Annual salary
$59,438
Georgia · salary schedule · 2026-27
Cherokee County School District salary schedule, 2026-27
Certified salary schedule, teachers (FY 2026-27). The grid below is the schedule as published, every cell; pick a certificate level and step to see the annual, monthly and per-day figure and the next five steps.
- Cherokee County School District's 2026-27 salary schedule starts at $52,008 (Vocational Level 1, step 00) and tops out at $113,221 (Doctorate Level 7, step 30+), per Cherokee County School District (effective ).
- A teacher on the bachelor's column (Bachelors Level 4) starts at $59,438 and reaches $87,548 at the top of that column.
- On the master's column (Masters Level 5) the range is $64,732 to $97,098.
- The schedule is built on 188 work days, which makes the starting cell about $276.64 per day.
- The grid has 6 certificate level columns and 31 step rows; the highest cell is reached at step 30+.
- Cherokee County enrolled 42,016 students in 2023-24, the 9th-largest district in Georgia by NCES enrollment.
Certified salary schedule, teachers (FY 2026-27)
| Step \ Certificate level | Vocational Level 1 | Vocational Level 2 | Bachelors Level 4 | Masters Level 5 | Specialist Level 6 | Doctorate Level 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | $52,008 | $53,181 | $59,438 | $64,732 | $70,026 | $75,335 |
| 01 | $52,008 | $53,181 | $59,438 | $64,732 | $70,026 | $75,335 |
| 02 | $52,008 | $53,181 | $59,438 | $64,732 | $70,026 | $75,335 |
| 03 | $53,633 | $54,866 | $60,762 | $65,274 | $70,568 | $77,035 |
| 04 | $54,866 | $56,114 | $61,333 | $65,800 | $71,620 | $78,283 |
| 05 | $56,024 | $57,287 | $62,506 | $66,853 | $73,666 | $80,599 |
| 06 | $57,363 | $58,656 | $63,574 | $68,988 | $75,741 | $82,961 |
| 07 | $58,716 | $60,100 | $64,747 | $71,199 | $77,847 | $85,352 |
| 08 | $60,145 | $61,559 | $66,326 | $73,967 | $80,013 | $87,773 |
| 09 | $61,604 | $62,988 | $68,252 | $76,328 | $82,269 | $90,255 |
| 10 | $61,995 | $64,537 | $68,447 | $77,561 | $84,555 | $92,782 |
| 11 | $63,093 | $64,612 | $69,079 | $78,133 | $85,638 | $92,782 |
| 12 | $64,612 | $66,176 | $69,740 | $79,351 | $87,006 | $94,812 |
| 13 | $64,657 | $66,206 | $71,620 | $80,133 | $88,180 | $95,925 |
| 14 | $66,221 | $67,770 | $72,267 | $81,427 | $89,142 | $97,354 |
| 15 | $66,266 | $67,815 | $72,794 | $82,239 | $91,157 | $98,783 |
| 16 | $67,815 | $69,455 | $73,651 | $84,044 | $91,157 | $99,881 |
| 17 | $67,860 | $69,500 | $74,824 | $85,743 | $92,316 | $100,918 |
| 18 | $69,500 | $71,184 | $75,350 | $86,480 | $93,910 | $102,513 |
| 19 | $69,545 | $71,229 | $75,862 | $87,337 | $96,452 | $103,204 |
| 20 | $71,244 | $72,959 | $76,584 | $88,405 | $97,414 | $105,265 |
| 21 | $73,801 | $75,576 | $79,291 | $89,563 | $98,527 | $107,957 |
| 22 | $74,132 | $76,057 | $79,847 | $90,751 | $99,053 | $108,393 |
| 23 | $74,268 | $76,208 | $80,434 | $91,789 | $99,760 | $109,175 |
| 24 | $74,268 | $76,208 | $81,186 | $92,526 | $99,760 | $109,717 |
| 25 | $74,568 | $76,644 | $81,712 | $94,331 | $100,798 | $110,108 |
| 26 | $74,568 | $76,644 | $82,239 | $94,978 | $101,340 | $110,709 |
| 27 | $74,899 | $77,110 | $82,976 | $94,978 | $102,407 | $111,266 |
| 28 | $74,899 | $77,110 | $84,374 | $96,015 | $102,934 | $111,852 |
| 29 | $75,501 | $77,952 | $85,427 | $96,557 | $104,002 | $112,544 |
| 30+ | $75,501 | $77,952 | $87,548 | $97,098 | $104,528 | $113,221 |
highest celllowest cell31 step rows x 6 certificate level columnshover or tap a cell to trace its row and column
Find my cell
Per month (12)
$4,953.17
Per work day
$316.16 / 188 days
Next 5 steps in this certificate level
| Step | Salary | vs. selected |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | $59,438 | +$0 |
| 02 | $59,438 | +$0 |
| 03 | $60,762 | +$1,324 |
| 04 | $61,333 | +$1,895 |
| 05 | $62,506 | +$3,068 |
Worked example as rendered: Bachelors Level 4, step 00 = $59,438 a year, $4,953.17 a month spread over 12 months, $316.16 per work day on a 188-day year. Monthly and daily figures are arithmetic on the published annual cell, before any supplement, stipend or deduction.
Excerpt from Section 4.1 (Teachers) of the district's Employee Compensation and Staffing Allocation Handbook, FY 2026-27, effective 7/1/2026.
Annual salary is based on 8 hours a day and 188 contract days. Newly hired certified staff receive a 189-day contract.
The document also publishes a daily rate for each cell; only the annual rate is reproduced here.
Beginning teachers advance one time from step 0 to step 3 after one successful annual evaluation.
The district notes that the local board funds roughly 35% of teacher salaries above the Georgia state minimum schedule; these figures are the combined state plus local total.
Supplements (athletic, fine arts, academic) are published separately and are not included.
- Soft spot: Step values are flat across steps 00-02 and again at several later steps, as printed.
- Soft spot: Levels 1 and 2 are vocational certificates, not degree lanes.
How this schedule moves
On the Bachelors Level 4 column a teacher moves from $59,438 at step 00 to $87,548 at step 30+: 30 step increases worth $937 each on average, 47% in total.
The largest single increase on that column is $2,707, between step 20 and step 21.
2 of the 30 step moves on that column carry no increase: the schedule prints the same figure for consecutive steps.
A master's degree is worth $5,294 more than a bachelor's at the first step (8.9%) and $9,550 more at the top of the column (10.9%).
The highest-paid column, Doctorate Level 7, starts at $75,335 and tops out at $113,221, 29% above the top of the Bachelors Level 4 column.
Among the 26 Georgia district schedules indexed here, Cherokee County School District's starting pay ranks 6th and its top cell ranks 8th; the state medians are $51,391 to start and $109,486 at the top.
Across all 3,959 district grids indexed nationally, that starting figure sits at the 76th percentile and the top cell at the 77th percentile.
Column by column
| Certificate level | First step | Top | Step moves to top | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Level 1 | $52,008 | $75,501 | 29 | 45% |
| Vocational Level 2 | $53,181 | $77,952 | 29 | 47% |
| Bachelors Level 4 | $59,438 | $87,548 | 30 | 47% |
| Masters Level 5 | $64,732 | $97,098 | 30 | 50% |
| Specialist Level 6 | $70,026 | $104,528 | 30 | 49% |
| Doctorate Level 7 | $75,335 | $113,221 | 30 | 50% |
Against Georgia districts of similar size
| District | Students | Year | Starting | Master's start | Top cell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County School District | 42,016 | 2026-27 | $59,438 | $64,732 | $113,221 |
| Savannah-Chatham County Public School System | 35,781 | 2025-26 | $49,316 | – | $109,029 |
| Atlanta Public Schools | 49,660 | 2026-27 | $62,434 | $68,776 | $128,375 |
| Clayton County Public Schools | 50,832 | 2026-27 | $49,842 | $62,681 | $107,490 |
| Paulding County School District | 31,831 | 2026-27 | $53,997 | $60,488 | $110,355 |
| Houston County Schools | 30,826 | 2026-27 | $49,980 | $55,364 | $110,225 |
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 Cherokee County School District?
$59,438 on the certificate level Bachelors Level 4 at step 00 of the 2026-27 schedule (Cherokee County School District). The lowest cell on the whole grid is $52,008 (Vocational Level 1).
What is the top of the Cherokee County School District salary schedule?
$113,221, at step 30+ on Doctorate Level 7 (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 Cherokee County School District salary schedule?
On the Bachelors Level 4 column the top figure, $87,548, is reached at step 30+, 30 step increases after step 00 (2026-27 schedule).
How much more does a master's degree pay in Cherokee County School District?
$5,294 more at the first step: $64,732 on Masters Level 5 against $59,438 on Bachelors Level 4 (2026-27 schedule).
Other Georgia districts with schedules
- Savannah-Chatham County Public School Systemstarts $49,316
- Atlanta Public Schoolsstarts $62,434
- Clayton County Public Schoolsstarts $49,842
- Paulding County School Districtstarts $51,762
- Houston County Schoolsstarts $49,980
- Richmond County School Systemstarts $45,878
- Forsyth County Schoolsstarts $56,784
- Columbia County School Districtstarts $51,570
- Hall County School Systemstarts $49,597
- Douglas County School Systemstarts $57,247
See every Georgia district on the Georgia page, or the statewide schedule. Compare this district on the comparison pages or the rankings.