KEVIN HOFFMAN
AUG 28, 2014
It ain’t easy being a teacher in Illinois these days. Between the state’s pension crisis, fewer job openings and mediocre starting salaries, becoming an educator is not as appealing as it used to be. While money isn’t everything, especially if you love the the work you do, it’s hard to claim the size of one’s paycheck is a non-factor when the cost of living gets more expensive.
Since there are 866 public school districts in Illinois, we only examined the 25 largest based on student enrollment and calculated the average annual salary for teachers withone year of experience in all subjects, including how a bachelor’s or master’s degree affects pay grade, according to 2012 provided by the Family Taxpayers Foundation. Student enrollment numbers were taken from Illinoisreportcard.com.
Annual salary data encompasses “total credible earnings,” the Family Taxpayers Foundation noted.
It includes, among other things, extra-duty pay (coaching, clubs, etc.), board-paid retirement contributions, vacation and sick day buyouts, bonuses, and other compensation that the Teachers Retirement System includes in total creditable earnings. This salary data does not include the cost of employer-paid health insurance. Individual school district contracts should be consulted for details.
If you’re having trouble viewing the graphic, a plain-text version that includes student enrollment follows.
[Note: Salary data for 2013 is still unavailable due to problems collecting information from school districts, according to the ISBE. State law mandates the publication of annual district report cards no later than Oct. 31, though it's unlikely last year's data will be released in time. The Daily Herald's Jake Griffin has more on this.]
Average salaries for teachers with one year of experience in the 25 largest Illinois school districts.
| Public School District | Avg. Salary (Bachelor’s) | Avg. Salary (Master’s) | Total Student Enrollment |
| Township HSD 214 | $55,103 | $60,934 | 12,129 |
| Township HSD 211 | $53,352 | $64,384 | 12,362 |
| Valley View CUSD 365U | $49,897 | $54,503 | 17,633 |
| Chicago Public Schools | $46,136 | $52,102 | 395,071 |
| St. Charles CUSD 303 | $45,404 | $52,210 | 13,464 |
| Indian Prairie CUSD 204 | $44,330 | $53,354 | 28,435 |
| Aurora West USD 129 | $44,121 | $54,879 | 12,229 |
| Cicero SD 99 | $43,884 | $46,440 | 13,304 |
| Palatine CCSD 15 | $42,783 | $55,907 | 12,921 |
| Naperville CUSD 203 | $42,625 | $48,830 | 17,189 |
| Schaumburg CCSD 54 | $42,365 | $50,182 | 14,085 |
| CUSD 200 | $42,284 | $51,532 | 13,236 |
| CUSD 300 | $42,146 | $44,069 | 20,525 |
| Oswego CUSD 308 | $40,377 | $46,540 | 17,163 |
| Plainfield SD 202 | $40,211 | $45,567 | 28,726 |
| Aurora East USD 131 | $39,218 | $44,635 | 14,758 |
| Joliet PSD 86 | $39,200 | $47,512 | 11,322 |
| SD U-46 | $38,949 | $51,056 | 40,173 |
| Consolidatd SD 158 | $38,472 | $46,853 | 9,305 |
| Waukegan CUSD 60 | $38,417 | $42,117 | 16,138 |
| Champaign CUSD 4 | $37,171 | $47,399 | 9,383 |
| Sprinfield SD 186 | $36,924 | $49,254 | 14,367 |
| Peoria SD 150 | $36,682 | $46,799 | 13,976 |
| McLean County USD 5 | $34,116 | $40,335 | 13,538 |
| Rockford SD 205 | $31,039 | $38,819 | 27,249 |
Whether you’re currently looking for a teaching job within the state or plan to in the near future, hopefully this information gives you an idea of what to expect in some of the bigger school districts.
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