Annual salary
$58,667
Colorado · salary schedule · 2026-27
Denver Public Schools salary schedule, 2026-27
Teacher and SSP step and grade schedule (2026-27). The grid below is the schedule as published, every cell; pick a grade and step to see the annual, monthly and per-day figure and the next five steps.
- Denver Public Schools's 2026-27 salary schedule starts at $58,667 (BA, step 1) and tops out at $125,235 (Doctorate, step 20), per Denver Public Schools (effective ).
- A teacher on the bachelor's column (BA) starts at $58,667 and reaches $94,565 at the top of that column.
- The schedule is built on 186 work days, which makes the starting cell about $315.41 per day.
- The grid has 7 grade columns and 20 step rows; the highest cell is reached at step 20.
- School District No. 1 in the county of Denver and State of C enrolled 88,258 students in 2023-24, the 1st-largest district in Colorado by NCES enrollment.
Teacher and SSP step and grade schedule (2026-27)
| Step \ Grade | BA | BA+18 | BA+36/MA | MA+18 | MA+36 | MA+54 | Doctorate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $58,667 | $61,151 | $64,246 | $67,621 | $70,997 | $74,370 | $77,747 |
| 2 | $59,980 | $63,209 | $66,304 | $69,759 | $73,134 | $76,510 | $80,214 |
| 3 | $61,899 | $65,267 | $68,360 | $71,896 | $75,272 | $78,645 | $82,682 |
| 4 | $63,822 | $67,323 | $70,418 | $74,034 | $77,407 | $80,782 | $85,149 |
| 5 | $65,744 | $69,381 | $72,476 | $76,172 | $79,547 | $82,923 | $87,616 |
| 6 | $67,664 | $71,439 | $74,532 | $78,306 | $81,682 | $85,059 | $90,085 |
| 7 | $69,586 | $73,498 | $76,592 | $80,447 | $83,824 | $87,197 | $92,551 |
| 8 | $71,507 | $75,553 | $78,650 | $82,585 | $85,959 | $89,334 | $95,018 |
| 9 | $73,430 | $77,611 | $80,709 | $84,721 | $88,096 | $91,469 | $97,486 |
| 10 | $75,351 | $79,669 | $82,764 | $86,858 | $90,234 | $93,610 | $99,955 |
| 11 | $77,272 | $81,728 | $84,820 | $88,997 | $92,371 | $95,747 | $102,419 |
| 12 | $79,194 | $83,783 | $86,881 | $91,134 | $94,510 | $97,885 | $104,889 |
| 13 | $81,115 | $85,843 | $88,938 | $93,271 | $96,649 | $100,022 | $107,358 |
| 14 | $83,036 | $87,901 | $90,994 | $95,411 | $98,784 | $102,162 | $109,822 |
| 15 | $84,959 | $89,959 | $93,052 | $97,550 | $100,924 | $104,300 | $112,292 |
| 16 | $86,881 | $92,019 | $95,113 | $99,684 | $103,062 | $106,435 | $114,756 |
| 17 | $88,802 | $94,074 | $97,169 | $101,825 | $105,197 | $108,575 | $117,226 |
| 18 | $90,722 | $96,132 | $99,224 | $103,962 | $107,335 | $110,713 | $119,693 |
| 19 | $92,644 | $98,192 | $101,284 | $106,097 | $109,475 | $112,848 | $122,160 |
| 20 | $94,565 | $100,250 | $103,342 | $108,236 | $111,612 | $114,988 | $125,235 |
highest celllowest cell20 step rows x 7 grade columnshover or tap a cell to trace its row and column
Find my cell
Per month (12)
$4,888.92
Per work day
$315.41 / 186 days
Next 5 steps in this grade
| Step | Salary | vs. selected |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $59,980 | +$1,313 |
| 3 | $61,899 | +$3,232 |
| 4 | $63,822 | +$5,155 |
| 5 | $65,744 | +$7,077 |
| 6 | $67,664 | +$8,997 |
Worked example as rendered: BA, step 1 = $58,667 a year, $4,888.92 a month spread over 12 months, $315.41 per work day on a 186-day year. Monthly and daily figures are arithmetic on the published annual cell, before any supplement, stipend or deduction.
The schedule covers teachers and Special Service Providers (SSP) under the DCTA agreement, effective August 1, 2026.
The district numbers the education lanes as Grades 1 through 7 above the degree labels; the degree labels are used as the lane names here.
Annual salaries are based on a 1,488 hour (186 day) schedule.
A footnote sets Associate Teachers' annual salary separately at $51,333 for BA, $56,215 for MA and $68,028 for PhD; those are not part of the grid.
ProComp incentives and the separate ESLI step and grade schedule are published as their own documents.
How this schedule moves
On the BA column a teacher moves from $58,667 at step 1 to $94,565 at step 20: 19 step increases worth $1,889 each on average, 61% in total.
The largest single increase on that column is $1,923, between step 3 and step 4.
The highest-paid column, Doctorate, starts at $77,747 and tops out at $125,235, 32% above the top of the BA column.
Among the 14 Colorado district schedules indexed here, Denver Public Schools's starting pay ranks 5th and its top cell ranks 4th; the state medians are $57,346 to start and $113,490 at the top.
Across all 3,959 district grids indexed nationally, that starting figure sits at the 73rd percentile and the top cell at the 87th percentile.
Column by column
| Grade | First step | Top | Step moves to top | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | $58,667 | $94,565 | 19 | 61% |
| BA+18 | $61,151 | $100,250 | 19 | 64% |
| BA+36/MA | $64,246 | $103,342 | 19 | 61% |
| MA+18 | $67,621 | $108,236 | 19 | 60% |
| MA+36 | $70,997 | $111,612 | 19 | 57% |
| MA+54 | $74,370 | $114,988 | 19 | 55% |
| Doctorate | $77,747 | $125,235 | 19 | 61% |
Against Colorado districts of similar size
| District | Students | Year | Starting | Master's start | Top cell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Public Schools | 88,258 | 2026-27 | $58,667 | – | $125,235 |
| Jefferson County Public Schools | 74,251 | 2026-27 | $56,085.00 | $60,661.00 | $112,955.00 |
| Douglas County School District Re-1 | 61,409 | 2026-27 | $51,914 | $57,003 | $108,643 |
| Cherry Creek School District No. 5 | 51,808 | 2026-27 | $62,000 | $69,677 | $126,184 |
| Aurora Public Schools | 38,178 | 2026-27 | $61,805 | $70,185 | $127,750 |
| Adams 12 Five Star Schools | 34,998 | 2026-27 | $61,000 | – | $121,391 |
Starting pay is the first step of the bachelor's column where the schedule has one, otherwise the lowest first-step cell. Enrollment is NCES 2023-24. Years differ where districts publish on different cycles.
Questions people ask
What is the starting teacher salary in Denver Public Schools?
$58,667 on the grade BA at step 1 of the 2026-27 schedule (Denver Public Schools). The lowest cell on the whole grid is $58,667 (BA).
What is the top of the Denver Public Schools salary schedule?
$125,235, at step 20 on Doctorate (2026-27). That is the highest published cell before any stipend, longevity or supplement not printed on the grid.
How long does it take to reach the top of the Denver Public Schools salary schedule?
On the BA column the top figure, $94,565, is reached at step 20, 19 step increases after step 1 (2026-27 schedule).
Other Colorado districts with schedules
- Jefferson County Public Schoolsstarts $56,085.00
- Douglas County School District Re-1starts $51,914
- Cherry Creek School District No. 5starts $62,000
- Aurora Public Schoolsstarts $61,805
- Adams 12 Five Star Schoolsstarts $61,000
- St. Vrain Valley Schoolsstarts $65,300
- Poudre School Districtstarts $58,000
- School District 27Jstarts $56,692.06
- Mesa County Valley School District 51starts $50,765
- Thompson School District R2-Jstarts $46,129
See every Colorado district on the Colorado page. Compare this district on the comparison pages or the rankings.