Annual salary
$52,275.00
Montana · salary schedule · 2026-27
Helena Public Schools salary schedule, 2026-27
Salary Schedule 2026-2027. The grid below is the schedule as published, every cell; pick a education column and step to see the annual, monthly and per-day figure and the next five steps.
- Helena Public Schools's 2026-27 salary schedule starts at $44,484.00 (PCAP, step 0) and tops out at $93,008.82 (MA+BC OR PHD, step 24), per Helena Public Schools (effective ).
- A teacher on the bachelor's column (BA) starts at $52,275.00 and reaches $56,029.41 at the top of that column.
- The grid has 8 education column columns and 25 step rows; the highest cell is reached at step 24.
- Helena Elem enrolled 5,173 students in 2023-24, the 5th-largest district in Montana by NCES enrollment.
Salary Schedule 2026-2027
| Step \ Education column | BA | BA+10 | BA+20 | BA+30 | MA OR BC | MA+30 | MA+BC OR PHD | PCAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $52,275.00 | $52,531.25 | $52,787.50 | $53,043.75 | $53,300.00 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.35 | $44,484.00 |
| 1 | $52,650.44 | $53,053.01 | $53,524.56 | $54,221.61 | $54,583.33 | $59,720.63 | $63,165.31 | $45,996.78 |
| 2 | $53,025.88 | $53,574.77 | $54,261.63 | $55,399.46 | $55,866.67 | $61,170.67 | $64,699.40 | $47,509.58 |
| 3 | $53,401.32 | $54,096.52 | $54,998.69 | $56,577.32 | $57,150.00 | $62,620.71 | $66,232.36 | $49,022.38 |
| 4 | $53,776.76 | $54,618.28 | $55,735.76 | $57,755.18 | $59,018.01 | $64,070.75 | $67,766.46 | $50,535.16 |
| 5 | $54,152.21 | $55,140.04 | $56,472.82 | $58,933.03 | $60,884.91 | $65,521.91 | $69,299.41 | $52,662.03 |
| 6 | $54,527.65 | $55,661.80 | $57,209.89 | $60,110.89 | $62,752.94 | $66,971.95 | $70,833.49 | $54,174.83 |
| 7 | $54,903.09 | $56,183.56 | $57,946.95 | $61,288.75 | $64,620.96 | $68,421.99 | $72,366.47 | $55,687.64 |
| 8 | $55,278.53 | $56,705.31 | $58,684.02 | $62,466.60 | $66,487.86 | $69,872.03 | $73,899.43 | $57,200.43 |
| 9 | $55,653.97 | $57,227.07 | $59,421.08 | $63,644.46 | $68,355.89 | $71,322.08 | $75,433.50 | $58,713.22 |
| 10 | $56,029.41 | $57,748.83 | $60,158.15 | $64,822.32 | $70,223.89 | $72,772.11 | $76,966.48 | $62,135.49 |
| 11 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $60,895.21 | $66,000.17 | $72,090.79 | $74,222.16 | $78,500.56 | $63,648.28 |
| 12 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $67,178.03 | $73,958.82 | $75,672.19 | $80,033.53 | $65,161.08 |
| 13 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $68,355.89 | $75,826.84 | $77,123.36 | $81,566.49 | $66,673.88 |
| 14 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $68,355.89 | $77,693.74 | $78,573.39 | $83,100.57 | $68,186.67 |
| 15 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $68,355.89 | $79,561.77 | $80,023.44 | $84,633.54 | $71,610.06 |
| 16 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $68,355.89 | $79,561.77 | $81,473.47 | $86,167.63 | $73,122.86 |
| 17 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $68,355.89 | $79,561.77 | $82,923.52 | $87,700.60 | $74,635.66 |
| 18 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $68,355.89 | $79,561.77 | $82,923.52 | $89,234.67 | $76,148.45 |
| 19 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $68,355.89 | $79,561.77 | $82,923.52 | $90,767.64 | $77,661.25 |
| 20 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $68,355.89 | $79,561.77 | $82,923.52 | $91,215.88 | $80,293.50 |
| 21 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $68,355.89 | $79,561.77 | $82,923.52 | $91,664.12 | $81,806.30 |
| 22 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $68,355.89 | $79,561.77 | $82,923.52 | $92,112.36 | $83,319.08 |
| 23 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $68,355.89 | $79,561.77 | $82,923.52 | $92,560.58 | $84,831.89 |
| 24 | $56,029.41 | $58,270.59 | $61,632.28 | $68,355.89 | $79,561.77 | $82,923.52 | $93,008.82 | $86,344.68 |
highest celllowest cell25 step rows x 8 education column columnshover or tap a cell to trace its row and column
Find my cell
Per month (12)
$4,356.25
Next 5 steps in this education column
| Step | Salary | vs. selected |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $52,650.44 | +$375.44 |
| 2 | $53,025.88 | +$750.88 |
| 3 | $53,401.32 | +$1,126.32 |
| 4 | $53,776.76 | +$1,501.76 |
| 5 | $54,152.21 | +$1,877.21 |
Worked example as rendered: BA, step 0 = $52,275.00 a year, $4,356.25 a month spread over 12 months. Monthly and daily figures are arithmetic on the published annual cell, before any supplement, stipend or deduction.
Page 50 of the HEA / HPS Teacher Collective Bargaining Agreement 2025-2027, headed "SALARY SCHEDULE--2026-2027".
The PCAP column is the district’s alternate-pathway column and starts below the BA column; it is reproduced in the district’s own lane order.
Stipends outside the grid: $1,000 for grandfathered single Montessori, $2,000 for grandfathered double Montessori, and $2,154.20 for a Master’s degree on PCAP.
- Soft spot: The agreement is a scanned document with no text layer, so every figure was read off the page image rather than extracted.
- Soft spot: Contract days are not stated on the schedule page, so work_days is null.
How this schedule moves
On the BA column a teacher moves from $52,275.00 at step 0 to $56,029.41 at step 10: 10 step increases worth $375 each on average, 7% in total.
The largest single increase on that column is $375, between step 4 and step 5.
14 of the 24 step moves on that column carry no increase: the schedule prints the same figure for consecutive steps.
The highest-paid column, MA+BC OR PHD, starts at $61,632.35 and tops out at $93,008.82, 66% above the top of the BA column.
Among the 5 Montana district schedules indexed here, Helena Public Schools's starting pay ranks 1st and its top cell ranks 4th; the state medians are $50,852 to start and $94,618 at the top.
Across all 3,959 district grids indexed nationally, that starting figure sits at the 55th percentile and the top cell at the 51st percentile.
Column by column
| Education column | First step | Top | Step moves to top | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | $52,275.00 | $56,029.41 | 10 | 7% |
| BA+10 | $52,531.25 | $58,270.59 | 11 | 11% |
| BA+20 | $52,787.50 | $61,632.28 | 12 | 17% |
| BA+30 | $53,043.75 | $68,355.89 | 13 | 29% |
| MA OR BC | $53,300.00 | $79,561.77 | 15 | 49% |
| MA+30 | $58,270.59 | $82,923.52 | 17 | 42% |
| MA+BC OR PHD | $61,632.35 | $93,008.82 | 24 | 51% |
| PCAP | $44,484.00 | $86,344.68 | 24 | 94% |
Against Montana districts of similar size
| District | Students | Year | Starting | Master's start | Top cell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helena Public Schools | 5,173 | 2026-27 | $52,275.00 | – | $93,008.82 |
| Billings High School District No. 2 | 5,481 | 2026-27 | $50,852 | $58,542 | $94,618 |
| Bozeman Public Schools | 4,679 | 2026-27 | $50,242 | – | $95,962 |
| Great Falls School District No. 1 & A | 6,899 | 2026-27 | $42,044 | $46,122 | $88,466 |
| Billings Elementary School District No. 2 | 11,089 | 2026-27 | $50,852 | $58,542 | $94,618 |
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 Helena Public Schools?
$52,275.00 on the education column BA at step 0 of the 2026-27 schedule (Helena Public Schools). The lowest cell on the whole grid is $44,484.00 (PCAP).
What is the top of the Helena Public Schools salary schedule?
$93,008.82, at step 24 on MA+BC OR 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 Helena Public Schools salary schedule?
On the BA column the top figure, $56,029.41, is reached at step 10, 10 step increases after step 0 (2026-27 schedule).
Other Montana districts with schedules
- Billings High School District No. 2starts $50,852
- Bozeman Public Schoolsstarts $50,242
- Great Falls School District No. 1 & Astarts $42,044
- Billings Elementary School District No. 2starts $50,852
See every Montana district on the Montana page. Compare this district on the comparison pages or the rankings.