Many Factors Affect Oklahoma Teacher Salaries

Unfortunately, Oklahoma public schools offer some of the least competitive teacher salaries in the nation. The average annual salary for a public school elementary teacher is about $42,500, with secondary school teachers making just a little more at $43,000 per year. The average Oklahoma teacher makes just 10 percent more than the average worker in the state, and that figure includes nonprofessional fields.

It’s important to recognize, though, that these are averages, and many factors can dramatically impact your particular salary as an Oklahoma teacher. The number of years you’ve taught, whether you have a master’s degree, and the level of job competition in the area you want to teach in can all affect the salary you’ll be offered for a particular position.

Some of the highest salaries are offered to educators willing to teach in one of the public schools or subjects experiencing a teacher shortage. If you’re willing to work in a “high-needs” school, you’ll typically make a higher salary. And if you teach a subject the state has difficulty finding teachers for, you can command a higher salary, and even have some of your undergraduate or graduate loans forgiven. Oklahoma definitely makes it financially worthwhile for teachers to take on public education’s more challenging teaching assignments.