The state entered the new school year ranked 48th in starting pay after average teacher salaries grew more slowly than anywhere else in the country.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s $2,000 increase in its minimum teacher salary schedule is taking effect against a difficult backdrop: Starting pay ranked near the bottom nationally, and average salaries had barely moved.
The state ranked 48th in average starting teacher pay during the 2024-25 school year, according to National Education Association data drawn from nearly every Oklahoma school district.
The NEA is the nation’s largest teachers union. Its Oklahoma starting-pay figures came from State Department of Education data.
Only Montana, Nebraska and Missouri ranked lower.
The Oklahoma average was $41,294—about $6,800 below the national figure. The comparison predates the new state salary schedule that took effect July 1, but it shows the position from which Oklahoma begins its latest effort to improve teacher pay.
A higher floor, but not necessarily a raise for everyone
Senate Bill 201, signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt in May, added $2,000 to every step of Oklahoma’s minimum teacher salary schedule.
The new schedule requires a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree to receive at least $41,601 in salary and/or qualifying retirement benefits, up from $39,601.
The law raises the state minimum but does not require districts to add $2,000 to the existing pay of teachers who already earn more than the new floor.
That means its effect will vary. Districts at or near the state schedule must increase compensation to comply, while some districts with higher local schedules may already meet the requirement.
The distinction will shape how much the change affects Oklahoma’s national position. Raising the minimum could help districts with the lowest salaries, but the state’s ranking is based on what districts actually pay—not simply what state law requires.
Slow growth extended beyond starting pay
Oklahoma’s average salary for all public school teachers was higher than its starting-pay ranking might suggest. At $61,931, it ranked 37th nationally.
The more striking finding was how little that average had changed.
Oklahoma’s average teacher salary increased by just $601 from the previous school year. The gain of less than 1% was the smallest among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., while salaries nationally rose by about 3.5%.
That helps explain why Oklahoma slipped two places in the rankings even though its average salary increased. Pay was rising faster elsewhere.
What the ranking cannot answer yet
The NEA comparisons are not adjusted for differences in living costs, and salary structures vary considerably among states and school districts. The organization cautions that no single ranking fully describes a state’s education system.
The figures also stop before Oklahoma’s new schedule took effect. They therefore cannot show whether the $2,000 increase will improve recruitment, lead districts to raise their local schedules or move the state higher in future comparisons.
What they do show is the challenge facing Oklahoma as the 2026-27 school year begins: The state is raising its teacher-pay floor after starting salaries had fallen near the bottom nationally and broader salary growth had slowed to the lowest rate in the country.
