Annual salary
$46,201
South Dakota · salary schedule · 2026-27
Rapid City Area School District No. 51-4 salary schedule, 2026-27
Placement Grid for New Teachers, Appendix A-1 (2026-27). The grid below is the schedule as published, every cell; pick a degree and level to see the annual, monthly and per-day figure and the next five steps.
- Rapid City Area School District No. 51-4's 2026-27 salary schedule starts at $46,201 (Salary, level 0) and tops out at $53,786 (PhD/EdD, level 6), per Rapid City Area School District No. 51-4 and Rapid City Education Association (effective ).
- On the master's column (Master's) the range is $47,301 to $53,286.
- The schedule is built on 186 work days, which makes the starting cell about $248.39 per day.
- The grid has 4 degree columns and 7 level rows; the highest cell is reached at level 6.
- Rapid City Area School District 51-4 enrolled 12,432 students in 2023-24, the 2nd-largest district in South Dakota by NCES enrollment.
Placement Grid for New Teachers, Appendix A-1 (2026-27)
Official sourceDocumentRapid City Area School District No. 51-4 and Rapid City Education AssociationSchool year2026-27EffectiveWork days186
| Level \ Degree | Salary | Master's | EdS | PhD/EdD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $46,201 | $47,301 | $47,551 | $47,801 |
| 1 | $46,701 | $47,801 | $48,051 | $48,301 |
| 2 | $47,278 | $48,378 | $48,628 | $48,878 |
| 3 | $48,460 | $49,560 | $49,810 | $50,060 |
| 4 | $49,672 | $50,772 | $51,022 | $51,272 |
| 5 | $50,913 | $52,013 | $52,263 | $52,513 |
| 6 | $52,186 | $53,286 | $53,536 | $53,786 |
highest celllowest cell7 level rows x 4 degree columnshover or tap a cell to trace its row and column
Find my cell
Per month (12)
$3,850.08
Per work day
$248.39 / 186 days
Next 5 steps in this degree
| Level | Salary | vs. selected |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $46,701 | +$500 |
| 2 | $47,278 | +$1,077 |
| 3 | $48,460 | +$2,259 |
| 4 | $49,672 | +$3,471 |
| 5 | $50,913 | +$4,712 |
Worked example as rendered: Salary, level 0 = $46,201 a year, $3,850.08 a month spread over 12 months, $248.39 per work day on a 186-day year. Monthly and daily figures are arithmetic on the published annual cell, before any supplement, stipend or deduction.
This is Appendix A-1 of the 2026-2027 Teacher Negotiated Agreement, the only teacher pay grid the district publishes. The agreement states the placement grids are used for hiring and do not depict the current salaries of all employees, and that wage increases depend on available funding and negotiations.
Level 0 through Level 6 correspond to 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 or more years of relevant experience at hire.
The Master's, EdS and PhD/EdD columns are the Salary column plus the district's stated annual education enhancement of $1,100, $1,350 and $1,600 respectively. A single enhancement is paid for the highest level of educational achievement.
National Board Certified Teachers and National Certified School Counselors receive a $1,000 per year stipend, paid in 24 installments, which is not in the grid.
The agreement carries two further placement grids not recorded here: Appendix A-2 for deans, counselors, social workers and administrative special education specialists, and Appendix A-3 for designated special services teachers.
The linked file is named 2025-26_Teacher_Negotiated_Agreement_FINAL_V2.pdf but its cover, running footer and every appendix are titled 2026-2027; the district links it as the 2026-27 Teacher Negotiated Agreement.
- Soft spot: Rapid City publishes no traditional step-and-lane advancement schedule. Continuing teachers do not move through this grid: the agreement ties raises to negotiated wage increases, so the top of this grid ($53,786) is a hiring ceiling, not a career maximum.
- Soft spot: The agreement states no contract-day count directly; work_days 186 is the daily-wage divisor the agreement sets for teachers new to the district (183 for continuing special education staff and 181 for all other continuing teachers).
- Soft spot: The document states no effective date; 2026-07-01 is the district's fiscal year start.
How this schedule moves
On the Salary column a teacher moves from $46,201 at level 0 to $52,186 at level 6: 6 level increases worth $998 each on average, 13% in total.
The largest single increase on that column is $1,273, between level 5 and level 6.
The highest-paid column, PhD/EdD, starts at $47,801 and tops out at $53,786, 3% above the top of the Salary column.
Among the 10 South Dakota district schedules indexed here, Rapid City Area School District No. 51-4's starting pay ranks 7th and its top cell ranks 7th; the state medians are $47,750 to start and $57,544 at the top.
Across all 3,959 district grids indexed nationally, that starting figure sits at the 34th percentile and the top cell at the 4th percentile.
Column by column
| Degree | First level | Top | Level moves to top | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary | $46,201 | $52,186 | 6 | 13% |
| Master's | $47,301 | $53,286 | 6 | 13% |
| EdS | $47,551 | $53,536 | 6 | 13% |
| PhD/EdD | $47,801 | $53,786 | 6 | 13% |
Against South Dakota districts of similar size
| District | Students | Year | Starting | Master's start | Top cell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid City Area School District No. 51-4 | 12,432 | 2026-27 | $46,201 | $47,301 | $53,786 |
| Brandon Valley School District 49-2 | 4,991 | 2026-27 | $55,615 | $56,224 | $60,986 |
| Aberdeen School District 6-1 | 4,263 | 2026-27 | $50,400 | – | $70,500 |
| Lennox School District 41-4 | 1,224 | 2025-26 | $52,600 | $55,500 | $63,925 |
| Hot Springs School District 23-2 | 739 | 2025-26 | $45,500 | $47,100 | $53,250 |
| White River School District 47-1 | 416 | 2025-26 | $49,000 | – | $58,575 |
Starting pay is the first level of the bachelor's column where the schedule has one, otherwise the lowest first-level cell. Enrollment is NCES 2023-24. Years differ where districts publish on different cycles.
Questions people ask
What is the starting salary on the Rapid City Area School District No. 51-4 schedule?
$46,201 at level 0 on Salary, per the 2026-27 schedule (Rapid City Area School District No. 51-4 and Rapid City Education Association).
What is the top of the Rapid City Area School District No. 51-4 salary schedule?
$53,786, at level 6 on PhD/EdD (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 Rapid City Area School District No. 51-4 salary schedule?
On the Salary column the top figure, $52,186, is reached at level 6, 6 level increases after level 0 (2026-27 schedule).
Other South Dakota districts with schedules
- Brandon Valley School District 49-2starts $55,615
- Aberdeen School District 6-1starts $50,400
- Lennox School District 41-4starts $52,600
- Hot Springs School District 23-2starts $45,500
- White River School District 47-1starts $49,000
- Estelline School District 28-2starts $45,563
- Newell School District 09-2starts $45,500
- Bison School District 52-1starts $46,500
- Sioux Falls School Districtstarts $52,917
See every South Dakota district on the South Dakota page. Compare this district on the comparison pages or the rankings.