Lowest published bachelor’s starting pay → highest published maximum across degree lanes in the districts below. Years and eligibility vary.
Average salary
$79,078NEA 2024-25
Starting salary
$52,198NEA 2024-25
State minimum
$18,500See state terms
Districts sourced
8Official schedules
Pennsylvania teachers averaged $79,078 in 2024-25 per NEA, and the average starting salary was $52,198.
Pennsylvania teachers averaged $79,078 in 2024-25 per NEA, and the average starting salary was $52,198. The state's legal minimum of $18,500 has not changed since 1988-89, so real pay is set by each district's union contract. Among the eight large districts with posted 2026-27 schedules, bachelor's starting pay ranges from about $52,600 (Hazleton Area) to $68,000 (North Penn), and the top of the master's lane from about $82,300 (Hazleton Area) to $116,848 (Central Bucks). Reading, Allentown, Bethlehem Area, Central Dauphin and Upper Darby do not post their schedules publicly.
Central Bucks School District · 2026-27 · Annual base salary by published step. Darker cells indicate higher pay; every cell shows its amount. Doctorate pay not published in this schedule.
Pittsburgh Public Schools · 2026-27 · Annual base salary by published step. Darker cells indicate higher pay; every cell shows its amount. Doctorate pay not published in this schedule.
Erie's Public Schools (School District of the City of Erie) · 2026-27 · Annual base salary by published step. Darker cells indicate higher pay; every cell shows its amount.
Hazleton Area School District · 2026-27 · Annual base salary by published step. Darker cells indicate higher pay; every cell shows its amount. Doctorate pay not published in this schedule.
Step
Bachelor’s
Master’s
1
$52,621
$55,328
2
$52,928
$55,428
3
$53,235
$55,835
4
$53,492
$56,092
5
$54,999
$57,606
6
$56,921
$59,421
7
$57,988
$60,398
8
$59,451
$62,137
9
$61,374
$64,085
10
$63,296
$68,046
11
$66,718
$72,593
12
$68,840
$77,180
13
$70,812
$77,912
14
$73,451
$82,253
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”.
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
North Penn School District2026-27
BA start $68,000
Top $126,158
Central Bucks School District2026-27
BA start $53,041
Top $116,848
School District of Philadelphia2026-27
BA start $57,444
Top $114,041
West Chester Area School District2026-27
BA start $59,500
Top $110,000
Pittsburgh Public Schools2026-27
BA start $53,229
Top $108,836
Downingtown Area School District2026-27
BA start $62,066
Top $107,940
Erie's Public Schools (School District of the City of Erie)2026-27
BA start $57,646
Top $90,305
Hazleton Area School District2026-27
BA start $52,621
Top $82,253
Reading School DistrictYear not published
Schedule not published
Allentown School DistrictYear not published
Schedule not published
Bethlehem Area School DistrictYear not published
Schedule not published
Central Dauphin School DistrictYear not published
Schedule not published
Upper Darby School DistrictYear not published
Schedule 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
District
Year
BA start
Top pay
North Penn School District
2026-27
$68,000
$126,158
Central Bucks School District
2026-27
$53,041
$116,848
School District of Philadelphia
2026-27
$57,444
$114,041
West Chester Area School District
2026-27
$59,500
$110,000
Pittsburgh Public Schools
2026-27
$53,229
$108,836
Downingtown Area School District
2026-27
$62,066
$107,940
Erie's Public Schools (School District of the City of Erie)
2026-27
$57,646
$90,305
Hazleton Area School District
2026-27
$52,621
$82,253
Reading School District
Not published
Not published
Not published
Allentown School District
Not published
Not published
Not published
Bethlehem Area School District
Not published
Not published
Not published
Central Dauphin School District
Not published
Not published
Not published
Upper Darby School District
Not published
Not published
Not published
Experience & progression
How pay grows by step
Bachelor’s lane · 5 districts with numeric step data
School District of Philadelphia2026-27
Pittsburgh Public Schools2026-27
Central Bucks School District2026-27
Hazleton Area School District2026-27
Downingtown Area School District2026-27
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
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
Measure
Amount
Context
Pennsylvania average
$79,078
NEA 2024-25
State minimum
$18,500
See state minimum terms below
National average
$74,495
Reporting year not published
State minimum salary
$18,500
Public School Code of 1949, Section 1142.1: a full-time teacher must be paid at least $18,500 a year, in effect since the 1988-89 school term (added Oct. 20, 1988, P.L.827, No.110). No later amendment raising the floor was found as of 2026-10-28; Act 55 of 2022 did not change it, and proposals to raise it (e.g. SB 856 of 2023) were not enacted. NEA average salary is FY 2024-25 (Rankings & Estimates, August 2026); starting salary is the NEA Teacher Salary Benchmark, FY 2024-25.
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 Pennsylvania 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.
