Kentucky · salary schedule · 2025-26
Bardstown Independent salary schedule, 2025-26
Certified salary schedule (KDE Certified Salary Report, 2025-26). The grid below is the schedule as published, every cell; pick a rank and years of experience to see the annual, monthly and per-day figure and the next five steps.
- Bardstown Independent's 2025-26 salary schedule starts at $42,108 (Rank IV, years of experience 0) and tops out at $89,783 (Rank I, Step II, years of experience 40), per Kentucky Department of Education, Certified Salary Report (FY 2025-26) (effective ).
- A teacher on the bachelor's column (Rank III) starts at $47,308 and reaches $70,087 at the top of that column.
- On the master's column (Rank II) the range is $52,628 to $78,653.
- The grid has 7 rank columns and 41 years of experience rows; the highest cell is reached at years of experience 40.
- Bardstown Independent enrolled 2,778 students in 2023-24, the 65th-largest district in Kentucky by NCES enrollment.
Certified salary schedule (KDE Certified Salary Report, 2025-26)
| Years of experience \ Rank | Rank I | Rank I, Step II | Rank II | Rank II, Step II | Rank III | Rank III, Step II | Rank IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $58,066 | $59,785 | $52,628 | $53,420 | $47,308 | $47,932 | $42,108 |
| 1 | $58,599 | $60,445 | $53,263 | $54,054 | $47,944 | $48,559 | $42,108 |
| 2 | $59,243 | $61,088 | $53,894 | $54,685 | $48,572 | $49,187 | $42,108 |
| 3 | $59,898 | $61,731 | $54,521 | $55,318 | $49,190 | $49,814 | $42,108 |
| 4 | $62,785 | $64,634 | $57,408 | $58,228 | $51,931 | $52,546 | $42,108 |
| 5 | $63,439 | $65,285 | $58,066 | $58,882 | $52,569 | $53,185 | $42,108 |
| 6 | $64,096 | $65,935 | $58,714 | $59,531 | $53,167 | $53,786 | $42,108 |
| 7 | $64,748 | $66,591 | $59,363 | $60,185 | $53,756 | $54,369 | $42,108 |
| 8 | $65,398 | $67,238 | $60,014 | $60,838 | $54,357 | $54,972 | $42,108 |
| 9 | $66,048 | $67,894 | $60,676 | $61,488 | $54,940 | $55,566 | $42,108 |
| 10 | $70,370 | $72,206 | $64,962 | $65,780 | $59,220 | $59,856 | $42,108 |
| 11 | $71,003 | $72,838 | $65,564 | $66,240 | $59,792 | $60,313 | $42,108 |
| 12 | $71,641 | $73,472 | $65,884 | $66,853 | $60,369 | $60,892 | $42,108 |
| 13 | $72,272 | $74,109 | $66,802 | $67,470 | $60,972 | $61,488 | $42,108 |
| 14 | $72,900 | $74,744 | $67,416 | $68,089 | $61,519 | $62,041 | $42,108 |
| 15 | $75,515 | $77,420 | $69,990 | $70,662 | $64,043 | $64,557 | $42,108 |
| 16 | $76,296 | $78,459 | $70,503 | $71,179 | $64,298 | $64,820 | $42,108 |
| 17 | $77,180 | $79,648 | $71,127 | $71,854 | $64,607 | $65,130 | $42,108 |
| 18 | $78,166 | $80,997 | $71,854 | $72,530 | $64,974 | $65,495 | $42,108 |
| 19 | $79,257 | $82,559 | $72,684 | $73,205 | $65,389 | $65,910 | $42,108 |
| 20 | $80,448 | $84,320 | $73,623 | $73,883 | $65,849 | $66,371 | $42,108 |
| 21 | $81,020 | $84,925 | $74,140 | $74,404 | $66,318 | $66,838 | $42,108 |
| 22 | $81,572 | $85,453 | $74,628 | $74,901 | $66,584 | $67,157 | $42,108 |
| 23 | $82,038 | $85,906 | $75,064 | $75,314 | $66,845 | $67,468 | $42,108 |
| 24 | $82,467 | $86,328 | $75,452 | $75,693 | $67,111 | $67,732 | $42,108 |
| 25 | $82,948 | $86,854 | $75,876 | $76,130 | $67,391 | $68,017 | $42,108 |
| 26 | $83,258 | $87,176 | $76,158 | $76,410 | $67,637 | $68,267 | $42,108 |
| 27 | $83,883 | $87,801 | $76,776 | $77,026 | $68,247 | $68,875 | $42,108 |
| 28 | $84,510 | $88,456 | $77,398 | $77,647 | $68,855 | $69,494 | $42,108 |
| 29 | $85,142 | $89,117 | $78,022 | $78,275 | $69,469 | $70,119 | $42,108 |
| 30 | $85,779 | $89,783 | $78,653 | $78,906 | $70,087 | $70,746 | $42,108 |
| 31 | $85,779 | $89,783 | $78,653 | $78,906 | $70,087 | $70,746 | $42,108 |
| 32 | $85,779 | $89,783 | $78,653 | $78,906 | $70,087 | $70,746 | $42,108 |
| 33 | $85,779 | $89,783 | $78,653 | $78,906 | $70,087 | $70,746 | $42,108 |
| 34 | $85,779 | $89,783 | $78,653 | $78,906 | $70,087 | $70,746 | $42,108 |
| 35 | $85,779 | $89,783 | $78,653 | $78,906 | $70,087 | $70,746 | $42,108 |
| 36 | $85,779 | $89,783 | $78,653 | $78,906 | $70,087 | $70,746 | $42,108 |
| 37 | $85,779 | $89,783 | $78,653 | $78,906 | $70,087 | $70,746 | $42,108 |
| 38 | $85,779 | $89,783 | $78,653 | $78,906 | $70,087 | $70,746 | $42,108 |
| 39 | $85,779 | $89,783 | $78,653 | $78,906 | $70,087 | $70,746 | $42,108 |
| 40 | $85,779 | $89,783 | $78,653 | $78,906 | $70,087 | $70,746 | $42,108 |
| Years of experience | Salary | vs. selected |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $47,944 | +$636 |
| 2 | $48,572 | +$1,264 |
| 3 | $49,190 | +$1,882 |
| 4 | $51,931 | +$4,623 |
| 5 | $52,569 | +$5,261 |
Worked example as rendered: Rank III, years of experience 0 = $47,308 a year, $3,942.33 a month spread over 12 months. Monthly and daily figures are arithmetic on the published annual cell, before any supplement, stipend or deduction.
Kentucky ranks: Rank I is generally a master's degree plus 30 approved hours (or a specialist/doctorate), Rank II a master's degree or planned fifth-year program, Rank III a bachelor's degree; Ranks IV and V are lower-credential classifications. KDE's report lists up to three district-defined 'steps' inside a rank; only steps the district reported are shown.
Values are the district's single-salary schedule as filed with the Kentucky Department of Education for fiscal year 2025-26 (report generated February 19, 2026).
- Soft spot: Effective date is the fiscal-year start (July 1, 2025); the KDE report does not print a board-adoption date.
- Soft spot: This grid comes from a Certified Salary Report generated by the Kentucky Department of Education on 19 February 2026. KDE has since reorganised its site and the report is no longer published at a stable address, so the source link points to its School Finance section rather than to the file.
How this schedule moves
On the Rank III column a teacher moves from $47,308 at years of experience 0 to $70,087 at years of experience 30: 30 years of experience increases worth $759 each on average, 48% in total.
The largest single increase on that column is $4,280, between years of experience 9 and years of experience 10.
10 of the 40 years of experience moves on that column carry no increase: the schedule prints the same figure for consecutive years of experiences.
A master's degree is worth $5,320 more than a bachelor's at the first years of experience (11.2%) and $8,566 more at the top of the column (12.2%).
The highest-paid column, Rank I, Step II, starts at $59,785 and tops out at $89,783, 28% above the top of the Rank III column.
Among the 171 Kentucky district schedules indexed here, Bardstown Independent's starting pay ranks 12th and its top cell ranks 7th; the state medians are $42,700 to start and $72,199 at the top.
Across all 3,959 district grids indexed nationally, that starting figure sits at the 37th percentile and the top cell at the 47th percentile.
Column by column
| Rank | First years of experience | Top | Years of experience moves to top | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank I | $58,066 | $85,779 | 30 | 48% |
| Rank I, Step II | $59,785 | $89,783 | 30 | 50% |
| Rank II | $52,628 | $78,653 | 30 | 49% |
| Rank II, Step II | $53,420 | $78,906 | 30 | 48% |
| Rank III | $47,308 | $70,087 | 30 | 48% |
| Rank III, Step II | $47,932 | $70,746 | 30 | 48% |
| Rank IV | $42,108 | $42,108 | 0 | 0% |
Against Kentucky districts of similar size
| District | Students | Year | Starting | Master's start | Top cell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bardstown Independent | 2,778 | 2025-26 | $47,308 | $52,628 | $89,783 |
| Rockcastle County | 2,779 | 2025-26 | $41,467 | $46,251 | $67,469 |
| McCreary County | 2,727 | 2025-26 | $38,482 | $42,837 | $66,014 |
| Mercer County | 2,724 | 2025-26 | $50,000 | $54,000 | $76,406 |
| Taylor County | 2,712 | 2025-26 | $44,090 | $47,100 | $72,500 |
| Breckinridge County | 2,670 | 2025-26 | $43,706 | $48,581 | $75,049 |
Starting pay is the first years of experience of the bachelor's column where the schedule has one, otherwise the lowest first-years of experience cell. Enrollment is NCES 2023-24. Years differ where districts publish on different cycles.
Questions people ask
What is the starting teacher salary in Bardstown Independent?
$47,308 on the rank Rank III at years of experience 0 of the 2025-26 schedule (Kentucky Department of Education, Certified Salary Report (FY 2025-26)). The lowest cell on the whole grid is $42,108 (Rank IV).
What is the top of the Bardstown Independent salary schedule?
$89,783, at years of experience 40 on Rank I, Step II (2025-26). 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 Bardstown Independent salary schedule?
On the Rank III column the top figure, $70,087, is reached at years of experience 30, 30 years of experience increases after years of experience 0 (2025-26 schedule).
How much more does a master's degree pay in Bardstown Independent?
$5,320 more at the first years of experience: $52,628 on Rank II against $47,308 on Rank III (2025-26 schedule).
Other Kentucky districts with schedules
- Rockcastle Countystarts $31,240
- McCreary Countystarts $30,308
- Mercer Countystarts $39,676
- Taylor Countystarts $32,130
- Breckinridge Countystarts $33,220
- Adair Countystarts $29,694
- Boyle Countystarts $31,704
- Bourbon Countystarts $33,211
- Harrison Countystarts $33,318
- Mason Countystarts $34,771
See every Kentucky district on the Kentucky page. Compare this district on the comparison pages or the rankings.