Education Career Salaries: What Eight Jobs Pay (2027)

Which Education Careers Pay the Most in 2027?

The education careers that pay the most are school principals and postsecondary education administrators, with medians of $105,870 and $104,590, and the lowest median among the eight careers here is $61,540 for adult education and ESL teachers. The cards run from the highest median to the lowest on May 2025 federal wage figures, with the 10th to 90th percentile range under each so you can see the spread as well as the midpoint.

• School Principal Salary $105,870 median pay (BLS)

  Range

  $76,280 to $167,770

  A school principal earns a median of $105,870 a year. See pay by state and experience, how it compares with other education careers and what raises it. See the Salary Guide
• Postsecondary Education Administrator Salary $104,590 median pay (BLS)

  Range

  $64,560 to $215,620

  A postsecondary education administrator earns a median of $104,590 a year. See pay by state and experience, how it compares and what raises it. See the Salary Guide
• Instructional Coordinator Salary $77,440 median pay (BLS)

  Range

  $47,980 to $121,670

  An instructional coordinator earns a median of $77,440 a year. See pay by state and experience, how it compares with teaching jobs and what raises it. See the Salary Guide
• High School Teacher Salary $72,040 median pay (BLS)

  Range

  $48,780 to $107,600

  A high school teacher earns a median of $72,040 a year. See pay by state and experience, how it compares and what raises it. See the Salary Guide
• Special Education Teacher Salary $65,120 median pay (BLS)

  Range

  $49,350 to $103,010

  A special education teacher earns a median of $65,120 a year. See pay by state and grade band, how it compares and what raises it. See the Salary Guide
• School Counselor Salary $64,330 median pay (BLS)

  Range

  $45,020 to $104,770

  A school counselor earns a median of $64,330 a year. See pay by state and experience, how it compares with other education jobs and what raises it. See the Salary Guide
• Elementary School Teacher Salary $63,970 median pay (BLS)

  Range

  $47,960 to $104,340

  An elementary school teacher earns a median of $63,970 a year. See pay by state and experience, how it compares and what raises it. See the Salary Guide
• Adult Education and ESL Teacher Salary $61,540 median pay (BLS)

  Range

  $41,810 to $98,030

  An adult education and ESL teacher earns a median of $61,540 a year. See pay by state and experience, how it compares and what raises it. See the Salary Guide

How High Can Pay Go in Each Education Career?

Pay in the top tenth of each education career reaches as high as $215,620 for postsecondary education administrators, about 2.1 times that career's own median of $104,590. The chart orders the careers by the 90th percentile, the pay of the highest-paid tenth, and shows each median beside it.

Why Do Salary Websites Report Different Education Pay Than the BLS?

Salary websites report different education pay than the BLS because they gather it differently: the federal survey counts what employers report for their payroll, while job boards derive figures from postings and other sites rely on salaries workers submit, and some of them count bonuses and extra pay. For three of the eight careers here, every private estimate we read falls below the federal median. The widest disagreement is for school principals, where private figures run from $84,590 to $153,207. Each salary guide sets those estimates beside the federal figure in a labeled table, with the date they were read.

Does an Online Master's in Education Raise Pay?

An online master's in education raises pay in two ways, depending on the career. For principals, school counselors, instructional coordinators and postsecondary administrators it is the entry requirement, so the degree is what opens the higher-paying job. For teachers it is usually a step up: most public districts publish a salary schedule with a higher lane for teachers who hold a master's, and the change carries through every later year.

The degree has a cost to set against that. At the 1,771 fully online master's programs in education we rank, the median annual graduate charge is $16,293 out of state and $11,111 in state (2023-24). The national ranking compares those programs school by school, and each career guide links the specialty lists that lead to its job.