High Pay, Low Test Scores: Washington Teachers Earn Most When Adjusted for Cost of Living

(The Center Square)–Washington state ranks highest in the nation for adjusted pay among elementary, middle and high school teachers, according to USAFacts, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to the data, kindergarten teachers in Washington earned the highest median salary in 2024, at $87,530. In the Evergreen State, elementary school teachers earned a median salary of $99,320, middle school teachers earned a median salary of $99,150, and high school teachers earned a median salary of $99,640.

The median represents the middle point of a salary distribution.

By comparison, the 2024 median annual wage for pre-K-12 teachers in the U.S. is $63,000, based on estimates from the BLS.

Vicki Murray, director of the Center for Education at the free-market Washington Policy Center think tank, told The Center Square she has no problem with paying teachers a decent salary for the important work they do. However, she said student outcomes in Washington have been declining, even as teacher pay keeps climbing.

“We only look at how much we’re putting in; we’re not looking at what we’re getting out, and that’s where we have a problem,” she elaborated. “Unfortunately, a National Council on Teacher Quality report that came out this spring showed that elementary math preparation for Washington teachers statewide was among the lowest in the country. Most of them are not doing well, and that’s a real problem.”

Another NCTQ report from June 2023 assessed the performance of state-level programs in training instructors on how to teach children to read.

“Washington state’s programs did not fare well, ranking among the worst in the nation in providing qualified teachers for public schools,” according to WPC at the time.

“So, one of the things we have to do is tie pay to performance, and I know that gets very controversial, but there are ways to do it,” Murray said. “Washington, D.C. had a great program where it was a combination of individual teacher bonus pay, but also group bonus pay. And it worked out very well, and teachers knew exactly what was expected of them, and it wasn’t just cash for test scores. I mean, you had to look at where children were and improvement over time, so it was multiple measures.”

Murray said the academic performance of children should be first and foremost.

“I have no problem paying them money, but we should expect some standards,” she said. “We’ve divorced pay from performance, and that’s where we get into trouble, with the adults getting paid six-figure salaries to do a job without good results. We would not tolerate that in any other aspect of our lives – from our healthcare providers, mechanics, from pilots … but somehow we seem to make excuses when it comes to our children’s education.”

The Center Square contacted the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for comment about teacher pay in Washington and student achievement.

“Washington state has a highly qualified and experienced educator workforce. In the 2023-24 school year, 72.8% of teachers held a master’s degree or higher, and the average certificated experience of our teachers was 13.2 years. Additionally, Washington has 11,000 National Board Certified Teachers, the third highest cohort in the nation,” Sammi Payne, management analyst with OSPI’s executive services, said in an email.

She continued: “Highly qualified and experienced educators deserve to be compensated well for their increasingly complex and critical work. Washington state has a low rate of teacher turnover compared to other states, which is central to our students’ success in school.”

During this year’s legislative sessions, House Republicans noted the contrast between teacher pay and student achievement.

“The state provides funding for over one million students at 295 school districts and 17 charter schools. School districts employ over 73,500 certificated instructors (including teachers), 46,000 classified employees, and over 5,000 administrators, making them one of the largest public employers in the state. Including state, local, and federal resources, school districts receive an average of $18,944 per student,” House Republicans observe on their education facts website.

Republicans say taxpayers aren’t getting enough bang for their buck.

“While the Legislature has spent years increasing funding to public schools, too many students have been left behind,” the website states. “Student performance on national test scores has been trending down over the last decade, and after extensive school closures, state test scores are at their lowest levels since the state assessment began. More than 60% of Washington students do not meet grade-level standards in math, and half do not meet grade-level standards in English language arts.”