Colorado Teacher Salaries

Qualified teachers are in high demand everywhere, and in Colorado, education was one of the few industry sectors to experience employment growth over the past year.⁽¹⁾ If you take a look at the federal and state money being invested in the education system, you'll see some of the reasons for that growth, from Teacher Incentive Fund grants amounting to $47.8 million to $40 million for expanding the charter school system.⁽²⁾

With education in the limelight, Colorado teacher salaries are sure to enjoy a bit of a boost. In 2009-2010, teachers in Colorado earned an average of $49,505, according to the National Education Association. In addition, programs such as Teacher ProComp, administered by the Denver Public Schools system, provide incentive pay for teachers in top performing schools, hard-to-serve schools, and other special situations.⁽³⁾

A number of other factors also affect Colorado teacher salaries, such as experience, additional certifications, competencies in high-demand areas like special education, or higher educational attainment such as master's or doctoral degrees. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, by the time secondary school teachers reach the 90th wage percentile in Colorado, they may earn a salary of almost $70,000.

Geographic location also has a noticeable effect on Colorado teacher salaries, which are reported annually by the Colorado Department of Education. Here's a sampling of average 2009 salaries in five major cities:⁽²⁾

• Denver: $49,778
• Colorado Springs: $48,117
• Lakewood/Jefferson County: $53,484
• Fort Collins: $48,695
• Pueblo: $47,325

Full-time teachers also enjoy a number of other benefits, such as health and dental insurance, vacation time, sick leave, and retirement plans. Teachers lucky enough to live in Colorado cities such as Telluride may even get a free ski pass!⁽⁴⁾

Read more about how to become a teacher in Colorado, or start researching teacher training at the bachelor's or master's level at Teacher World today.

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