Rankings · New Mexico
Highest paying school districts in New Mexico
Ranked from the districts' own published salary schedules, not from survey averages or self-reported figures. Every row links to that district's full step-and-lane grid and the document it was read from.
- The highest starting bachelor's salary among the 36 indexed New Mexico district schedules is Gallup-McKinley County Schools at $84,818 (2026-27).
- The highest single cell on any indexed New Mexico grid is Gallup-McKinley County Schools at $105,410.
- This ranks the 36 New Mexico districts whose published schedule is indexed here, out of 89 districts in the state. A district that is not indexed is not ranked.
Highest starting salary on the bachelor's column
| District | Year | Starting | Column | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Gallup-McKinley County Schools | 2026-27 | $84,818 | BA (194 days) | 12,439 |
| 2. Rio Rancho Public Schools | 2026-27 | $84,737 | BA and NBC | 16,725 |
| 3. Santa Fe Public Schools | 2025-26 | $75,000 | BA | 11,490 |
| 4. Gallup-McKinley County Schools | 2026-27 | $72,701 | BA (194 days) | 12,439 |
| 5. Rio Rancho Public Schools | 2026-27 | $72,632 | BA | 16,725 |
| 6. Albuquerque Public Schools | 2026-27 | $71,053 | BA | 76,756 |
| 7. Los Alamos | 2023-24 | $68,586.08 | BA | 3,729 |
| 8. Santa Fe Public Schools | 2025-26 | $65,000 | BA | 11,490 |
| 9. Gallup-McKinley County Schools | 2026-27 | $60,583 | BA (194 days) | 12,439 |
| 10. Rio Rancho Public Schools | 2026-27 | $60,526 | BA | 16,725 |
| 11. Los Lunas | 2024-25 | $59,565 | Level I BA | 8,242 |
| 12. Albuquerque Public Schools | 2026-27 | $59,210 | BA | 76,756 |
| 13. Las Vegas City | 2024-25 | $57,612 | Level I BA | 1,137 |
| 14. Santa Fe Public Schools | 2025-26 | $55,000 | BA | 11,490 |
| 15. Santa Rosa | 2024-25 | $54,781 | BA LEVEL 1 | 587 |
| 16. Lordsburg | 2024-25 | $52,000 | BA Level 1 | 425 |
| 17. Cloudcroft | 2024-25 | $51,500 | Level I BA | 426 |
| 18. Grady | 2024-25 | $50,000 | BA Level 1 | 179 |
| 19. San Jon | 2024-25 | $50,000.00 | Level I BA | 123 |
Highest cell anywhere on the schedule
The top of a schedule is normally the most senior step of the highest education column, so this is what a long-serving teacher with the most credits can reach, not a typical salary.
| District | Year | Top cell | Column | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Gallup-McKinley County Schools | 2026-27 | $105,410 | MA45 (236 days) | 12,439 |
| 2. Jal | 2024-25 | $99,930 | LEVEL 3 | 550 |
| 3. Lovington | 2024-25 | $99,411.42 | LEVEL III | 3,423 |
| 4. Hobbs | 2024-25 | $97,570.95 | Lev. 3 | 10,226 |
| 5. Albuquerque Public Schools | 2026-27 | $93,918 | Doctorate | 76,756 |
| 6. Albuquerque Public Schools | 2026-27 | $93,546 | MA+45 | 76,756 |
| 7. Quemado | 2024-25 | $91,437 | LEVEL III | 169 |
| 8. Las Cruces Public Schools | 2026-27 | $89,067 | Level 3 | 23,404 |
| 9. Los Alamos | 2023-24 | $87,720.71 | PHD | 3,729 |
| 10. Dexter | 2024-25 | $87,280 | Level 3 | 813 |
| 11. Rio Rancho Public Schools | 2026-27 | $85,465 | MA+45 or PhD | 16,725 |
| 12. Gadsden Independent School District | 2026-27 | $84,789 | LEVEL 3 | 12,130 |
| 13. Los Lunas | 2024-25 | $84,211 | Level III PHD | 8,242 |
| 14. Rio Rancho Public Schools | 2026-27 | $83,944 | MA+45 or PHD | 16,725 |
| 15. House | 2024-25 | $82,758 | Lvl.3 | 50 |
| 16. Santa Rosa | 2024-25 | $82,488 | MA+45 LEVEL 3 | 587 |
| 17. Santa Fe Public Schools | 2025-26 | $81,470 | MA+45 | 11,490 |
| 18. Moriarty-Edgewood | 2024-25 | $81,329.38 | LEVEL III | 2,346 |
| 19. Aztec | 2024-25 | $81,230 | Level 3 | 2,522 |
| 20. Maxwell | 2024-25 | $81,092 | LEVEL III | 104 |
| 21. Bernalillo | 2024-25 | $81,083 | Level II MA+45 | 2,852 |
| 22. Las Vegas City | 2024-25 | $80,775 | Level III MA+45/PHD | 1,137 |
| 23. Bloomfield | 2024-25 | $80,358.60 | LEVEL 3 | 2,521 |
| 24. Deming | 2024-25 | $79,995.04 | Level III MA+45 | 5,232 |
| 25. Cloudcroft | 2024-25 | $79,300 | Level III MA +45/POST MA | 426 |
Coverage grows as more New Mexico schedules are parsed. See all 89 New Mexico districts, or the national rankings.