How much do teachers get paid in ?

Refreshed annually
Teachers made between $49,500 and $61,600 per year in 2025, depending on the role. These figures represent the annual median wage for Kentucky pre-K–12 teachers. Preschool teachers tend to be at the lower end of the range, while high school teachers tend to be at the higher end, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates. The median wage is the midpoint — half of teachers in each role earn more, and half earn less.
For comparison, in Kentucky, the median wage across all occupations was $46,900 in 2025 — about 5% lower than the median preschool teacher wage.

$49.5K

median annual wage for preschool teachers in Kentucky (2025)

$61.1K

median annual wage for middle school teachers in Kentucky (2025)
Among teachers working in elementary, middle, and high schools, annual pay varied by the grade level taught. In Kentucky in 2025, preschool teachers earned the least, earning around $49,500 annually. High school teachers made the most at around $61,560 per year. In other words, high school teachers earned about 24% more than preschool teachers.

High school teachers earn $61,600 annually, more than any other KY teachers

Median annual salary of elementary and secondary school teachers, excluding teachers of students with disabilities and technical teachers (KY, 2025)

Do Kentucky teachers make more or less than the US average?

Teacher salaries vary nationwide. In 2025, Kentucky teachers earned less than the national median for every grade level reported. The largest percentage difference was among high school teachers, who earned 15% less than the national median. Preschool teachers — typically the lowest-paid group — earned about 13% less than their counterparts nationwide.

Kentucky teachers earn less than the national average at every level.

Median annual salary of elementary and secondary school teachers, excluding teachers of students with disabilities and technical teachers (KY, 2025)

How much do special education teachers make in Kentucky? What about technical education teachers?

Pay also varies by specialization. Teachers of students with disabilities (collected in the data as “special education”), earn about the same or less than general education teachers at all levels except preschool in Kentucky. In 2025, the median wages for teachers of students with disabilities ranged from 2% lower to 0% higher than those of other teachers at the same grade level.

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The largest difference for teachers of students with disabilities was at the middle school level, where they earned $60,200 per year compared to $61,100 for other middle school teachers, a 2% difference.
Some schools, primarily middle and high schools, also employ technical teachers. These teachers provide vocational and technical training in fields such as automotive repair, culinary arts, cosmetology, and information technology, to help students develop career skills. In Kentucky, their median wages were $61,100 at the high school level in 2025, 1% lower than those of general education teachers at the same level.

In Kentucky, teachers of students with disabilities out-earned other teachers only at the Preschool level.

Median annual salary of elementary and secondary school teachers (KY, 2025)

How does the government help low-income students?

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.