Annual salary
$50,089.83
Tennessee · salary schedule · 2026-27
Knox County Schools salary schedule, 2026-27
Certified salary table, 200 days (2026-27). The grid below is the schedule as published, every cell; pick a grade and step to see the annual, monthly and per-day figure and the next five steps.
- Knox County Schools's 2026-27 salary schedule starts at $50,089.83 (CERT1, step 0) and tops out at $81,543.23 (CERT2, step 20), per Knox County Schools (effective ).
- The schedule is built on 200 work days, which makes the starting cell about $250.45 per day.
- The grid has 2 grade columns and 21 step rows; the highest cell is reached at step 20.
- Knox County enrolled 60,604 students in 2023-24, the 3rd-largest district in Tennessee by NCES enrollment.
Certified salary table, 200 days (2026-27)
| Step \ Grade | CERT1 | CERT2 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | $50,089.83 | $54,030.73 |
| 1 | $50,942.33 | $54,883.23 |
| 2 | $51,794.83 | $55,735.73 |
| 3 | $52,647.33 | $56,588.23 |
| 4 | $53,499.83 | $57,440.73 |
| 5 | $56,987.33 | $60,928.23 |
| 6 | $57,839.83 | $61,780.73 |
| 7 | $58,692.33 | $62,633.23 |
| 8 | $59,544.83 | $63,485.73 |
| 9 | $60,397.33 | $64,338.23 |
| 10 | $63,884.83 | $67,825.73 |
| 11 | $64,737.33 | $68,678.23 |
| 12 | $65,589.83 | $69,530.73 |
| 13 | $66,442.33 | $70,383.23 |
| 14 | $67,294.83 | $71,235.73 |
| 15 | $70,782.33 | $74,723.23 |
| 16 | $71,634.83 | $75,575.73 |
| 17 | $72,487.33 | $76,428.23 |
| 18 | $73,339.83 | $77,280.73 |
| 19 | $74,114.83 | $78,055.73 |
| 20 | $77,602.33 | $81,543.23 |
highest celllowest cell21 step rows x 2 grade columnshover or tap a cell to trace its row and column
Find my cell
Per month (12)
$4,174.15
Per work day
$250.45 / 200 days
Next 5 steps in this grade
| Step | Salary | vs. selected |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,942.33 | +$852.50 |
| 2 | $51,794.83 | +$1,705.00 |
| 3 | $52,647.33 | +$2,557.50 |
| 4 | $53,499.83 | +$3,410.00 |
| 5 | $56,987.33 | +$6,897.50 |
Worked example as rendered: CERT1, step 0 = $50,089.83 a year, $4,174.15 a month spread over 12 months, $250.45 per work day on a 200-day year. Monthly and daily figures are arithmetic on the published annual cell, before any supplement, stipend or deduction.
Annual rates for a 200-day, 7.75-hour-per-day contract. The certified scale is effective August 1, 2026.
Pay grades CERT1 and CERT2 cover teacher, librarian, school counselor, interventionist and certified educational interpreter per the district's published pay-grade list.
The same table also carries the district's classified grades (101 and up); only the two certified grades are reproduced here.
Educational and certification add-ons are paid on top, at flat annual amounts regardless of contract length: Tier 1 MS+30 $1,500, Tier 2 Ed.S. $2,500, Tier 3 Ed.D/Ph.D/J.D. $5,000.
- Soft spot: The document does not say what distinguishes CERT1 from CERT2, and the district's FAQ and pay-grade list do not define it either.
- Soft spot: The grid is published transposed (grades as rows, steps as columns) and has been transposed here to lanes and steps.
- Soft spot: The table stops at step 20 and does not say how staff beyond step 20 are paid.
How this schedule moves
On the CERT1 column a teacher moves from $50,089.83 at step 0 to $77,602.33 at step 20: 20 step increases worth $1,376 each on average, 55% in total.
The largest single increase on that column is $3,488, between step 4 and step 5.
Among the 11 Tennessee district schedules indexed here, Knox County Schools's starting pay ranks 8th and its top cell ranks 9th; the state medians are $50,556 to start and $91,563 at the top.
Across all 3,959 district grids indexed nationally, that starting figure sits at the 47th percentile and the top cell at the 38th percentile.
Column by column
| Grade | First step | Top | Step moves to top | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CERT1 | $50,089.83 | $77,602.33 | 20 | 55% |
| CERT2 | $54,030.73 | $81,543.23 | 20 | 51% |
Against Tennessee districts of similar size
| District | Students | Year | Starting | Master's start | Top cell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County Schools | 60,604 | 2026-27 | $50,089.83 | – | $81,543.23 |
| Rutherford County Schools | 51,595 | 2026-27 | $50,556.10 | $54,853.37 | $97,748.68 |
| Hamilton County Schools | 45,790 | 2026-27 | $50,003.78 | – | $92,605.73 |
| Williamson County Schools | 41,909 | 2026-27 | $60,379 | $57,968 | $93,510 |
| Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools | 80,468 | 2026-27 | $54,521.41 | $60,070.06 | $96,980.83 |
| Clarksville-Montgomery County School System | 39,345 | 2026-27 | $51,000 | $55,858 | $96,165 |
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 salary on the Knox County Schools schedule?
$50,089.83 at step 0 on CERT1, per the 2026-27 schedule (Knox County Schools).
What is the top of the Knox County Schools salary schedule?
$81,543.23, at step 20 on CERT2 (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 Knox County Schools salary schedule?
On the CERT1 column the top figure, $77,602.33, is reached at step 20, 20 step increases after step 0 (2026-27 schedule).
Other Tennessee districts with schedules
- Rutherford County Schoolsstarts $50,556.10
- Hamilton County Schoolsstarts $50,003.78
- Williamson County Schoolsstarts $52,124
- Metropolitan Nashville Public Schoolsstarts $53,500.00
- Clarksville-Montgomery County School Systemstarts $51,000
- Memphis-Shelby County Schoolsstarts $51,827.51
- Washington County Schoolsstarts $47,905
- Warren County Schoolsstarts $50,500
- Monroe County Schoolsstarts $50,009
- Bristol Tennessee City Schoolsstarts $53,251
See every Tennessee district on the Tennessee page, or the statewide schedule. Compare this district on the comparison pages or the rankings.