Harlan County School District teacher salaries

Harlan County is a county school district in Kentucky with 249 teachers (full-time equivalents).1 A new teacher with a bachelor's degree starts at $40,753, or $45,226 with a master's. The schedule tops out at $67,742 for Rank I teachers with 20 years of experience.

What is the average teacher salary at Harlan County?

Lowest on the schedule

$40,753

Rank III, 0 years

Average classroom teacher salary1

$56,472

  • $3,383 below the Kentucky district average

Highest on the schedule

$67,742

Rank I, 20 years

Teachers (full-time equivalents)
249
Starting salary, bachelor's
$40,753
134th highest of 171 districts
Schedule raise on last year
4%
typical change across the schedule
Average pay rank in Kentucky
123rd
of 171 districts

Harlan County's teacher salary schedule, 2025-261

Annual salary by rank (columns) and years of experience (rows), as Harlan County reported it to the Kentucky Department of Education. Rows that repeat the same salaries are folded together.

YearsRank IIIRank IIRank I
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 to 40

Swipe the table sideways for more columns.

Tap any salary to see it on the pay climb chart below.

What Rank I, II and III mean for a Kentucky teacher's pay

Kentucky places every teacher in a rank by their education. Higher ranks pay more at every year of experience.2

Rank III
Requires a bachelor's degree and a regular teaching certificate. At Harlan County it starts at $40,753 and reaches $58,427 after 20 years.
Rank II
Requires a master's degree in an approved field, National Board certification or equivalent continuing education. At Harlan County it starts at $45,226 and reaches $62,987 after 20 years.
Rank I
Requires Rank II plus a second master's, National Board certification or 30 more graduate hours. At Harlan County it starts at $49,904 and reaches $67,742 after 20 years.

How fast does teacher pay grow at Harlan County?

On Rank III, pay rises for 20 years, from $40,753 to $58,427. Pick a rank and years of experience to see the salary and how far it is from the top.

$51,069

a year with 10 years of experience. This rank tops out at $58,427 after 20 years.

$67,742$40,753
0 years40 years
Chosen rankOther ranks

Does Harlan County pay teachers more than the typical Kentucky district?

Line up all 171 Kentucky districts by average classroom teacher salary. The one in the middle pays $59,250: half pay less, half pay more.

No

Harlan County's average of $56,472 ranks 123rd of 171, below the middle district.

Harlan County
$60k$80k

Middle district: $59,250

Each bar counts the districts whose average classroom teacher salary falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle district.

Questions about Harlan County teacher salaries

How much do teachers make at Harlan County?

Classroom teachers at Harlan County School District averaged $56,472 in 2025-26, as the district reported it to the Kentucky Department of Education. Its salary schedule runs from $40,753 to $67,742.

What is the starting salary for a new teacher at Harlan County?

$40,753 for a new teacher with a bachelor's degree (Rank III, 0 years of experience) and $45,226 with a master's degree (Rank II), on the 2025-26 schedule.

What is the highest teacher salary at Harlan County?

$67,742 a year, for a Rank I teacher with 20 or more years of experience. That's the top of the 2025-26 schedule.

Is teacher pay at Harlan County high for Kentucky?

Its average classroom teacher salary ranks 123rd of 171 Kentucky school districts. The average across all districts is $59,855.

More Kentucky teacher salaries

Sources for the Harlan County figures

Salaries are the annual amounts on the district's certified salary schedule, as reported to the state; a district's own published schedule can differ, for example when it covers a different number of work days. The average classroom teacher salary includes pay for contracted extra days and extra duties. Teacher counts are full-time equivalents, so two half-time teachers count as one. Ranks, medians and the raise on last year are our own arithmetic on these figures.

  1. Kentucky Department of Education, School District Personnel Information, 2025-26: Certified Salary Schedule, Average Classroom Teacher Salaries and Yearly FTE for Teachers.
  2. Kentucky Revised Statutes 161.1211, rank classification of teachers, as amended by 2020 Ky. Acts ch. 113 (SB 174): what each rank requires.

How we read the data