2026-27 state salary schedule, from DPI and S.L. 2026-41
NC teacher salary schedule 2026-27, with special education (EC) teacher pay
If you teach special education in North Carolina, your 2026-27 state pay is set by the same salary schedule as other teachers’, and the 2026 budget law raised it. This guide lays out that schedule step by step, what changed from 2025-26, how National Board pay works, the state supplement tied to EC teaching, and what federal data show for NC special education teachers, each taken from DPI, the General Assembly or BLS. The last section does the plain arithmetic on part-time tutoring hours.
DPI schedules for 2026-27 (version date July 1, 2026); BLS May 2025 · Last reviewed [placeholder: NC facts-check date not set] · Checked against official sources
Quick answer
For 2026-27, North Carolina’s state salary schedule (S.L. 2026-41; DPI, version date July 1, 2026) pays a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and 0 years of experience $4,800 a month, or $48,000 for 10 months, up from $41,000 in 2025-26. At 25 or more years it pays $5,900 a month, or $59,000. Special education (EC) teachers are paid on the same schedule. National Board certified teachers get a 12% supplement. The Salary Manual’s one EC-related supplement is for new, highly qualified NC teaching graduates, for up to two years. BLS’s May 2025 mean annual wages for NC special education teachers are $57,160 (kindergarten and elementary), $57,680 (middle school) and $55,540 (secondary school).
Section 6 shows the plain arithmetic for part-time tutoring hours.
1. The 2026-27 NC teacher salary schedule
North Carolina’s state teacher salary schedule for 2026-27 is set by Session Law 2026-41, the Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2026. Section 7A.1(a) says the schedule “shall apply for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to licensed personnel of the public schools who are classified as teachers.” It adds: “The salary schedule is based on years of teaching experience.”
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) publishes the schedules as “Fiscal Year 2026-2027 North Carolina State Salary Schedules”, version date July 1, 2026. For a teacher with a bachelor’s degree, DPI shows each step as a monthly salary and as an “Annual Salary (10 Months)”:
| Years of experience | Monthly salary | Annual salary (10 months) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | $4,800 | $48,000 |
| 1 | $4,825 | $48,250 |
| 2 | $4,850 | $48,500 |
| 3 | $4,875 | $48,750 |
| 4 | $4,900 | $49,000 |
| 5 | $4,950 | $49,500 |
| 6 | $5,000 | $50,000 |
| 7 | $5,050 | $50,500 |
| 8 | $5,100 | $51,000 |
| 9 | $5,150 | $51,500 |
| 10 | $5,314 | $53,140 |
| 11 | $5,365 | $53,650 |
| 12 | $5,416 | $54,160 |
| 13 | $5,467 | $54,670 |
| 14 | $5,570 | $55,700 |
| 15 to 24 | $5,682 | $56,820 |
| 25 or more | $5,900 | $59,000 |
DPI’s PDF also has the master’s, advanced, doctoral and National Board schedules.
2. What changed for 2026-27: the raise in S.L. 2026-41
For a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and 0 years of experience, DPI’s 2025-26 schedule paid $4,100 a month, or $41,000 for 10 months. The 2026-27 schedule pays $4,800 a month, or $48,000.
Every step of the bachelor’s schedule is higher in 2026-27. The table compares the same step in both years; the change columns are our arithmetic on DPI’s two schedules.
| Years of experience | 2025-26 monthly | 2026-27 monthly | Change per month | Change over 10 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $4,100 | $4,800 | +$700 | +$7,000 |
| 1 | $4,175 | $4,825 | +$650 | +$6,500 |
| 2 | $4,250 | $4,850 | +$600 | +$6,000 |
| 3 | $4,325 | $4,875 | +$550 | +$5,500 |
| 4 | $4,400 | $4,900 | +$500 | +$5,000 |
| 5 | $4,475 | $4,950 | +$475 | +$4,750 |
| 6 | $4,572 | $5,000 | +$428 | +$4,280 |
| 7 | $4,663 | $5,050 | +$387 | +$3,870 |
| 8 | $4,753 | $5,100 | +$347 | +$3,470 |
| 9 | $4,844 | $5,150 | +$306 | +$3,060 |
| 10 | $4,935 | $5,314 | +$379 | +$3,790 |
| 11 | $5,025 | $5,365 | +$340 | +$3,400 |
| 12 | $5,116 | $5,416 | +$300 | +$3,000 |
| 13 | $5,206 | $5,467 | +$261 | +$2,610 |
| 14 | $5,297 | $5,570 | +$273 | +$2,730 |
| 15 to 24 | $5,388 | $5,682 | +$294 | +$2,940 |
| 25 or more | $5,595 | $5,900 | +$305 | +$3,050 |
3. National Board certification
Teachers with National Board (NBPTS) certification get a monthly supplement: S.L. 2026-41 s. 7A.1(b)(1) sets it at “twelve percent (12%) of their monthly salary” on the A
salary schedule.
4. Special education (EC) teachers: the same schedule, and the narrow EC supplement
North Carolina’s licensure category for special education is Exceptional Children (EC). DPI notes: “In other states, this category may also be called Special Education.”
There is no separate state salary schedule for EC teachers. S.L. 2026-41 applies one schedule to “licensed personnel of the public schools who are classified as teachers”, and DPI’s 2026-27 schedules have no EC-specific table. EC teachers are paid on the same steps as other teachers.
DPI’s State Salary Manual 2026–27 has one supplement tied to EC teaching, and it is narrow. The Manual describes it under G.S. 115C-302.7: “A highly qualified graduate who is employed by an LEA shall receive a salary supplement each month”. An LEA is a local education agency. The Manual defines a highly qualified NC teaching graduate as a classroom teacher who:
- “has zero years of experience on their educator license”
- “was employed for the first time as a classroom teacher on or after July 1, 2021”
- “graduated from an approved educator preparation program located in NC”
- “graduated with a GPA of 3.75 or higher and met a certain score on edTPA or PPAT assessments” (the Manual lists the scores)
A graduate who is licensed and teaching in EC (or in science, technology, engineering or math) receives it “for up to two years of employment, if they are licensed and teaching in STEM or EC without a break in service.”
Because it requires zero years of experience on the educator license, it does not apply to experienced or retired EC teachers.
5. What BLS reports for NC special education teachers (May 2025)
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates pay by occupation in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Its May 2025 estimates for North Carolina give these mean annual wages:
| BLS occupation (code) | Mean annual wage, North Carolina, May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School (25-2052) | $57,160 |
| Special Education Teachers, Middle School (25-2057) | $57,680 |
| Special Education Teachers, Secondary School (25-2058) | $55,540 |
BLS publishes only annual wages for these occupations. Its field notes explain that the program gives only an annual figure for some occupations that are paid by the year, teachers among them.
6. What part-time tutoring adds
SpecialEdResource hires special education teachers for remote, part-time, W-2 online tutoring. Starting pay: $23/hour. All tutors can earn a 10% performance bonus in any pay period when they tutor at least 10 hours and turn in session notes on time.
We ask for at least five hours a week of availability, and tutors’ schedules run from 5 to 25 hours a week. Available hours depend on student demand and schedule fit. At the $23 starting rate, tutoring hours add this much a week before taxes (our arithmetic):
| Tutoring hours in a week | Pay for that week at $23/hour, before taxes |
|---|---|
| 5 | $115 |
| 10 | $230 |
| 25 | $575 |
You're paid for tutoring time. Prep and notes are not paid separately; the session rate covers them. How the pay, bonus and hours work
Frequently asked questions
How much do special education teachers make in North Carolina?
Is there a special education supplement in NC?
Did NC teachers get a raise for 2026-27?
Other NC guides
What Is an EC Teacher in NC? Special Education Licenses and Exams
What EC (Exceptional Children) means in North Carolina, the State Board’s special education license areas, the exams LICN-003 lists, and DPI’s EC vacancy count for 2025-26.
NC CPL Renewal and License Lookup: 8 CEUs, Expired Licenses, Retirees
How to look up, copy and renew an NC teaching license (8 CEUs every five years), what changes when it expires or when you retire, the lifetime license, and licenses from other states.
TSERS Return to Work in NC: the Six-Month Wait and 2026 Earnings Limit
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