Shelby County School District teacher salaries

Shelby County is a county school district in Kentucky with 429 teachers (full-time equivalents).1 A new teacher with a bachelor's degree starts at $44,134, or $48,455 with a master's. The schedule tops out at $94,034 for Rank I teachers with 40 years of experience.

What is the average teacher salary at Shelby County?

Lowest on the schedule

$44,134

Rank III, 0 years

Average classroom teacher salary1

$61,834

  • $1,979 above the Kentucky district average

Highest on the schedule

$94,034

Rank I, 40 years

Teachers (full-time equivalents)
429
Starting salary, bachelor's
$44,134
56th highest of 171 districts
Schedule raise on last year
3%
typical change across the schedule
Average pay rank in Kentucky
55th
of 171 districts

Shelby County's teacher salary schedule, 2025-261

Annual salary by rank (columns) and years of experience (rows), as Shelby 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
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40

Swipe the table sideways for more columns.

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

Shelby County also reports a second salary lane for some ranks, such as 15 graduate hours past a degree or a doctorate. The state's file doesn't say which, so it isn't shown here.

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 Shelby County it starts at $44,134 and reaches $83,928 after 40 years.
Rank II
Requires a master's degree in an approved field, National Board certification or equivalent continuing education. At Shelby County it starts at $48,455 and reaches $88,889 after 40 years.
Rank I
Requires Rank II plus a second master's, National Board certification or 30 more graduate hours. At Shelby County it starts at $53,384 and reaches $94,034 after 40 years.

How fast does teacher pay grow at Shelby County?

On Rank III, pay rises for 40 years, from $44,134 to $83,928. Pick a rank and years of experience to see the salary and how far it is from the top.

$57,042

a year with 10 years of experience. This rank tops out at $83,928 after 40 years.

$94,034$44,134
0 years40 years
Chosen rankOther ranks

Does Shelby 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.

Yes

Shelby County's average of $61,834 ranks 55th of 171, above the middle district.

Shelby 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 Shelby County teacher salaries

How much do teachers make at Shelby County?

Classroom teachers at Shelby County School District averaged $61,834 in 2025-26, as the district reported it to the Kentucky Department of Education. Its salary schedule runs from $44,134 to $94,034.

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

$44,134 for a new teacher with a bachelor's degree (Rank III, 0 years of experience) and $48,455 with a master's degree (Rank II), on the 2025-26 schedule.

What is the highest teacher salary at Shelby County?

$94,034 a year, for a Rank I teacher with 40 or more years of experience. That's the top of the 2025-26 schedule.

Is teacher pay at Shelby County high for Kentucky?

Its average classroom teacher salary ranks 55th of 171 Kentucky school districts. The average across all districts is $59,855.

More Kentucky teacher salaries

Sources for the Shelby 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