Kentucky · salary schedule · 2025-26
Marion County 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.
- Marion County's 2025-26 salary schedule starts at $35,180 (Rank V, Step II, years of experience 0) and tops out at $83,753 (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 $47,000 and reaches $74,158 at the top of that column.
- On the master's column (Rank II) the range is $51,170 to $78,423.
- The grid has 5 rank columns and 41 years of experience rows; the highest cell is reached at years of experience 40.
- Marion County enrolled 3,129 students in 2023-24, the 52nd-largest district in Kentucky by NCES enrollment.
Certified salary schedule (KDE Certified Salary Report, 2025-26)
| Years of experience \ Rank | Rank I | Rank II | Rank III | Rank IV, Step II | Rank V, Step II |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $56,501 | $51,170 | $47,000 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 1 | $56,821 | $51,491 | $47,321 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 2 | $57,140 | $51,810 | $47,640 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 3 | $57,461 | $52,130 | $47,960 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 4 | $60,659 | $55,329 | $51,064 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 5 | $60,978 | $55,648 | $51,384 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 6 | $61,298 | $55,968 | $51,704 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 7 | $61,618 | $56,287 | $52,023 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 8 | $61,938 | $56,608 | $52,343 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 9 | $62,257 | $56,927 | $52,662 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 10 | $66,377 | $61,047 | $56,782 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 11 | $66,697 | $61,366 | $57,101 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 12 | $67,017 | $61,687 | $57,421 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 13 | $67,336 | $62,006 | $57,741 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 14 | $67,657 | $62,326 | $58,061 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 15 | $70,855 | $65,524 | $61,259 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 16 | $71,174 | $65,844 | $61,579 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 17 | $71,494 | $66,164 | $61,899 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 18 | $71,814 | $66,483 | $62,218 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 19 | $72,134 | $66,804 | $62,539 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 20 | $75,332 | $70,002 | $65,737 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 21 | $75,651 | $70,321 | $66,056 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 22 | $75,972 | $70,642 | $66,376 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 23 | $76,291 | $70,961 | $66,696 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 24 | $76,611 | $71,281 | $67,016 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 25 | $76,931 | $71,600 | $67,335 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 26 | $77,251 | $71,921 | $67,656 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 27 | $79,383 | $74,053 | $69,788 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 28 | $79,702 | $74,372 | $70,107 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 29 | $80,023 | $74,693 | $70,427 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 30 | $80,342 | $75,012 | $70,747 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 31 | $80,662 | $75,332 | $71,067 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 32 | $82,794 | $77,464 | $73,199 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 33 | $83,114 | $77,784 | $73,518 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 34 | $83,434 | $78,104 | $73,839 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 35 | $83,753 | $78,423 | $74,158 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 36 | $83,753 | $78,423 | $74,158 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 37 | $83,753 | $78,423 | $74,158 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 38 | $83,753 | $78,423 | $74,158 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 39 | $83,753 | $78,423 | $74,158 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| 40 | $83,753 | $78,423 | $74,158 | $37,312 | $35,180 |
| Years of experience | Salary | vs. selected |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $47,321 | +$321 |
| 2 | $47,640 | +$640 |
| 3 | $47,960 | +$960 |
| 4 | $51,064 | +$4,064 |
| 5 | $51,384 | +$4,384 |
Worked example as rendered: Rank III, years of experience 0 = $47,000 a year, $3,916.67 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 $47,000 at years of experience 0 to $74,158 at years of experience 35: 35 years of experience increases worth $776 each on average, 58% in total.
The largest single increase on that column is $4,120, between years of experience 9 and years of experience 10.
5 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 $4,170 more than a bachelor's at the first years of experience (8.9%) and $4,265 more at the top of the column (5.8%).
The highest-paid column, Rank I, starts at $56,501 and tops out at $83,753, 13% above the top of the Rank III column.
Among the 171 Kentucky district schedules indexed here, Marion County's starting pay ranks 16th and its top cell ranks 26th; 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 40th percentile.
Column by column
| Rank | First years of experience | Top | Years of experience moves to top | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank I | $56,501 | $83,753 | 35 | 48% |
| Rank II | $51,170 | $78,423 | 35 | 53% |
| Rank III | $47,000 | $74,158 | 35 | 58% |
| Rank IV, Step II | $37,312 | $37,312 | 0 | 0% |
| Rank V, Step II | $35,180 | $35,180 | 0 | 0% |
Against Kentucky districts of similar size
| District | Students | Year | Starting | Master's start | Top cell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County | 3,129 | 2025-26 | $47,000 | $51,170 | $83,753 |
| Wayne County | 3,120 | 2025-26 | $39,512 | $43,946 | $64,469 |
| Calloway County | 3,091 | 2025-26 | $44,260 | $48,120 | $79,144 |
| Fort Thomas Independent | 3,167 | 2025-26 | $47,493 | $51,771 | $89,057 |
| Allen County | 3,086 | 2025-26 | $44,301 | $48,651 | $76,889 |
| Paducah Independent | 3,065 | 2025-26 | $44,579 | $49,117 | $79,758 |
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 Marion County?
$47,000 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 $35,180 (Rank V, Step II).
What is the top of the Marion County salary schedule?
$83,753, 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 Marion County salary schedule?
On the Rank III column the top figure, $74,158, is reached at years of experience 35, 35 years of experience increases after years of experience 0 (2025-26 schedule).
How much more does a master's degree pay in Marion County?
$4,170 more at the first years of experience: $51,170 on Rank II against $47,000 on Rank III (2025-26 schedule).
Other Kentucky districts with schedules
- Wayne Countystarts $30,463
- Calloway Countystarts $30,680
- Fort Thomas Independentstarts $38,846
- Allen Countystarts $35,710
- Paducah Independentstarts $33,892
- Russell Countystarts $36,592
- Ashland Independentstarts $30,975.08
- Simpson Countystarts $39,491
- Boyd Countystarts $32,756
- Corbin Independentstarts $30,109
See every Kentucky district on the Kentucky page. Compare this district on the comparison pages or the rankings.