Study: Colorado teachers make less than national average

DENVER (KDVR) — The National Education Association released a new report on teacher salaries nationwide. At its highest, teachers in some states are making almost six figures. At its lowest, teachers make about $50,000 annually.

Based on the study, the average salary for teachers across the United States totals $69,544. However, not every educator is making that much, including teachers in Colorado.

Teacher’s average salaries in 2023 by state

Here’s where Colorado ranks among the highest and the lowest salaries in the country:

Of all the states, Colorado is in the lower half of salaries at $60,775, which is only about $8,000 above the lowest salary in the country.

These are the best public high schools in Colorado: US News ranking

Colorado educators received a slight increase in pay from the previous year (2021-22), but only by about $600. This was one of the lowest increases in the nation.

FOX31 interviewed the president of the Colorado Education Association, Amie Baca-Oehlert, about Colorado’s ranking in the recent study.

She said Colorado teachers can’t even afford to live in the community they teach in, forcing many to commute one to two hours to get to work.

In some cases, teaching isn’t even their only job.

“So many of our educators still report having to work two to three jobs to just feed their families,” said Baca-Oehlert.

While the low salaries significantly affect teachers’ lives, Baca-Oehlert said the biggest impact of a teacher’s salary is on the students.

“When you can’t be in the communities that you serve, build those relationships that are so crucial to student achievement, it’s our students who suffer in the end,” said Baca-Oehlert.

Berthoud teacher named 2024 Colorado Teacher of the Year

Baca-Oehlert said that higher pay for teachers needs to be a group effort between voters, legislators and districts.

“In Colorado, we have to have more revenue to fund our schools. So, we need to go to the voters, we need the voters in our communities to say that our educators, our students, deserve more,” said Baca-Oehlert. “We need to, of course, work with the legislators so that they can send those dollars to our districts, and then we have to work with our districts to ensure that when they are getting the money from the legislator, that they are putting it towards those salaries for our educators so that we can recruit and retain the highest quality educators.”

According to Baca-Oehlert, teaching is one of the most challenging, but also one of the most beneficial jobs, that is provided in the community.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.