Massachusetts Teaching Salaries and Benefits
Massachusetts teachers earn some of the highest salaries in the country, with median annual pay ranging from $84,100 for kindergarten teachers to $95,260 for high school teachers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Beyond salary, the state offers a defined-benefit pension through the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System and health coverage through the Group Insurance Commission.
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Massachusetts is home to the oldest public elementary school (1639), high school (1635), and college (1636) in the country. That three-and-a-half-century head start shows up in how the state pays and supports its teachers today: Massachusetts consistently ranks among the highest-paying states for educators, and it backs that pay with one of the more generous public pension systems in the country.
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How Much Do Teachers Earn in Massachusetts?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Massachusetts teacher pay runs well above the national median at every grade level. Elementary school teachers in Massachusetts earned a median annual salary of $94,000 as of May 2025, compared to a national median of $63,970 for the same occupation. High school teachers in Massachusetts fared even better, with a median annual wage of $95,260 against a national median of $72,040.
| Occupation | Median Annual Wage | 90th Percentile Wage |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten Teachers | $84,100 | $106,600 |
| Elementary School Teachers | $94,000 | $118,190 |
| Middle School Teachers | $89,450 | $107,610 |
| High School Teachers | $95,260 | $122,660 |
The gap between the median and the 90th percentile wage in the table above reflects what experience and advanced degrees can add to a Massachusetts teacher’s paycheck over a career, not a starting salary. Districts set their own step-and-lane pay scales based on years of service and education level, so where a teacher lands on that range depends on the specific district contract. Teachers weighing offers in multiple states can compare salaries and benefits in other states to see how Massachusetts pay stacks up nationally.
Retiring in Massachusetts
Massachusetts enrolls teachers in the largest contributory retirement system in the state. The Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System (MTRS) currently provides lifetime pension benefits for approximately 58,000 retirees and survivors, funded in part by roughly 86,000 contributing members.
Teachers are automatically enrolled in MTRS once they’re hired at a public school. The contribution rate isn’t the same for everyone: it’s set by state law based on when a teacher first became a member of a Massachusetts contributory retirement system, and it currently ranges from 5% for members who joined before 1975 up to 11% for most members who joined on or after July 1, 2001. Members in the RetirementPlus program contribute a flat 11%, though that drops by 3 percentage points after 30 years of service. Teachers can check their own rate on their pay stub or through their MTRS account.
Retirement eligibility also depends on which membership tier a teacher falls into. MTRS splits members into two tiers based on when they joined:
- Membership Tier 1 (joined before April 2, 2012): eligible for unreduced retirement at any age with 20 or more years of creditable service, or at age 55 with 10 or more years
- Membership Tier 2 (joined on or after April 2, 2012): eligible for unreduced retirement at age 60 with 10 or more years of creditable service
Age factors, final average salary calculations, and RetirementPlus eligibility also differ by tier. Teachers should confirm their own tier and eligibility date directly with MTRS rather than relying on a general rule of thumb.
As a defined-benefit plan, MTRS calculates a teacher’s monthly pension using a formula based on age, years of service, and average salary. Benefits are capped at 80% of average salary, calculated as:
Years of Service multiplied by Age Factor multiplied by Final Average Salary
Teachers can push their benefit percentage toward that 80% cap through the RetirementPlus program, which adds a bonus for each full service year completed after 23 years. For example, a teacher who retires at age 58 (age factor .018) with 34.5 years of service and an average salary of $63,000 would normally calculate to 62.1% of salary under the base formula. With the RetirementPlus bonus added, that teacher gains an additional 20%, reaching the 80% cap.
Teachers who want to estimate their own likely benefit can use the MTRS benefit calculator.
Health Insurance and Benefits
Most active Massachusetts teachers get health coverage through their local school district or municipality’s own group insurance plan, not directly through the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC). The GIC administers health coverage for state employees, but municipalities and school districts have to formally opt in under state law before their employees can join a GIC plan. Some Massachusetts municipalities have made that move for active and retired employees; others still run their own separate plans. A teacher’s specific coverage, carrier, and cost-sharing depend on which arrangement their district uses.
Where a district does participate in GIC coverage, or for teachers who retire into the GIC’s Retired Municipal Teachers program, plans typically cover the same core set of medical services, including:
- Preventive Services
- Outpatient Mental Health Care
- Inpatient Hospital Care
- Outpatient Surgery
- High-Tech Imaging
- Emergency Room Care
- Prescription Drug Coverage
Dental and vision coverage depends on what a teacher’s specific district or municipality offers, so it’s worth checking with the local benefits office directly to confirm what’s available. Teachers who want to see whether their municipality participates in GIC coverage, or to learn more about municipal benefits generally, can check the Commonwealth’s Municipal Employee/Retiree Benefits page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average teacher salary in Massachusetts?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual pay for Massachusetts teachers ranges from $84,100 for kindergarten teachers to $95,260 for high school teachers as of May 2025. Elementary and middle school teachers fall in between, at $94,000 and $89,450 respectively. Actual pay depends on the district’s salary schedule, a teacher’s education level, and years of experience.
How does the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System work?
Teachers are automatically enrolled in MTRS when hired at a public school. Pension benefits are calculated using years of service, an age factor, and final average salary, capped at 80% of salary. Contribution rates and retirement eligibility depend on a teacher’s membership tier, which is set by when they first joined the system. Teachers who joined before April 2, 2012 (Tier 1) can retire unreduced at any age with 20 years of service or at 55 with 10 years, while teachers who joined on or after that date (Tier 2) qualify at age 60 with 10 years of service.
Do Massachusetts teachers pay into Social Security?
Most Massachusetts public school teachers don’t pay into Social Security through their MTRS-covered teaching position. Instead, contributions go toward the MTRS pension fund. Some educators may still have Social Security-covered earnings from other jobs held outside their MTRS employment.
What health insurance plans are available to Massachusetts teachers?
Coverage depends on the district. Most active Massachusetts teachers get health insurance through their local school district or municipality’s own plan rather than directly through the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC), unless that municipality has formally opted into GIC coverage. Plans generally cover preventive care, mental health services, hospital care, surgery, imaging, emergency care, and prescription drugs, but specific carriers, costs, and dental/vision options vary by district.
How does Massachusetts teacher pay compare to the national average?
Massachusetts teacher pay runs well above the national median at every grade level tracked by the BLS. For example, the national median for elementary school teachers was $63,970 as of May 2025, compared to $94,000 in Massachusetts, a difference of roughly $30,000 a year.
- Massachusetts pays well above the national median — BLS state data shows Massachusetts teacher salaries beating the national median by tens of thousands of dollars a year at every grade level.
- MTRS is mandatory, but rules depend on tier — contribution rates and retirement eligibility hinge on when a teacher joined; Tier 1 members (before April 2, 2012) can retire at any age with 20 years of service or at 55 with 10, while Tier 2 members need to reach age 60 with 10 years.
- RetirementPlus can push benefits to the 80% cap — teachers who work past 23 or 24 years (depending on tier) earn bonus credit toward their pension percentage.
- Most teachers don’t pay into Social Security through MTRS — contributions go to the pension fund instead, though some educators may have Social Security-covered earnings from other jobs.
- Health coverage runs through the local district, not always the state — most teachers get insurance through their school district or municipality’s own plan, unless that municipality has opted into GIC coverage.
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May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage estimates and 2024-2034 employment projections for Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, and High School Teachers, reflect state and national data, not school-specific outcomes. State or district job-growth projections are sourced separately from national BLS outlook data. Conditions vary by school sector, subject area, and district. Data accessed July 2026.
