These 10 Idaho School Districts Rank Highest for Teacher Pay

If you ask most teachers in Idaho why they decided to pursue education as a career, most will tell you they didn’t do it to get rich. Almost all of them will tell you that they became a teacher to make a difference in a child’s life. 

Watching those “lightbulb moments” when a concept clicks is more rewarding than a paycheck. At schools, those moments don’t just happen in classrooms. They can happen in practice rooms when a young musician pulls off the audition that makes them principal chair in the school’s orchestra. They can happen on the track when an aspiring runner pulls off a personal record that sends them to a state meet.

READ MORE: Idaho's Top 10 High Schools, Ranked by U.S. News 2025

You probably remember some of those moments from your own childhood and you remember the teacher who inspired you to achieve your best. I certainly do. Those examples are from my high school years. As grateful as I am for those lessons from Mr. Dispenza and Coach Gorksi, my gratitude didn’t cover their cost of living.

And that’s a challenge that Idaho teachers continue to face today. There’s no doubt that Idaho teachers’ dedication runs deep, but just being dedicated to bettering their students doesn’t pay the bills. According to the latest data from the National Education Association, Idaho ranks 34th in the nation for average teacher pay with educators earning about $61,516 a year.

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That’s more than $10,500 below the national average and just slightly more than the minimum living wage in Idaho which the NEA lists at $60,738. It’s also significantly lower than what teachers are making in other parts of our region. Washington ranks #4 with an average salary of $91,720. Oregon sits at #11 at $77,130 and Utah outperforms Idaho at #18 with an average salary of $69,161.

There are some bright spots in Idaho, though. Some Idaho school districts have found ways to offer salaries that are above the state average which is great for trying to attract and retain amazing teachers. Idaho Ed News has a searchable database that lists the average teacher salary for each school district in the state from the 2023-2024 school year, the same school year that the NEA used for their most recent ranking. According to their database, these are the 10 Idaho school districts paying their teachers the most.

10) Highland | $67,644

9) Moscow | $67,644

8) Lewiston | $68,649

7) Avery | $69,708

6) Lake Pend Oreille | $69,729

5) Lapwai | $69,729

4) Boise | $72,228

3) McCall-Donnelly | $72,906

2) Genesee | $73,246

1) Blaine County | $90,942