Annual salary
$55,000
Michigan · salary schedule · 2026-27
Detroit Public Schools Community District salary schedule, 2026-27
DFT Salary Schedule #1 for Instructional Personnel (2026-27). The grid below is the schedule as published, every cell; pick a degree and step to see the annual, monthly and per-day figure and the next five steps.
- Detroit Public Schools Community District's 2026-27 salary schedule starts at $55,000 (Bachelors, step 1) and tops out at $97,500 (PhD, step 13), per Detroit Public Schools Community District (effective ).
- A teacher on the bachelor's column (Bachelors) starts at $55,000 and reaches $84,500 at the top of that column.
- On the master's column (Masters) the range is $60,000 to $96,500.
- The grid has 4 degree columns and 13 step rows; the highest cell is reached at step 13.
- Detroit Public Schools Community District enrolled 48,271 students in 2023-24, the 1st-largest district in Michigan by NCES enrollment.
DFT Salary Schedule #1 for Instructional Personnel (2026-27)
| Step \ Degree | Bachelors | Masters | Masters+30 | PhD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $55,000 | $60,000 | $60,300 | $60,600 |
| 2 | $57,400 | $63,000 | $63,300 | $63,600 |
| 3 | $59,800 | $66,000 | $66,300 | $66,600 |
| 4 | $62,200 | $69,000 | $69,300 | $69,600 |
| 5 | $64,600 | $72,000 | $72,300 | $72,600 |
| 6 | $67,000 | $75,000 | $75,300 | $75,600 |
| 7 | $69,400 | $78,000 | $78,300 | $78,600 |
| 8 | $71,800 | $81,000 | $81,300 | $81,600 |
| 9 | $74,200 | $84,000 | $84,300 | $84,600 |
| 10 | $76,600 | $87,000 | $87,300 | $87,600 |
| 11 | $79,000 | $90,000 | $90,700 | $91,000 |
| 12 | $81,400 | $93,000 | $93,700 | $94,000 |
| 13 | $84,500 | $96,500 | $97,200 | $97,500 |
highest celllowest cell13 step rows x 4 degree columnshover or tap a cell to trace its row and column
Find my cell
Per month (12)
$4,583.33
Next 5 steps in this degree
| Step | Salary | vs. selected |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $57,400 | +$2,400 |
| 3 | $59,800 | +$4,800 |
| 4 | $62,200 | +$7,200 |
| 5 | $64,600 | +$9,600 |
| 6 | $67,000 | +$12,000 |
Worked example as rendered: Bachelors, step 1 = $55,000 a year, $4,583.33 a month spread over 12 months. Monthly and daily figures are arithmetic on the published annual cell, before any supplement, stipend or deduction.
From the Detroit Federation of Teachers 2026-2028 agreement; the schedule applies to instructional personnel, including teachers, on the 39-week/10-month year.
Step 1 is reserved for employees in alternative certification programs, who do not advance until they are certified; Step 2 is the starting salary for 2026-27 and 2027-28.
Step 13 is the top step for 2026-27; a Step 14 (Bachelors $87,600, Masters $100,100, Masters+30 $100,800, PhD $101,100) takes effect in 2027-28 and is not included here.
The agreement also carries a separate Salary Schedule #2 for other DFT classifications, which is not reproduced here.
- Soft spot: The document does not state contract days.
- Soft spot: The district's separately published "DFT Salary Schedule for Instructional Personnel" one-pager still covers 2024-25 and 2025-26; this record uses the newer 2026-2028 agreement.
How this schedule moves
On the Bachelors column a teacher moves from $55,000 at step 1 to $84,500 at step 13: 12 step increases worth $2,458 each on average, 54% in total.
The largest single increase on that column is $3,100, between step 12 and step 13.
A master's degree is worth $5,000 more than a bachelor's at the first step (9.1%) and $12,000 more at the top of the column (14.2%).
The highest-paid column, PhD, starts at $60,600 and tops out at $97,500, 15% above the top of the Bachelors column.
Among the 97 Michigan district schedules indexed here, Detroit Public Schools Community District's starting pay ranks 6th and its top cell ranks 60th; the state medians are $47,542 to start and $101,334 at the top.
Across all 3,959 district grids indexed nationally, that starting figure sits at the 63rd percentile and the top cell at the 57th percentile.
Column by column
| Degree | First step | Top | Step moves to top | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelors | $55,000 | $84,500 | 12 | 54% |
| Masters | $60,000 | $96,500 | 12 | 61% |
| Masters+30 | $60,300 | $97,200 | 12 | 61% |
| PhD | $60,600 | $97,500 | 12 | 61% |
Against Michigan districts of similar size
| District | Students | Year | Starting | Master's start | Top cell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Public Schools Community District | 48,271 | 2026-27 | $55,000 | $60,000 | $97,500 |
| Utica Community Schools | 25,501 | 2026-27 | $48,378 | $54,427 | $106,680 |
| Dearborn Public Schools | 19,621 | 2026-27 | $58,145 | $62,035 | $115,686 |
| Ann Arbor Public Schools | 16,978 | 2024-25 | $45,910 | $52,487 | $96,189 |
| Plymouth-Canton Community Schools | 16,228 | 2025-26 | $49,280 | $51,929 | $101,500 |
| Rochester Community Schools | 14,950 | 2026-27 | $45,083 | $47,293 | $103,661 |
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 Detroit Public Schools Community District?
$55,000 on the degree Bachelors at step 1 of the 2026-27 schedule (Detroit Public Schools Community District). The lowest cell on the whole grid is $55,000 (Bachelors).
What is the top of the Detroit Public Schools Community District salary schedule?
$97,500, at step 13 on PhD (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 Detroit Public Schools Community District salary schedule?
On the Bachelors column the top figure, $84,500, is reached at step 13, 12 step increases after step 1 (2026-27 schedule).
How much more does a master's degree pay in Detroit Public Schools Community District?
$5,000 more at the first step: $60,000 on Masters against $55,000 on Bachelors (2026-27 schedule).
Other Michigan districts with schedules
- Utica Community Schoolsstarts $48,378
- Dearborn Public Schoolsstarts $54,283
- Ann Arbor Public Schoolsstarts $45,910
- Plymouth-Canton Community Schoolsstarts $49,280
- Rochester Community Schoolsstarts $45,083
- Chippewa Valley Schoolsstarts $45,241
- Grand Rapids Public Schoolsstarts $47,854
- Livonia Public Schoolsstarts $53,040
- Warren Consolidated Schoolsstarts $50,124
- Troy School Districtstarts $47,005
See every Michigan district on the Michigan page. Compare this district on the comparison pages or the rankings.