Teachers made between $63,100 and $97,100 per year in 2025, depending on the role. These figures represent the annual median wage for New York 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 New York, the median wage across all occupations was $59,700 in 2025 — about 5% lower than the median preschool teacher wage.
$63.1K
median annual wage for preschool teachers in New York (2025)
$94.8K
median annual wage for middle school teachers in New York (2025)
Among teachers working in elementary, middle, and high schools, annual pay varied by the grade level taught. In New York in 2025, preschool teachers earned the least, earning around $63,070 annually. High school teachers made the most at around $97,110 per year. In other words, high school teachers earned about 54% more than preschool teachers.
High school teachers earn $97,100 annually, more than any other NY teachers
Median annual salary of elementary and secondary school teachers, excluding teachers of students with disabilities and technical teachers (NY, 2025)
Do New York teachers make more or less than the US average?
Teacher salaries vary nationwide. In 2025, New York teachers earned more than the national median for every grade level reported. The largest percentage difference was among middle school teachers, who earned 48% more than the national median. High school teachers — typically the highest-paid group — earned about 34% more than their counterparts nationwide.
New York teachers earn more 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 (NY, 2025)
How much do special education teachers make in New York? 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 New York. In 2025, the median wages for teachers of students with disabilities ranged from 27% lower to 5% 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 preschool level, where they earned $45,800 per year compared to $63,100 for other preschool teachers, a 27% 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 New York, their median wages were $86,500 at the middle school level and $79,800 at the high school level in 2025, 9% lower and 18% lower, respectively, than those of general education teachers at the same levels.
In New York, teachers of students with disabilities earned more than other teachers at several grade levels.
Median annual salary of elementary and secondary school teachers (NY, 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.
