New report says average NC teacher salary is now over $60,000. Is the figure accurate?
The average salary for North Carolina public school teachers has reached more than $60,000 a year for the first time ever, a new state report says.
Figures released in March by the state Department of Public Instruction estimate the average teacher salary to now be $60,323 — up from $58,292 last school year. If you include all categories, average teacher compensation is now projected to be $61,449 — $2,018 more than the previous school year.
But Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, said the reality is far less than $60,000 a year for many of the state’s teachers.
“I would disagree that it is an accurate reflection of educator pay here in our state,” Walker Kelly said in an interview with The News & Observer. “We know that the DPI figure includes local supplements, extra local bonuses that come from local revenue sources through the county. We know that our colleagues in rural counties, in some of the low-wealth districts, are getting much, much less.”
NC middle of pack in Southeast in teacher pay
The annual “Highlights of the North Carolina Public School Budget” report from DPI provide a wealth of data as well as the ability to track data over time.
The National Education Association uses the DPI data when it releases its annual reports on teacher pay. This year’s NEA report hasn’t been released yet.
Last year, NEA ranked North Carolina 42nd in beginning teacher pay and 38th in overall teacher pay. NEA projected the state had dropped to 41st in average teacher pay for the 2023-24 school year.
For this school year, the new DPI report projects the average base salary to be $53,295. It would take a teacher 13 years to reach that amount on the state’s teacher salary schedule.
In addition to the state-funded base salary, many teachers also receive a local salary supplement. The average local supplement is $7,028.
The DPI average includes some of the highest paid positions in the state, such as people who are paid extra for having a master’s degree, according to Walker Kelly.
Walker Kelly said the $53,295 average base salary is a more appropriate figure. She pointed to how the state’s teacher pay scale tops out at $55,950 a year, which “leads our state to be less competitive than our peers here in the Southeast, and ultimately less competitive than other states across the nation.”
According to DPI, North Carolina now ranks sixth out of 12 states in the Southeast in average teacher compensation. Georgia is the highest at $67,641.
Lobbying for 22% raise for teachers
NCAE is hoping there’s support for a a $1.5 billion state House Republican proposal to sharply raise teacher pay,
House Bill 192 would give teachers a 22% raise. The new proposed state salary scale would range from $50,000 for a beginning teacher to $68,230 for teachers with 25 or more years of experience.
The House hasn’t yet taken action on the bill. Even if it passes the House, it’s uncertain the Senate would agree to such a large raise in teacher pay.
“We know that its success will be if the Senate takes it up, and if we can continue to have meaningful conversations with lawmakers about how we can really increase educator pay to aid in the recruitment and retention of high quality educators to North Carolina,” Walker Kelly said.
NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com
This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 11:14 AM with the headline "New report says average NC teacher salary is now over $60,000. Is the figure accurate?."
