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Middle school art teacher salary

Quoted expert
Maggie Beeber

Average middle school art teacher salary

$52,198

$25.1 hourly rate

Entry-level middle school art teacher salary
$36,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Middle School Art Teacher Salary

The average salary for a middle school art teacher is $52,198 per year, or approximately $25 per hour. This figure reflects the diverse roles and responsibilities these educators hold, from lesson planning to fostering creativity in students. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as experience, geographic location, and school type.

How Much Does a Middle School Art Teacher Make?

Compensation for middle school art teachers often depends on their level of education and years of experience. Entry-level teachers may start at lower salaries, while those with advanced degrees and several years in the field can command higher pay. In addition, teachers often receive benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans, which contribute to overall compensation.

Where Can a Middle School Art Teacher Earn More?

States like California, New York, and Massachusetts typically offer higher salaries for middle school art teachers compared to other states. Urban districts often pay more due to higher living costs and a greater demand for qualified educators. Understanding the salary landscape can help prospective teachers choose the best locations for their careers.

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Where can a Middle School Art Teacher earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
88k
68k
48k
28k
8k
Columbus, OH$75,411
Phoenix, AZ$38,441
Compare salary by company
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103k
83k
63k
43k
23k
The Nueva School$77,400
KIPP DC$52,917

Middle school art teacher salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for a middle school art teacher typically falls between $52,198 and $88,651.
zippia
$52,198yearly
glassdoor[1]
$56,569yearly
comparably[2]
$88,651yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$82,250yearly

Average middle school art teacher salary by state

The average middle school art teacher salary in New York, Washington, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average middle school art teacher salary states are Nebraska, Indiana, and Mississippi.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for middle school art teachers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Connecticut$72,256$34.74
2New York$75,019$36.07
3Maryland$66,558$32.00
4Rhode Island$63,594$30.57
5New Jersey$62,393$30.00
6Vermont$60,103$28.90
7District of Columbia$73,297$35.24
8Washington$72,819$35.01
9Maine$67,236$32.33
10Massachusetts$66,244$31.85
11Alaska$62,750$30.17
12Pennsylvania$56,384$27.11
13Illinois$51,482$24.75
14Oklahoma$51,937$24.97
15Nevada$49,241$23.67
16Virginia$58,657$28.20
17Delaware$51,886$24.95
18Michigan$49,380$23.74
19North Dakota$54,953$26.42
20Kentucky$53,445$25.69
21Oregon$50,075$24.07
22Kansas$48,321$23.23
23Wisconsin$50,848$24.45
24California$56,440$27.13
25Texas$48,162$23.15
26Arkansas$49,030$23.57
27Minnesota$47,213$22.70
28South Carolina$47,404$22.79
29Utah$49,767$23.93
30Wyoming$46,061$22.14
31Georgia$49,085$23.60
32New Hampshire$44,851$21.56
33Ohio$48,083$23.12
34West Virginia$48,369$23.25
35Montana$42,442$20.40
36Missouri$45,252$21.76
37Tennessee$45,110$21.69
38North Carolina$45,034$21.65
39Colorado$43,701$21.01
40New Mexico$42,686$20.52
41Florida$46,053$22.14
42Iowa$44,413$21.35
43Hawaii$51,005$24.52
44Alabama$45,467$21.86
45Nebraska$42,167$20.27
46Arizona$38,401$18.46
47Louisiana$43,233$20.79
48Idaho$40,236$19.34
49Indiana$40,421$19.43
50Mississippi$40,338$19.39
51South Dakota$35,687$17.16

Highest paying cities for middle school art teachers

The highest-paying cities for middle school art teachers are New York, NY, Washington, DC, and Frederick, MD.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York, NY$75,411$36.26
2Washington, DC$73,270$35.23
3Frederick, MD$66,485$31.96
4Boston, MA$65,946$31.70
5Paramus, NJ$62,087$29.85
6Santa Rosa, CA$59,629$28.67
7Edmond, OK$51,953$24.98
8Corvallis, OR$50,367$24.21
9Detroit, MI$49,706$23.90
10Austin, TX$48,304$23.22
11Columbus, OH$47,770$22.97
12Saint Louis, MO$45,540$21.89
13Greeley, CO$43,931$21.12
14Baton Rouge, LA$43,284$20.81
15Albuquerque, NM$42,678$20.52
16Phoenix, AZ$38,441$18.48

Middle school art teacher salary details

A middle school art teacher's salary ranges from $36,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $73,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average middle school art teacher salary graph
Average middle school art teacher salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a middle school art teacher's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$73,000$6,083$35
75th Percentile$62,000$5,167$30
Average$52,198$4,350$25
25th Percentile$43,000$3,583$21
10th Percentile$36,000$3,000$17

Highest paying middle school art teacher jobs

The highest paying types of middle school art teachers are science teacher, student teacher, and reading teacher.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Teacher$47,989$3,999$23.0771,918
Reading Teacher$55,452$4,621$26.6668,234
Head Teacher$51,715$4,310$24.8673,756
Resource Teacher$43,487$3,624$20.9173,796
ESL Teacher$52,701$4,392$25.3463,897
Science Teacher$59,788$4,982$28.7471,133

How would you rate the starting salaries for middle school art teachers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Maggie Beeber

Undergraduate Advising Coordinator & Teacher Certification Officer, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

As much as we would like to see an increase in teacher salaries, we seldom speak of the other financial benefits most districts offer: one of the best pension plans in the country, health, sometimes vision and dental. Many districts will give raises for years of experience and higher-level degrees like a master's degree, EdD or Ph.D. Some may assist in paying for these.

Which companies pay middle school art teachers the most?

Middle school art teacher salaries at The Nueva School and California State University are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average middle school art teacher salary at companies like Santa Rosa City Schools and Piedmont Unified School District are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1The Nueva School$77,400$37.21
2California State University$67,056$32.24
3Santa Rosa City Schools$59,848$28.77
4Piedmont Unified School District$59,647$28.68
5Sheridan School District$57,116$27.46
6San José Unified School District$56,638$27.23
7California Academy of Sciences$55,630$26.75
8South Orange-Maplewood School District$55,472$26.67
9Bright Star Schools$55,250$26.56
10Connections Academy$55,197$26.54
11Centennial BOCES$54,788$26.34
12St. Clare Catholic School$54,278$26.10
13Edmond Public Schools$54,272$26.09
14Paulding County High School$54,080$26.00
15KIPP Massachusetts$54,032$25.98
16KIPP Austin Public Schools$53,966$25.95
17Democracy Prep Public Schools$53,839$25.88
18Camino Nuevo Charter Academy$53,537$25.74
19Travis Unified School District$53,371$25.66
20KIPP DC$52,917$25.44

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$48,000$47,200$46,400$45,600$44,800$44,000
MaleFemale

Middle school art teacher salary trends

The average middle school art teacher salary has risen by $6,592 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average middle school art teacher earned $45,606 annually, but today, they earn $52,198 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for middle school art teachers over the last decade.

Compare middle school art teacher salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average middle school art teacher salary over time

Compare middle school art teacher salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Middle school art teacher salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$52,200$25.10+1.9%
2025$51,200$24.62+1.8%
2024$50,300$24.18+1.5%
2023$49,500$23.82+1.7%
2022$48,700$23.41+1.5%

Recently added middle school art teacher salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Get It Recruit-Educational ServicesProgram Middle School Language Arts Teacher-Remote | WFHKnoxville, TN06/29/2025$40,000
Calvary Chapel FellowshipMiddle School/High School Art TeacherWest Melbourne, FL06/28/2025$35,000
Crowley ISDMiddle School Theatre Art TeacherNome, TX06/28/2025$61,810
Bullis SchoolMiddle School Language Arts TeacherPotomac, MD06/27/2025$65,000
Middletown Township Public SchoolsMiddle School Language Arts Teacher-ReplacementLeonardo, NJ06/27/2025$60,023
Northern Burlington County Regional School DistrictMiddle School Language Arts Teacher (Full Year Leave Replacement)Juliustown, NJ06/26/2025$64,200
Paramus Public SchoolsAnticipated Leave Replacement Middle School Teacher of Language ArtsParamus, NJ06/25/2025$57,547
California Department of Education-State Special SchoolsMiddle School Bilingual Language Arts TeacherRiverside, CA06/24/2025$57,240
Charter Oak RecruitmentTeacher, Renaissance Academy Charter School of The ArtsRochester, NY06/20/2025$52,000
Becker Public SchoolsArt Teacher-Middle SchoolNore, MN06/19/2025$47,057

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