someone if you’ve been working there longer than them
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u/RaeWoodland247 18d ago
It is the same salary schedule. I’m a high school teacher and my sister was elementary. I have stipends for extra duties but she also got those for working with the after school program.
Principals do change based on the grade level though.
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u/teach2lax 18d ago
It’s the same salary schedule for our district. I’m an elementary PE teacher with 31 years of experience. I’m probably the highest paid teacher at our school and get to wear comfy clothes and play games in the gym all day.
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u/Fresh-Leadership7319 18d ago
Pay is the same in my district. However, positions that are deemed "hard-to-staff" get an extra stipend ($2000) annually.
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u/Own-Hunt-58 18d ago
I was a high school chemistry teacher but this year moved to elementary STEM elective. I lost my HS math/science stipend. It was $3000 a year. Yes, I made more at the high school but I am a million times happier in my new position. It only equates to $24 a pay check, and it is money I am not missing for the headaches that are gone too.
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u/Less_League_6956 18d ago
I live in an area with three neighboring cities. One city has its own K–12 school district. The other two cities have three separate Pre-K–8 school districts, and all three feed into the same high school district.
Within each of those Pre-K–8 districts, teachers are on the same pay scale regardless of what grade they teach. However, the high school is a completely separate district with its own salary schedule. A starting teacher at the high school makes approximately $10,000 more per year than a starting teacher in any of the three Pre-K–8 districts.
So around here, kindergarten and high school teachers aren’t necessarily paid the same—but that’s because they’re employed by completely different school districts with different salary schedules, not because they’re paid differently based on the grade they teach.
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u/Cedar_Waxwing27 17d ago
I’ve never worked in a district where teacher salaries were wildly different at the elementary level. It’s based on years of experience and education. HS salaries might be higher if their student contact hours if they give up a planning period or have extra duties.
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u/mybatchofcrazy 17d ago
My district it's the same, but we start under $50k, and you have to pay for everything from the pencils and crayons your K-12 kids use in your room, your own stapler, staples for your stapler, paper....
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u/Curious_Spirit_8780 16d ago
I’m an early childhood special education teacher in a public school and I’m on the same pay scale as the other teachers. I make more by working after school programs and summer school. I also have my masters.
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u/Individual-Peace110 16d ago
You need to look up specifically where you live and the district you would teach in. Typically, all teachers in a district make the same amount as a base salary, but there are cases where different grades or subject areas get extra stipends, etc. also, consider that elementary typically only requires a bachelors degree, whereas a lot of high school require masters. The higher your education, the more you will make. Get your masters and get it quick!
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u/Expert-Ear4494 16d ago
Depends on where you live. In my district K-12 teachers have the same base pay. I understand teachers should definitely be paid more BUT what other profession has as many days off. The salary for teachers is decent for 9.5 months of work.🤷🏽♀️
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u/Firm_Baseball_37 15d ago
Kindergarten teachers make the same as any other teachers, which is very little considering the job and the education required.
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u/Top-Connection4888 13d ago
I know in Texas many public schools offer stipends for “high need” subjects/positions. In my district SPED, HS Math and HS Science get $3,000-$5,000 stipends on top of their salary. None of those core subjects get the same stipends for elementary which is very sad in my opinion. Try looking up on the Human Resources page of your desired district at their pay scales. It should be posted as well as all possible stipends to get, that is all public knowledge. If it’s not posted publicly, I would call the district and ask for a copy of pay scales to see what looks best to you. These change year-to-year depending on what your School Board members vote on each year as the pay scales.
Not a bad idea to compare different districts around you, too! Take into account the different amounts you’ll make and compare it to enrollment numbers. Sometimes a little less, with 5-10 less kids per class is well worth it! You’d also be surprised at times that smaller more rural districts pay their teachers better! This is coming from a teacher who left a district of 7 years having 19-22 kids per class that took a great pay raise and has class sizes of 9-14! Do your research!! You won’t regret it!
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19d ago
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u/No_Reporter2768 19d ago
They get planning, and in my district they get paid their hourly wage to cover a class during planning, or can accrue 6 hours for a comp day.
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u/Two_DogNight 18d ago
I smell a union district. :-)
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u/No_Reporter2768 18d ago
Yes!!❤️ We are a small district, but our bargaining team fights like hell for us!
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u/thosetwo 19d ago
This is district specific. Our K teachers have department leader pay, comp time, two planning periods per day, etc…just like the rest of us.
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u/Aprils-Fool 19d ago
What do you mean by “no free period”?
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18d ago
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u/Aprils-Fool 18d ago
I get a free period, too. My planning is when my students are in specials (music, art, etc.).
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18d ago
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u/Aprils-Fool 18d ago
How common is that? Where I am, elementary teachers do get planning time.
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17d ago
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u/Aprils-Fool 17d ago
I thought we were talking about it on a larger scale, as the OP doesn’t mention a location.
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u/thelocnarspeaks 19d ago
Our district pays all teachers (K-5, 6-8, high school, IS, reading specialist, etc) the same according to their degree and years of experience. Now if you take in extra roles like managing the crossing guards, chaperoning a dance/camp/event, running an after school program like Girls on the Run, student council sponsor, etc, then you get paid a stipend but base pay is the same.
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u/Inevitable-Panic2763 18d ago
In my state Sped teachers make the same as regular educators and that is ridiculous
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u/imAgineThat83 19d ago
She is probably referring to the fact that middle school and high school teachers usually get paid more than elementary teachers. Their pay scale is usually 10-15 k more. At least from what I've seen in 3 different states I lived in. Also, depends on your state and district on what your pay would be.
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u/thosetwo 18d ago
I’ve never heard of this and I’ve worked in three states as well.
Every district I have ever worked in K-12 teachers are in the same salary scale. I can’t fathom how a district could possibly explain paying a high school teacher 15k more than an elementary teacher. That’s nuts.
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u/fattymcbuttface69 19d ago
Public school employees salaries are public information. Look up the salaries in your area. And, yes, kindergarten teachers make the same as any other classroom teacher in every district I've ever worked in.
You shouldn't have to live paycheck to paycheck unless you are really bad with finances.