Annual salary
$42,474
Kentucky · salary schedule · 2025-26
Hazard 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.
- Hazard Independent's 2025-26 salary schedule starts at $35,500 (Rank V, years of experience 0) and tops out at $68,842 (Rank I, 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 $42,474 and reaches $56,229 at the top of that column.
- On the master's column (Rank II) the range is $47,183 to $63,847.
- The grid has 5 rank columns and 41 years of experience rows; the highest cell is reached at years of experience 40.
- Hazard Independent enrolled 1,016 students in 2023-24, the 137th-largest district in Kentucky by NCES enrollment.
Certified salary schedule (KDE Certified Salary Report, 2025-26)
Official sourceDocumentKentucky Department of Education, Certified Salary Report (FY 2025-26)School year2025-26Effective
| Years of experience \ Rank | Rank I | Rank II | Rank III | Rank IV | Rank V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $52,085 | $47,183 | $42,474 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 1 | $52,271 | $47,374 | $42,661 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 2 | $52,462 | $47,559 | $42,852 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 3 | $52,652 | $47,747 | $43,038 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 4 | $56,607 | $51,893 | $47,374 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 5 | $56,795 | $52,085 | $47,559 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 6 | $56,982 | $52,271 | $47,747 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 7 | $57,172 | $52,458 | $47,939 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 8 | $57,359 | $52,652 | $48,125 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 9 | $57,550 | $52,837 | $48,316 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 10 | $62,823 | $57,925 | $53,025 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 11 | $63,012 | $58,113 | $53,216 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 12 | $63,202 | $58,304 | $53,401 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 13 | $63,390 | $58,488 | $53,589 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 14 | $63,578 | $58,678 | $53,776 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 15 | $64,712 | $59,808 | $55,099 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 16 | $64,898 | $59,996 | $55,288 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 17 | $65,084 | $60,183 | $55,474 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 18 | $65,275 | $60,376 | $55,661 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 19 | $65,460 | $60,564 | $55,852 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 20 | $65,836 | $60,941 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 21 | $67,155 | $62,160 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 22 | $67,342 | $62,347 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 23 | $67,529 | $62,534 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 24 | $67,716 | $62,722 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 25 | $67,905 | $62,910 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 26 | $68,092 | $63,097 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 27 | $68,279 | $63,284 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 28 | $68,466 | $63,472 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 29 | $68,655 | $63,659 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 30 | $68,842 | $63,847 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 31 | $68,842 | $63,847 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 32 | $68,842 | $63,847 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 33 | $68,842 | $63,847 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 34 | $68,842 | $63,847 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 35 | $68,842 | $63,847 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 36 | $68,842 | $63,847 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 37 | $68,842 | $63,847 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 38 | $68,842 | $63,847 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 39 | $68,842 | $63,847 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
| 40 | $68,842 | $63,847 | $56,229 | $37,762 | $35,500 |
highest celllowest cell41 years of experience rows x 5 rank columnshover or tap a cell to trace its row and column
Find my cell
Per month (12)
$3,539.50
Next 5 steps in this rank
| Years of experience | Salary | vs. selected |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $42,661 | +$187 |
| 2 | $42,852 | +$378 |
| 3 | $43,038 | +$564 |
| 4 | $47,374 | +$4,900 |
| 5 | $47,559 | +$5,085 |
Worked example as rendered: Rank III, years of experience 0 = $42,474 a year, $3,539.50 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 $42,474 at years of experience 0 to $56,229 at years of experience 20: 20 years of experience increases worth $688 each on average, 32% in total.
The largest single increase on that column is $4,709, between years of experience 9 and years of experience 10.
20 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 $4,709 more than a bachelor's at the first years of experience (11.1%) and $7,618 more at the top of the column (13.5%).
The highest-paid column, Rank I, starts at $52,085 and tops out at $68,842, 22% above the top of the Rank III column.
Among the 171 Kentucky district schedules indexed here, Hazard Independent's starting pay ranks 92nd and its top cell ranks 123rd; 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 23rd percentile and the top cell at the 21st percentile.
Column by column
| Rank | First years of experience | Top | Years of experience moves to top | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank I | $52,085 | $68,842 | 30 | 32% |
| Rank II | $47,183 | $63,847 | 30 | 35% |
| Rank III | $42,474 | $56,229 | 20 | 32% |
| Rank IV | $37,762 | $37,762 | 0 | 0% |
| Rank V | $35,500 | $35,500 | 0 | 0% |
Against Kentucky districts of similar size
| District | Students | Year | Starting | Master's start | Top cell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazard Independent | 1,016 | 2025-26 | $42,474 | $47,183 | $68,842 |
| Cumberland County | 1,018 | 2025-26 | $40,809.01 | $45,559.24 | $69,870.40 |
| Berea Independent | 1,005 | 2025-26 | $43,509 | $49,783 | $75,754 |
| Ballard County | 1,039 | 2025-26 | $41,870 | $46,568 | $69,368 |
| Eminence Independent | 991 | 2025-26 | $40,800 | $42,840 | $71,400 |
| Livingston County | 1,049 | 2025-26 | $43,260 | $48,164 | $73,902 |
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 Hazard Independent?
$42,474 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 $35,500 (Rank V).
What is the top of the Hazard Independent salary schedule?
$68,842, at years of experience 40 on Rank I (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 Hazard Independent salary schedule?
On the Rank III column the top figure, $56,229, is reached at years of experience 20, 20 years of experience increases after years of experience 0 (2025-26 schedule).
How much more does a master's degree pay in Hazard Independent?
$4,709 more at the first years of experience: $47,183 on Rank II against $42,474 on Rank III (2025-26 schedule).
Other Kentucky districts with schedules
- Cumberland Countystarts $32,008.09
- Berea Independentstarts $32,388
- Ballard Countystarts $34,612
- Eminence Independentstarts $26,010
- Livingston Countystarts $35,686
- Lyon Countystarts $35,154
- Russellville Independentstarts $32,510
- Frankfort Independentstarts $30,567
- Wolfe Countystarts $32,284
- Nicholas Countystarts $34,124.94
See every Kentucky district on the Kentucky page. Compare this district on the comparison pages or the rankings.