Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education salary by state
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$72,000
National baseline
Target bonus
$7,500
10.7% of base
Total target cash
$79,500
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$4,50050th$7,50075th$12,500
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
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About this role
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education is a professional role within the function in the Educational Instruction and Library job family.
Typical entry preparation: Bachelor's Degree and up to 2 years of related work experience, per O*NET occupational data. Advancement typically requires additional years in role.
What Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Educations do
Typical education: Bachelor's Degree
Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
Prepare children for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
Instruct students individually and in groups, adapting teaching methods to meet students' varying needs and interests.
Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
Demonstrate activities to children.
Top skills:Social PerceptivenessInstructingSpeakingMonitoringLearning StrategiesActive Listening
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education pay by experience level
Entry level$48,500
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$54,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$65,000
Mid-career median pay
Senior$82,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$105,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
-1.6%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
12,800
projected openings per year
Declining
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education salary by industry
Educational Services
107,070 workers
$72,000
Elementary and Secondary Schools
106,960 workers
$72,000
Educational Services, Local Government Owned
92,690 workers
$74,500
Educational Services, Privately Owned
14,200 workers
$57,000
Social Assistance
1,430 workers
$54,000
Child Care Services
1,380 workers
$54,000
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations
210 workers
$52,500
Educational Services, State Government Owned
180 workers
$61,000
Religious Organizations
130 workers
$54,500
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
80 workers
$40,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $57,860 to $62,680.
+8.3% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$48,500
Early career25th percentile
$54,000
Median50th percentile
$65,000
Experienced75th percentile
$82,500
Top earners90th percentile
$105,500
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
The abilities employers and analysts most associate with this occupation.
Social PerceptivenessInstructingSpeakingMonitoringLearning StrategiesActive Listening
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
Prepare children for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
Instruct students individually and in groups, adapting teaching methods to meet students' varying needs and interests.
Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
Demonstrate activities to children.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Exempt · Professional, Administrative, or Executive exemption
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Exempt when paid above the salary threshold, provided they satisfy the duties test for one of the FLSA exemption categories. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$72,000
2027$74,500
2028$77,000
2029$80,000
2030$82,500
2031$85,500
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
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How much does a Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education make?
The median market pay for a Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education in the United States is about $72,000 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education?
Most Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education pay falls between about $54,000 (25th percentile) and $82,500 (75th percentile), with top earners above $105,500.
What does a Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education do?
Core responsibilities include: establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students; and prepare children for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
Is pay for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $57,860 in 2020 to $62,680 in 2025, a change of +8.3% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education pays 19% below the average across 65 roles in the Educational Instruction and Library job family (family average $88,500).
Similar-paying roles in Educational Instruction and Library
Need Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
