Ohio has been experiencing a teacher shortage for years now. In 2018, the US Department of Labor reported the state had about 16,000 substitute teachers, which came down to 5,000 in 2021.
The great demand for teachers in Ohio makes it a perfect career choice for professionals who would like to shape the minds of future generations. Ohio is also rated one of the best states to teach in based on teacher incentives, employment numbers, and the state’s cost of living.
In this article, we will look at the salaries that high school teachers in Ohio make and compare them to the country’s average wages for teaching positions.
What Does a High School Teacher Do In Ohio?
High school teachers have different responsibilities than elementary teachers or middle school teachers. For instance, while a teacher is not required to specialize in elementary and middle school subjects, a high school teacher generally teaches one subject.
Some of the responsibilities of high school teachers include:
- Preparing lesson plans: Teaching at the high school level requires you to make lesson plans to keep your lessons on track, ensure you cover key learning objectives, and effectively use allocated time.
- Testing and grading learners: As a high school teacher, you create tests, projects, and assignments to measure knowledge, comprehension, analysis, and application skills acquired by your learners in a particular learning area.
- Establishing and enforcing classroom policies, rules, and procedures: Creating clear and consistent classroom rules helps create a positive, organized, and productive learning environment. It also instills respect, responsibility, and cooperation among the learners.
- Collaborating with other high school teachers: High school teachers develop communities within which they can address common issues and school initiatives and partake in mutually beneficial activities that advance the skills and knowledge learners acquire.
- Discussing learner progress with the learners and their parents: Communicating learners’ progress to their parents helps them improve their learning and motivates them to excel by giving them the understanding that all stakeholders are interested in their achievement.
- Helping struggling learners to learn the content: Since low academic achievers need to go over the learning material more than once, you must create time outside of learning time to help them with their areas of struggle.
- Managing learner behavior inside and outside the classroom: Your role also includes managing your learners’ behavior inside and during other times, such as during the lunch break.
Salary Information for High School Teachers In Ohio
Ohio’s average High School Teacher salary is $75,330 as of February 2024. However, the range falls between $52,100 and $80,100. Salary ranges vary widely depending on the city’s level of education, certification, additional skills, and years of experience. Top-level high school teacher earnings begin at $99,370 per year.
The highest-paying cities in Ohio for high school teachers include:
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | 4 years |
| Teacher preparation program, which includes passing. AEPA/NES exams | 3–6 months |
| Teaching experience | 2 years |
Factors That Impact the High School Teacher’s Salary In Ohio
Certain factors impact your starting salary when applying for high school teaching positions.
Let’s explore these aspects that can shape your pay, helping you make informed decisions for your teaching career in the Buckeye State.
These factors include:
- Location: It matters a lot where you teach in Ohio, not just the type of school you teach in. If you teach in a rural school in Ohio, you may earn less than your colleagues in urban and suburban schools. Different cities in Ohio have varying costs of living. Teachers serving in the towns with higher living costs may earn an adjusted salary. For instance, if you teach in Cincinnati, you’ll earn more than those serving in Brunswick.
- Education: Earning a higher degree is the most assured way to increase your earnings in Ohio. Most teachers with master’s or doctorates find more advanced teaching opportunities, which may grant them better pay.
- Certifications: You may earn a higher salary if you hold additional certifications that boost your skills and qualifications. Such high-demand areas include certifications in special education, bilingual education, or STEM. You may also get better pay if you have an additional certification in a new grade level, such as early childhood or secondary education.
- Additional skills: Leadership skills will allow you to take up roles such as departmental head or mentor new teachers, which may increase your pay. You can also coach sports and lead after-school activities to increase your earnings.
- Years of experience: With zero years of service and a bachelor’s degree, your starting salary in Ohio is $33,259. With five years of service, your salary increases to a minimum of $48,823, while at ten years of service, your salary minimum increases to $59,381. Many districts pay teachers more than the minimum, but these will vary depending on your years of experience.
Ohio High School Teacher Salary vs. Other States
According to Careerexplorer.com, Ohio ranks number 13 on the highest salaries for high school teachers nationwide.
Some of the states with higher pay for their high school teachers include:
| Rank | State | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $ 87,700.00 |
| 2 | California | $ 86,470.00 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $ 83,790.00 |
| 4 | Washington | $ 83,010.00 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $ 82,140.00 |
| 6 | Virginia | $ 74,920.00 |
| 7 | Oregon | $ 73,860.00 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $ 73,120.00 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $ 72,510.00 |
| 10 | Maryland | $ 71,790.00 |
| 11 | Alaska | $ 71,790.00 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $ 70,200.00 |
| 13 | Ohio | $ 67,850.00 |
| 14 | Illinois | $ 67,810.00 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $ 67,300.00 |
| 16 | Michigan | $ 65,760.00 |
| 17 | Delaware | $ 64,410.00 |
| 18 | Hawaii | $ 64,240.00 |
| 19 | Georgia | $ 63,930.00 |
| 20 | Vermont | $ 63,520.00 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $ 61,580.00 |
| 22 | Nebraska | $ 61,510.00 |
| 23 | Florida | $ 61,510.00 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $ 61,100.00 |
| 25 | Utah | $ 60,300.00 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $ 60,080.00 |
| 27 | Colorado | $ 59,270.00 |
| 28 | Nevada | $ 59,230.00 |
| 29 | Texas | $ 59,210.00 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $ 87,700.00 |
| 31 | Maine | $ 86,470.00 |
| 32 | Kansas | $ 83,790.00 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $ 83,010.00 |
| 34 | Iowa | $ 82,140.00 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $ 74,920.00 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $ 73,860.00 |
| 37 | Montana | $ 73,120.00 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $ 72,510.00 |
| 39 | Missouri | $ 71,790.00 |
| 40 | Alabama | $ 71,790.00 |
| 41 | Indiana | $ 70,200.00 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $ 67,850.00 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $ 67,810.00 |
| 44 | Arizona | $ 67,300.00 |
| 45 | Idaho | $ 65,760.00 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $ 64,410.00 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $ 64,240.00 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $ 63,930.00 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $ 63,520.00 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $ 61,580.00 |
High School Teacher Salaries vs. Similar Careers
There are many similar careers to high school teaching if you are interested in joining any related area. Some of these alternate careers require skills that may give you a competitive advantage over your competitors. These include:
- Music teacher: Teaching music involves instilling your love for music into the younger generation. You will teach music theory and music appreciation and instruct them on how to play instruments. Music teachers earn around $64K annually in Ohio, although the range usually falls between $40,833 and $81,417. To become a music teacher, you will require a bachelor’s degree in music education and complete a teacher training program.
- Distance learning coordinator: Your role involves ensuring a seamless integration of technology into education distance learning programs to ensure learners access quality remote learning. Your average yearly earnings are around $75,340. To become a digital learning coordinator, you must acquire a bachelor’s degree in education. You will also require technological skills such as computer science, digital learning platforms, and collaboration skills.
- Physical education teacher: Physical education teachers instruct students in healthy movement and eating habits. In this role, you play a significant role in creating physically literate individuals who enjoy practicing healthy habits in their daily lives. You must hold an education-focused bachelor’s degree, such as physical education or health and physical education. Physical educators in Ohio earn an average annual earnings of around $64,610, with the range falling between $53,226 and $78,031.
- Professor: To become a professor, you must choose a subject to specialize in after obtaining your bachelor’s degree. You are also expected to complete a Master’s or doctorate with twenty or more years of related teaching or professional experience. You should also participate in an assistantship in your graduate years to place you on a pathway to becoming a professor. The common assistantship involves research, where you can collect, analyze, and document research data. The average salary for an associate professor in Ohio is $70K per year.
Expected Benefits for High School Teachers In Ohio
In addition to your salary, teachers in Ohio enjoy other benefits. You enjoy various types of insurance, retirement benefits, and more.
The different benefits you can expect when teaching in Ohio include:
- 401(k): This employer-sponsored teacher retirement plan allows teachers to contribute part of their income without paying taxes.
- 401(k) matching: Just like its name, this retirement plan requires teachers’ employers to match their contributions to a specific portion of their total salary.
- 403(b): To enroll in this retirement plan, you must have served at least 15 years. In this plan, your annual maximum contribution is $23,000. You are, however, allowed to make additional contributions. You can acquire subsidized loans from these contributions and apply for early withdrawal, though with a 10% penalty.
- Dental insurance: As a teacher in Ohio, you may participate in either Delta Dental PPO or the Delta Dental Premier Plan. With either of the plans, you can visit your preferred dentist.
- Disability insurance: The Ohio State Teachers Retirement System allows teachers with at least five years of service to be covered in case of disability. To be eligible for disability benefits, you must apply no later than two years from when your contributing service stopped.
- Employee assistance program: This is a comprehensive counseling, coaching, consultation, and information resource available to teachers in Ohio and their dependents.
- Employee discount: Teachers’ employers in Ohio work with several service providers to advance a variety of discounts to teachers. Such may include dream vacations, exclusive rewards, and holiday camping gear.
- Flexible schedule: Ohio State supports teachers personally and professionally by providing flexible teaching regarding location and time.
- Flexible spending account: Teachers in Ohio State can set aside pre-tax funds to be reimbursed for eligible health expenses for you and your dependents. To enroll, you determine how much money you want to set aside for the year. This money is withheld from your pay, reducing your taxable income.
- Health insurance: Teachers in Ohio have access to affordable health checkups covered in a comprehensive package comprising health and retirement benefits. At 65, they are also eligible for Medicare even if they are not eligible for Social Security retirement benefits.
- Health savings account: This benefit allows you to put money aside and withdraw it tax-free, provided you use it to fund medical expenses such as coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles.
- Life insurance: When teaching in Ohio, you can access life insurance plans that protect you, your children, or your spouse in case of a demise.
- Opportunities for advancement: If you teach in Ohio, you can join bodies that enhance your career, such as Professional Development Committees, National Board Certification, Master Teacher, and Organizing for High-Quality Professional Development.
- Paid time off: You are entitled to a paid time off, which can run concurrently with a leave of absence. You may also get paid time off, outside Leave of Absence, for individual days off due to illness, injury, or vacation.
- Paid training: Teachers in Ohio benefit from paid training opportunities such as the Grow Your Teacher Scholarships. This scholarship provides up to $7500 per year for four years to teacher candidates who commit to at least four years of teaching in a qualifying Ohio School.
- Parental leave: If you are a full-time or part-time teacher in Ohio, you are able to take parental leave any time within 12 months from the date of birth or adoption of a child. This is applicable if you are the biological parent, legal guardian, or live in the same household as the child.
- Pet insurance: Teachers serving in Ohio can enroll their pets in insurance programs to ensure their pets are covered in case of accidents and illnesses. Pet insurance will give you the confidence to care for your pet’s veterinary needs.
- Professional development assistance: Ohio State offers grants of up to $1500 to public and private school teachers to uptake professional development programs. It also organizes workshops and conferences to improve teachers’ pedagogical and professional performance. Teachers must obtain 180 professional development contact hours every five years.
- Referral program: Teacher referral programs in Ohio allow teachers to refer other teachers to professional development programs. You earn a small token of appreciation when you refer a teacher to the program.
- Retirement plan: The Ohio State Teacher Retirement System allows teachers to earn their full benefits when they retire at 65 with at least five years of service.
- Tuition reimbursement: The Ohio State Department of Education has elaborate tuition reimbursement programs for its teachers where teachers aspiring to further their education can pay the tuition fee and then be reimbursed by their employer.
- Vision insurance: The State of Ohio offers its teachers affordable vision coverage through the Vision Service Plan. It is eligible for you and your family members.
- Work from home: Some schools in Ohio will allow you to teach online classes from home. Such provides flexibility and the convenience of working in the comfort of your home.
Ways to Increase Your High School Teaching Salary
We all want to earn more. Luckily, if you are unsatisfied with your salary, you can increase your earnings in several ways in Ohio. Acquiring additional certifications is one of the most recommended ways to develop further skills that give you an advantage over other teachers, hence a higher salary.
At Teachers of Tomorrow, we offer alternative teacher certification in Ohio and other states. In addition to being cost-friendly, our online certification courses allow you the flexibility and convenience of studying at your own pace. You can also study, take quizzes, and participate in discussion boards from anywhere.
Professional development opportunities like those offered are a great way to increase your earnings.
Additionally, if you’re not happy with your salary at a particular school, you can change to a better-paying school or state. Teaching skills are portable and allow you to search for job opportunities in other schools and school districts.
