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 August 1, 2026).
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)

Official sourceDocumentKnox County SchoolsSchool year2026-27EffectiveAugust 1, 2026Work days200

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

Grade

Step

Annual salary

$50,089.83

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.

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.

Other Tennessee districts with schedules

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