The vast majority of Idaho’s public school districts and charter schools will have to increase starting teacher pay next school year to meet the state’s minimum salary requirements, according to an analysis by Idaho Education News. 

And some districts will have to lift starting pay by as much as 21% to meet the state’s new minimum teacher salary — $50,252. 

EdNews compiled a list of the lowest and highest salaries for instructional staff during the 2024-25 school year at nearly every school district and charter school. A few of the smallest school districts were excluded. 

Click here to see the list. 

Why the minimums matter

EdNews last month reported that state policymakers approved 5% raises for teachers and pupil services staff for the 2025-26 school year, but school employees shouldn’t expect to see that much. 

School districts and charter schools often hire more employees than state funding supports. And while public school trustees set salaries at the local level, the state requires that districts and charters pay minimum salaries. 

This year, state lawmakers and the Idaho Department of Education told public school leaders to factor recent statewide raises into their minimum salaries. In 2023, the Legislature gave an additional $6,359 per teacher to K-12 districts and charters. 

But many districts and charters hadn’t included those raises in their starting pay, which means they’ll have to use much of this year’s 5% salary boost to catch up to the new minimum. 

Here’s a breakdown of state’s required minimum salary by school year when factoring in the 2023 and 2025 raises: 

• 2022-23 – $41,500
• 2023-24 – $47,859
• 2024-25 – $47,859
• 2025-26 – $50,252

The actual starting pay in districts and charters this year

EdNews’ analysis of starting pay for the 2024-25 school year shows that about half of districts and charters didn’t pay the state’s minimum salary when incorporating the $6,359 raises. 

Here’s a breakdown of where districts landed in relation to the $47,859 minimum: 

• 94 districts and charters paid less
  • 20 paid $41,500
  • 74 paid between $41,866 and $47,778
• 93 districts and charters paid the minimum or more
  • 48 paid $47,859
  • 45 paid more than $47,859

Just 21 districts and charters started pay at $50,252 or more, meaning an overwhelming majority will have to increase starting pay next school year to meet the state’s new minimum, which factors in the latest 5% raises on top of the $6,359 raises from two years ago. 

And the 20 districts and charters that started pay at $41,500 this year would have to increase their baseline by 21% next year to comply with the state’s new minimum.

Later this week, EdNews will explore where Idaho’s teacher pay and per-pupil spending ranks nationally.

EdNews data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.