Gains Are Real, But Not Enough: New NEA Report Shows Indiana Falling Further Behind On Teacher Pay
04/30/2025

A new report from the National Education Association confirms a frustrating truth for Indiana educators. While teacher pay in our state has increased, we continue to fall further behind where we need to be.

According to NEA’s newly released Rankings and Estimates, Indiana’s average teacher salary for the 2023–24 school year is $58,620, a modest 2.82% increase over the previous year. But we’re still more than $13,000 below the national average of $72,030, and that gap is growing.

Worse, when adjusted for inflation, Indiana teacher salaries have declined by 9.3% over the last decade. Our national rank in teacher pay has dropped from 36th to 39th, putting us in the bottom quarter of states despite persistent educator shortages across Indiana.

This isn’t just about rankings, it’s about what it takes to keep a well-trained, experienced educator in the classroom. When our schools can’t offer competitive compensation, students lose access to experienced professionals, and the cycle of turnover and underfunding continues.

We Are Falling Short of Our Own State Goals

In 2020, Governor Holcomb’s Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission established a clear benchmark: raise Indiana’s average teacher salary to $60,000 in 2019 dollars. This target was meant to:

• Restore salaries to their historical, inflation-adjusted value.
• Move Indiana to third in the region among neighboring states like Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

Five years later, Indiana still hasn’t reached that $60,000 goal, and when adjusted for inflation, we’ve fallen even further behind. Instead of advancing in regional competitiveness, Indiana has dropped to 39th nationally, with most surrounding states maintaining rankings ahead of us.

The commission concluded that reaching these goals would require more than $600 million annually in new investment. Yet recent increases, while welcome, haven’t closed the gap.

Signs of Progress—and Why They’re Not Enough

This year’s legislative session did bring a win: ISTA supported and the legislature passed SEA 146, which:

• Raises the minimum teacher salary to $45,000, effective June 2025
• Increases the required percentage of state tuition support spent on teacher compensation from 62% to 65%

ISTA supported this bill because it sets a stronger floor, puts more pressure on districts to prioritize compensation and shows that lawmakers are willing to act. But it’s only a start.

These statutory minimums are helpful, but raising the floor doesn’t change the ceiling. Indiana still lacks the meaningful investment needed to bring average salaries in line with neighboring states or the national average.

Bargaining Works—When It’s Allowed To

Indiana educators fight for higher pay every day, but we do so with one hand tied behind our backs. In our state, teacher collective bargaining is limited to wages and benefits, a policy choice that restricts local associations from advocating for broader working and learning conditions.

Still, ISTA’s local bargaining teams are fighting hard, contract by contract, to ensure every available dollar goes to teacher compensation and student resources. We view our members at the bargaining table as partners in the state’s effort to raise teacher pay, not adversaries.

Too often, the real opposition comes from school administrators who divert resources away from compensation, even when they have the means to do more. Raising state funding is necessary, but without accountability at the local level, too little reaches the classroom.

Where We Go From Here

Governor Braun and legislative leaders prioritized teacher pay through SEA 146 this session, and we welcome that focus. But we cannot lose sight of the broader challenge: teacher pay is a long-term investment.

To close the gap, Indiana must:

• Keep increasing state funding—especially in years with economic constraints.
• Hold districts accountable for following the spirit and letter of SEA 146.
• Respect educators by giving them more voice, not less, at the bargaining table.

ISTA stands ready to work with anyone—lawmakers, school boards, and the public—who shares our goal of competitive pay that keeps great educators in our classrooms. But make no mistake: we will continue to fight until Indiana educators receive the compensation and respect they deserve.

Raising teacher pay will require all of us. Support your local bargaining teams, stay engaged with ISTA, and urge your school board members and lawmakers to keep educator pay a top priority. Our students and Indiana’s future depend on it.