25% of Districts Have Teachers Making Over $100,000 in New York State

A quarter of all of New York State school districts have the median teacher pay of over $100,000 and it has New York State residents either rejoicing or in an uproar.

Of course, it depends who you are asking.

Some residents thing that the $100,000 for a teacher is outrageous and that is too much money. Many of the people on social media who were opposing point out all of the 'time off' that teachers may get.

On the other hand, many people said that they are not even close to $100,000. Other supporters were saying that teachers deserve more money in general, anyway. According to EmpireCenter.org:

A total of 189 out of 685 school districts outside New York City last year had median classroom teacher pay over $100,000, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s government transparency website, up from 156 five years earlier.

It is important to note that this is data from 2024, although, not much has dramatically changed. Which school districts have teachers make the most money in New York State. Empire Center has the data:

The district with the state’s highest median teacher pay was Mid-Hudson’s Scarsdale ($152,543). In other regions, the district with the highest median pay was:

• Cold Spring Harbor (Long Island) ($148,402)
• Sweet Home (Western NY) ($104,467)
• South Colonie (Capital Region) ($100,774)
• Utica (Mohawk Valley) ($84,322)
• Baldwinsville (Central NY) ($82,961)
• Greece (Finger Lakes) ($80,340)
• Schroon Lake (North Country) ($79,888)
• Hammondsport (Southern Tier) ($76,979)

Teachers pay is always a polarizing subject because of course, most is funded through our tax dollars. Some top-tier administers in certain districts in New York State are making nearly $500,000.

If you are a teacher, many do not get Paid Family Leave, a benefit through New York State than many private-sectors are able to take advantage of. The trade off, though is that many teachers receive a New York State pension upon retiring.