PlainTeacher

State profile · NCES F-33 FY2023

Teacher Salary in Colorado

Colorado's estimated average is $64,442 across 141 reliable districts (#28 of 49). According to the NCES Common Core of Data finance survey, estimated teacher pay and per-pupil spending are available for every public school district in Colorado.

$64,442
Est. state avg salary

Below benchmark

-8.3%
vs national
#28
National rank
181
Districts

Keep this state in your shortlist

Save it in this browser, then return when PlainTeacher adds a newer public-data release. No account or personal details required.

View saved

$64,442/year (est.)

Colorado's estimated average is $64,442 across 141 reliable districts (#28 of 49). Estimated average teacher salary is $64,442, below the national average of $70,245, ranking #28 of 49, across 141 public school districts with reliable data (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Mid-pack salary posture: Colorado's estimated average is $64,442 across 141 reliable districts (#28 of 49).
  • middle third nationally (#28 of 49)
  • Colorado ranks #28 of 49 on the salary estimate and #19 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • $59,935 spread between its highest- and lowest-paying districts
  • -8.3% vs the national average
  • +25.5% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (balanced cohort, not the FTE average above)
  • #26 of 49 purchasing-power-adjusted (BEA RPP 101.9)

Same-district trend

How does a balanced panel separate change from district turnover?

For the same 165 Colorado districts present with valid estimates in every release, the average state figure moved from $55,856 in FY2019 to $70,101 in FY2023 (+25.5%).

The fixed cohort prevents entering or missing districts from masquerading as salary movement. It is still a change in a derived district-level estimate, not evidence of any individual teacher's raise.

Purchasing-power-adjusted rank for Colorado

Colorado's nominal average teacher salary ranks #28 of the 49 states and territories that report teacher salaries. Adjusted by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2023 Regional Price Parity (101.9, US = 100, a relative state-level price-level index, not a district or metro cost-of-living figure), the estimate becomes $75,168, ranking #26 of 49 , 2 places higher than the nominal rank once relative price levels are factored in. This purchasing-power view is not published by NEA's teacher-pay rankings or the aggregator sites; it comes from combining our own F-33-derived salary estimate with BEA's public RPP series. See the full 51-state release for methodology and download. BEA Regional Price Parities · NCES CCD F-33

Colorado in the teacher-salary distribution

FY2023 estimated state averages from the same NCES-derived ranking

$64,442 43rd percentile higher than 43% of 49 reporting states and territories

Show national distribution $0–$5,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Below this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 2 reporting states and territories (4%). Below this entry. $50,000–$55,000: 6 reporting states and territories (12%). Below this entry. $55,000–$60,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). Below this entry. $60,000–$65,000: 9 reporting states and territories (18%). This entry sits in this band. $65,000–$70,000: 7 reporting states and territories (14%). Above this entry. $70,000–$75,000: 2 reporting states and territories (4%). Above this entry. $75,000–$80,000: 4 reporting states and territories (8%). Above this entry. $80,000–$85,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). Above this entry. $85,000–$90,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). Above this entry. $90,000–$95,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Above this entry. $95,000–$100,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $100,000–$105,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $105,000–$110,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $110,000–$115,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Above this entry. $115,000–$120,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $120,000–$125,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Above this entry. Colorado $0 $125,000 reporting state salary estimates, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more reporting states and territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey; state estimates derived from reported instructional-salary expenditure and teacher FTE · FY2023

Colorado's comparable salary trend

Same reporting-district cohort, FY2019-FY2023

FY2023 estimated average
$70,101 25.502233717522383% vs FY2019
165 districts held in the panel
$50,000$55,000$60,000$65,000$70,000$75,000 FY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023 Colorado est. avg teacher salary, FY2019: $55,856Colorado est. avg teacher salary, FY2020: $58,550Colorado est. avg teacher salary, FY2021: $62,501Colorado est. avg teacher salary, FY2022: $66,131Colorado est. avg teacher salary, FY2023: $70,101 $55,856 $70,101 ▲ +25.5%
Read the chart as text
Period Colorado est. avg teacher salary
FY2019 $55,856
FY2020 $58,550
FY2021 $62,501
FY2022 $66,131
FY2023 $70,101

Highest-paying districts in Colorado

Estimated average teacher salary, enrolling districts (200+ students)

Est. avg salary

What this shows Crowley County School District No. Re-1-J leads Colorado on the F-33 instructional-salary estimate. Service entities (CTCs, county offices) are excluded, their enrollment-based ratios are not reliable salary figures.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

Top 3 districts

1 $105,729

Crowley County School District No. Re-1-J

Est. avg teacher salary
2 $101,390

Aspen School District No. 1 in the county of Pitkin and Sta

Est. avg teacher salary
3 $100,672

Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the county of Arapah

Est. avg teacher salary

Districts by Estimated Teacher Salary

District Est. Avg Salary Enrollment Per-Pupil Exp
Julesburg School District No. Re1 $55,561 607 $59,313
Upper Rio Grande School District C-7 $55,520 386 $19,974
School District No. C-2 in the county of Elbert and State of $55,484 309 $15,553
Cheraw School District No. 31 in the county of Otero and S $55,439 227 $17,608
Ellicott School District No. 22 in the county of El Paso a $55,273 981 $18,479
School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan $54,971 3,421 $12,635
Strasburg School District 31J $54,721 1,209 $18,624
Rocky Ford School District No. R2 $54,516 632 $35,532
Dolores School District No. Re-4A $54,435 683 $14,305
Monte Vista School District No. C-8 $54,351 1,033 $15,068
Limon School District No. Re 4J $54,285 457 $15,600
Wiley School District No. Re-13 Jt $54,250 266 $17,650
Otis School District No. R-3 $53,754 201 $19,383
Sargent School District No. Re-33J $53,640 322 $17,345
Calhan District No. RJ1 $53,581 424 $21,078
Yuma 1 School District $53,149 886 $17,058
Peyton School District No. 23 in the county of El Paso and $53,125 600 $15,885
School District No. Re-4 Buffalo $53,117 314 $17,067
Bayfield School District No. 10Jt-R $52,819 1,279 $16,739
Custer County School District Consolidate 1 $52,363 354 $17,763
Granada School District No. Re-1 $52,093 213 $18,418
School District No. Re-20 Weldon Valley $52,025 235 $15,498
Ignacio School District No. 11Jt $52,019 641 $22,680
Haxtun School District No. Re-2J $51,752 334 $15,925
Elbert School District No. 200 $51,738 281 $15,224
Weld County School District No. Re-9 $51,589 993 $13,129
Burlington Public School District No. RE-6J $51,560 762 $11,951
Swink School District No. 33 in the county of Otero and St $51,364 314 $18,459
Kiowa County School District No. Re-1 $51,252 211 $18,725
Wray RD-2 School District $51,248 724 $17,564
Genoa-Hugo School District No. C-113 $50,924 224 $17,906
Fowler School District No. R4J $50,924 347 $18,150
Sangre de Cristo School District No. Re-22J $50,749 259 $21,193
Hanover School District No. 28 in the county of El Paso an $49,861 287 $19,136
West End School District No. Re-2 $49,556 260 N/A
Dolores County School District RE-2J $49,066 263 $23,646
Holyoke School District No. Re-1J $48,811 552 $14,844
West Grand School District No. 1 $46,310 391 $20,609
Akron School District No. R-1 $45,923 427 $18,625
Springfield School District No. Re-4 $45,795 304 $67,641
School District No. Re-3 Frenchman $45,793 221 $16,919

Showing 101–141 of 141 enrolling districts. Specialized non-enrolling agencies (career/technical centers, county offices, service co-ops) are excluded from the salary ranking, their enrollment-based estimates are not reliable.

Lowest-Paying Districts in Colorado

District Est. Avg Salary Enrollment
School District No. Re-3 Frenchman $45,793 221
Springfield School District No. Re-4 $45,795 304
Akron School District No. R-1 $45,923 427
West Grand School District No. 1 $46,310 391
Holyoke School District No. Re-1J $48,811 552
Dolores County School District RE-2J $49,066 263
West End School District No. Re-2 $49,556 260
Hanover School District No. 28 in the county of El Paso an $49,861 287
Sangre de Cristo School District No. Re-22J $50,749 259
Fowler School District No. R4J $50,924 347

Among enrolling districts (200+ students) with a reliable estimate; service entities excluded, see methodology.

Nationwide states with similar K-12 scale to Colorado

Two nationwide peer sets for Colorado: closest on estimated average teacher salary ($64,442 here) and closest on total student enrollment (847,308 here). Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not geographic containment.

Similar estimated salary

Nearest other states by unweighted district-mean teacher pay (F-33 derived, ≥5 districts with reliable estimates).

Similar enrollment

Nearest other states by NCES-reported K-12 enrollment. Salary peers above are excluded.

Compare Nearby-Ranked States

Louisiana
$66,733
Rank #25
Idaho
$66,710
Rank #26
South Carolina
$64,775
Rank #27
Arizona
$63,921
Rank #29

Data: NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey + Staff Universe Survey, FY2023. Salary figures divide instructional expenditure (variable Z33) by each district's reported teacher FTE, or an estimated FTE for the small minority with no reported figure. Not individual salary data. Read our methodology.

Colorado teacher salary FAQ

What is the average teacher salary in Colorado?

Across 141 Colorado public school districts with reliable data, the average teacher salary is $64,442 (NCES CCD F-33 reported teacher salaries divided by CCD Staff Universe Survey teacher headcounts, FY2023). It is a district-level mean derived from finance filings, so it will not match a contract-salary survey exactly, read it as a relative comparison.

Which Colorado school district pays teachers the most?

Crowley County School District No. Re-1-J reports the highest average teacher salary in Colorado at $105,729, while School District No. Re-3 Frenchman sits at the lower end at $45,793.

How does Colorado teacher pay compare to the national average?

Colorado's average of $64,442 is below the national average of $70,245 (-8.3%), ranking #28 of the 49 jurisdictions with a reliable district estimate.

How many school districts are in Colorado?

Colorado has 181 public school districts in the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, together serving 847,308 students.

How much do teachers make in Colorado?

District-average teacher pay in Colorado runs from $45,793 in School District No. Re-3 Frenchman to $105,729 in Crowley County School District No. Re-1-J, with 3 of 141 reliable-data districts at $100,000 or above. Where a teacher lands depends far more on which district employs them than on the statewide figure. These are district-wide averages from NCES CCD F-33 (FY2023), not individual salaries or pay-scale steps.

Can teachers earn $100,000 in Colorado?

3 of 141 Colorado districts with reliable data report an estimated average teacher salary of $100,000 or more, led by Crowley County School District No. Re-1-J at $105,729. This is a district-wide average, not an individual salary, step, or years-of-experience figure.

How does Colorado rank after adjusting for cost of living?

Within the separate enrollment-weighted state comparison, BEA's 2023 Regional Price Parity (101.9, US=100) adjusts Colorado's nominal estimate of $76,563 from #20 to $75,168 and #26. The headline uses an unweighted district mean, so this does not replace it. Neither measure is take-home pay, taxes, or district/metro cost of living.

Explore Colorado

Disclaimer & data sources

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainTeacher for Colorado