Salaries & Benefits

Education news, analysis, and opinion about pay and benefits for school and district employees

Explainer

Teacher Pay, Explained: Salary, Benefits, and Pensions
Learn how teachers are compensated, and the role that states and districts play in setting pay.
Monique Cox helps her co-worker, Chanda Carvalho, stretch after leading her in a physical training session at the Epiphany School in Boston, Mass., on Oct. 7, 2025. Cox, who is a teacher at the Epiphany School, supplements her income by working as a personal trainer and DoorDashing food after her teaching shifts.
Monique Cox helps her co-worker, Chanda Carvalho, stretch after leading her in a physical training session at the Epiphany School in Boston, Mass., on Oct. 7, 2025. Cox, who is a teacher at the Epiphany School, supplements her income by working as a personal trainer and DoorDashing food after her teaching shifts.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Teaching Profession Should It Be Normal for Teachers to Have a Second Job? Educators Weigh In
Research has shown that most educators work multiple jobs. Teachers shared their reactions in an Education Week Facebook post.
Jennifer Vilcarino, October 21, 2025
1 min read
Monique Cox picks up a DoorDash order from a restaurant after finishing her shift at the Epiphany School in Boston, Mass. on Oct. 7, 2025. Cox supplements her income by working as a personal trainer and DoorDashing food after her teaching shifts.
Early education teacher Monique Cox picks up a DoorDash order from a restaurant after finishing her shift at the Epiphany School in Boston on Oct. 7, 2025. Cox supplements her income by working as a personal trainer on weekends and breaks and delivering food after her teaching day ends.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Teaching Profession 'It's Rough Out Here': Why Most Teachers Work a Second Job (and What It Means)
Those with education-related second jobs are more likely to stay than those with non-related gigs.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 9, 2025
7 min read
Illustration of a woman contemplating a choice, surrounded by hands holding money.
Amina Shakeela/Getty
Teaching Profession States Are Experimenting With Teacher Pay Again—But the Focus Isn’t Just Test Scores
Renewed interest could spur another wave of experiments with teacher pay.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 2, 2025
8 min read
David Nelson, his wife Hannah Jones-Nelson, and their dog "Bear" sit in the favorite room of their new house. Nelson was awarded a $10,000 commitment bonus provided to new teachers in Flint. He plans to use most of the money for house improvements and maintenance. Thursday, August 21, 2025..
David Nelson, his wife Hannah Jones-Nelson, and their dog Bear sit in their favorite room of their new house in Flint, Mich., on Aug. 21, 2025. Nelson was awarded a $10,000 commitment bonus provided to new teachers in Flint. He plans to use most of the money for house improvements and maintenance.
Valaurian Waller for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention This District Is Betting on a $10K Signing Bonus for New Teachers. Is It Enough?
Teachers are being awarded bonuses of up to $12,000 to join a district that, like its surrounding community, is working to rebuild.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 26, 2025
6 min read
Photo illustration of hand dangling cash.
iStock
School & District Management What's Fair Pay for School and District Leaders? (And What Do They Actually Make?)
Superintendents and principals want about a 20% raise, a new survey finds.
Evie Blad, August 1, 2025
4 min read
Photo illustration of hands and $100 bill.
iStock
Teaching Profession What Teachers Think They Should Make vs. What They're Actually Paid
Teachers think they deserve a 25% raise, a new survey finds.
Evie Blad, July 30, 2025
3 min read
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, speaks with Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., right, after a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee business meeting on Sept. 19, 2024, in Washington.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, speaks with Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., right, after a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee business meeting on Sept. 19, 2024, in Washington. Sanders and Markey have reintroduced two bills that would increase salaries and wages for teachers and support staff, as policy changes have affected the K-12 landscape.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Federal The Push for a $60K Minimum Salary for Teachers Has Reached Congress—Again
Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Edward Markey, D-Mass., have reintroduced education bills that would increase minimum salaries for teachers and the minimum wage for support staff.
Jennifer Vilcarino, July 28, 2025
4 min read
Illustration of a Black woman professional carrying a briefcase and dressed in red and walking alongside an oversized male dressed in blue pants with his white hand also carrying a briefcase.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School & District Management Women, People of Color Still Underrepresented in Superintendent Ranks
Superintendents are getting younger, earning slightly more, and working longer hours, yet their pay still lags behind inflation, AASA found.
Jennifer Igbonoba, July 15, 2025
4 min read
A second grader shares a story he wrote with a teacher.
A second grader shares a story he wrote with a teacher. This year, 16% of teachers reported an intent to leave the classroom, down from 22% last year.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Teaching Profession Fewer Teachers Plan to Quit, But Pay and Burnout Are Still Major Issues
Teachers still feel overworked and underpaid, but some signs suggest things may be slowly improving.
Ciara Meyer, July 8, 2025
4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Profession Opinion Larry Ferlazzo's 6 Reasons Why He Stayed at His School
Why leave a high school where the administrators have fostered a supportive environment and made teaching fulfilling?
Larry Ferlazzo, June 13, 2025
5 min read
A vector illustration of a large, red one hundred dollar bill on it's side with men in business suits balancing on the edge with some falling off.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School & District Management Do Districts Have 'Administrative Bloat'? This State May Let the Public Decide
A North Carolina bill would require districts to publish the salaries of central-office administrators.
Evie Blad, May 19, 2025
5 min read
A kindergarten teacher works one-on-one with a student during a small-group math activity.
A kindergarten teacher works one-on-one with a student during a small-group math activity.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Teaching Profession Data Average Teacher Pay Increased Again This Year—Sort of. See How Your State Fared
Inflation is taking a bite out of teachers' paychecks, according to new state-by-state salary data.
Jennifer Vilcarino, May 7, 2025
3 min read
Illustration of Covid-19 impacting 3 years of school
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and Getty Images
School & District Management Infographic 9 Charts That Show the Lasting Effects of COVID on Schools
Key data on some of the move consequential changes, five years later.
Maya Riser-Kositsky, March 18, 2025
3 min read
Photo collaged illustration of teachers ad data
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Teaching Profession Data Teachers Say These 5 Factors Could Boost Their Morale
Short of a pay raise, here are the things that could improve teachers' morale.
Holly Kurtz, March 4, 2025
8 min read