Between $46,100 and $62,000 per year in 2024, depending on the role. These figures represent the annual median wage for Wisconsin pre-K–12 teachers. Preschool teachers tend to be at the lower end of the range, while middle 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 Wisconsin, the median wage across all occupations was $48,900 in 2024 — about 6% higher than the median preschool teacher wage.
$46.1K
median annual wage for preschool teachers in Wisconsin (2024)
$62K
median annual wage for middle school teachers in Wisconsin (2024)
Among teachers working in elementary, middle, and high schools, annual pay varied by the grade level taught. In Wisconsin in 2024, preschool teachers earned the least, earning around $46,100 annually. Middle school teachers made the most at around $62,000 per year. In other words, middle school teachers earned about 35% more than preschool teachers.
Middle school teachers earn $62,000 annually, more than any other WI teachers
Median annual salary of elementary and secondary school teachers, excluding teachers of students with disabilities and technical teachers (WI, 2024)
Teacher salaries vary nationwide. In 2024, Wisconsin teachers earned less than the national median for every grade level reported. The largest percentage difference was among preschool teachers, who earned 13% less than the national median. Middle school teachers — typically the highest-paid group — earned about 2% less than their counterparts nationwide.
Our government is complex. Our data doesn’t have to be.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get data-backed answers to today’s most debated issues
Wisconsin 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 (WI, 2024)
Pay also varies by specialization. Teachers of students with disabilities (collected in the data as “special education”), earn about the more than general education teachers at 3 of 5 levels in Wisconsin. In 2024, the median wages for teachers of students with disabilities ranged from 1% lower to 37% higher than those of other teachers at the same grade level.
The largest difference for teachers of students with disabilities was at the Preschool level, where they earned $63,000 per year compared to $46,100 for other Preschool teachers, a 37% 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 Wisconsin, their median wages were $76,600 at the middle school level and $66,800 at the high school level in 2024, 24% higher and 8% higher, respectively, than those of general education teachers at the same levels.
In Wisconsin, teachers of students with disabilities out-earned other teachers only at the Preschool level.
Median annual salary of elementary and secondary school teachers (WI, 2024)
Keep exploring
Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
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.
