Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has the highest starting salary for teachers with a bachelor’s degree among all 24 Maryland school districts, according to data compiled by Step & Lane, a database that indexes publicly available school district salary schedules.
For the 2026-27 school year, an MCPS teacher entering at Step 1 with a bachelor’s degree earns $66,690, the highest starting bachelor’s salary among the 24 Maryland districts indexed by Step & Lane.
MCPS also has the highest individual salary cell on any Maryland district schedule in the database. Teachers at Step 25 with a master’s equivalent plus 60 credit hours can earn $135,745 under the salary schedule that took effect July 1, 2026.
The MCPS schedule starts teachers with a master’s degree or equivalent at $72,432, while those with a master’s equivalent plus 30 credit hours start at $74,259 and those with a master’s equivalent plus 60 credit hours start at $75,914.
Step & Lane republishes salary schedules originally published by school districts and state education agencies, maintaining the steps, salary lanes and individual cells contained in the source documents. The site then uses those schedules to calculate comparisons and rankings. According to Step & Lane, all 24 Maryland school districts are currently indexed, meaning the Maryland comparison includes every district in the state.
Nationally, salaries in some districts are considerably higher. The highest bachelor’s starting salary currently indexed by Step & Lane is $106,025 at Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District in California, based on its 2024-25 schedule. That district also has the highest individual salary cell in the database at $205,547. California districts make up most of Step & Lane’s national top 25, illustrating the significant differences in teacher salary schedules across states and regions.
The rankings compare the published salary schedules themselves rather than the actual earnings of individual teachers. Actual compensation can vary based on education, experience, position, additional duties and other forms of compensation.
