Lehigh Valley Teacher Salary Comparison

⭐ Nazareth Area School District (Our District) — Official 2024–25 Data$56,253
Starting Salary
(Step 1 / BA)
$58,836
Starting Salary
(Step 1 / MA)
$103,788
Max Salary
(Step 16 / MA+45)
16 Steps
Steps to Max
(terminal at 16)
7 Lanes
B · B12 · B24
M · M15 · M30 · M45
SY23–28
Contract Term
thru Aug 31, 2028

11

Districts Compared

#6 BA / #11 MA

Nazareth Rank by Starting Salary (11 districts)

$87,595

Nazareth Avg Salary (2025)

$17,586/yr

MA gap vs Parkland (highest in region)

District	County	Starting (BA)	Starting (MA)	Max Salary	Steps	Avg Salary	Median	Data Quality
Stroudsburg AreaHIGHEST MA START	Monroe	$63,382	$76,422	$102,907	12	—	—	✅ Official Contract ⚠️ Exp. Jun 2025
ParklandHIGHEST MA START	Lehigh	$63,065	$71,129	$92,927 MA / $112,927 Doct.	15	—	—	✅ Official Contract ⚠️ Exp. Aug 2025
Easton Area	Northampton	$62,930	$66,500	$104,850	15	$93,231	$96,690	✅ Official Contract ⚠️ Exp. Jun 2025
Northampton Area	Northampton	$61,255	$71,544 (MA Step 1)	$152,739 (Step 25)	15	$90,212	$95,787	✅ Official Contract ✅ Active thru 2029
Saucon Valley	Northampton	$57,182	$61,960	$99,965 → $107,965	14	—	—	✅ Official Contract ✅ Active thru 2028
Nazareth AreaLAUREN	Northampton	$56,253	$58,836 ← LOWEST MA	$103,788	16	$87,595	$92,157	✅ Official Contract ✅ Active thru 2028
Wilson	Berks	$55,000	$62,439	$103,036	16 + ½-steps	—	—	✅ Official Contract ✅ Active thru 2027
East Stroudsburg Area	Monroe	$52,985	$62,266	$93,933	16	—	—	✅ Official Contract ❌ Expired Aug 2024
Bethlehem Area	Northampton/Lehigh	$51,254	$55,235	$95,981	15	—	—	✅ Official Contract ❌ Expired Jun 2023
Bangor Area	Northampton	$50,000	$60,000	$93,313	18	—	—	✅ Official Contract ❌ Expired Jun 2024
Pen Argyl Area	Northampton	$50,000	$51,425	$99,050	16	—	—	✅ Official Contract ✅ Active thru 2028

💡 Key Takeaways

All data is now from official contract PDFs — sourced from the Americans for Fair Treatment CBA database. No estimates remain.
Nazareth has the LOWEST starting MA salary of all 11 districts ($58,836) — even below Bangor ($60,000) which is operating on an expired contract. Parkland's MA start is $71,129 — a $12,293/yr gap from day one.
Surprise: Stroudsburg (Monroe County) outpays Nazareth at entry — $63,382 BA vs $56,253, and $76,422 MA vs $58,836. The county gap argument doesn't hold — Nazareth is near the bottom regardless of county.
Parkland has the highest max salary ($112,927 at Step 15) and highest starting MA ($71,129). Northampton's new contract will reach $112,287 by 2028–29.
Nazareth ranks 6th of 11 in BA starting salary and dead last (11th) in MA starting salary — the Master's lane is where Nazareth falls furthest behind every peer district.

📄 NAEA Contract — Key TermsSY 2023–2028
Contract Term
Sept 1, 2023 – Aug 31, 2028
16 Steps
Max step is terminal
(no movement at Step 16)
7 Lanes
B · B12 · B24
M · M15 · M30 · M45
26 Pays
Bi-weekly, direct deposit
Lump-sum option available

$56,253

2024-25 Start (Step 1, BA)

$58,836

2024-25 Start (Step 1, MA)

$103,788

2024-25 Max (Step 16, M45)

$110,613

2027-28 Max (Step 16, M45)

Year	Step 1 (BA)	Step 1 (MA)	Step 16 Max (M45)	Annual Increase (Step 1 BA)
2023–24	$55,668	$58,224	$101,753	—
2024–25 ◀ Current	$56,253	$58,836	$103,788	+$585 (+1.1%)
2025–26	$56,815	$59,424	$105,386	+$562 (+1.0%)
2026–27	$57,951	$60,613	$107,652	+$1,136 (+2.0%)
2027–28	$59,632	$62,370	$110,613	+$1,681 (+2.9%)

⚠️ Notable Contract Observations

Max step is only 16 — Nazareth's schedule tops out at Step 16, significantly fewer than Northampton Area's 25 steps. Once you reach Step 16, salary only increases with contract-wide raises, not annual step movement.
BA lane dead-ends at Step 8 — After Step 8, teachers must be in B12 or higher lane to advance. Most experienced teachers will need graduate credits to reach Steps 9–16.
Raises are modest mid-contract (~1%) but improve in the final years (2.0–2.9%). The 2027-28 year has the best increases.
Retirement bonus: After 15+ years of service, the district makes a non-elective TSA contribution of final year's salary + 1% per year of service. Alternatively, $40/unused sick day (requires 30 total years, 10 in Nazareth). Notify by March 1 of final year.
Final year's salary notice: Must submit retirement notice by March 1 to get full benefit. Late notice results in lesser payment (1%/yr of service or $20,000 max).

Select year to view full salary schedule. All figures are gross annual salary (pre-tax).

Step	B	B+12	B+24	M	M+15	M+30	M+45
1	$55,668	$55,882	$56,094	$58,224	$59,022	$59,819	$60,617
2	$57,130	$57,344	$57,555	$59,683	$60,481	$61,279	$62,077
3	$58,620	$58,833	$59,045	$61,172	$61,970	$62,768	$63,566
4	$60,108	$60,320	$60,533	$62,660	$63,458	$64,256	$65,053
5	$61,596	$61,809	$62,022	$64,150	$64,947	$65,745	$66,542
6	$63,085	$63,299	$63,511	$65,638	$66,436	$67,233	$68,032
7	$64,575	$64,787	$65,001	$67,127	$67,924	$68,723	$69,520
8	$65,933	$66,277	$66,488	$68,616	$69,414	$70,212	$71,010
9	—	$68,798	$69,009	$71,136	$71,934	$72,732	$73,530
10	—	$71,374	$71,587	$73,713	$74,512	$75,309	$76,106
11	—	$74,210	$74,423	$76,551	$77,348	$78,146	$78,944
12	—	$78,176	$78,176	$80,303	$81,100	$81,898	$82,696
13	—	$82,424	$82,424	$84,552	$85,349	$86,146	$86,945
14	—	$86,679	$86,679	$88,806	$89,603	$90,401	$91,199
15	—	$90,933	$90,933	$93,060	$93,858	$94,654	$95,453
16 ★	—	$97,676	$97,676	$99,879	$100,499	$101,118	$101,753

Step	B	B+12	B+24	M	M+15	M+30	M+45
1	$56,253	$56,468	$56,683	$58,836	$59,642	$60,447	$61,253
2	$57,730	$57,946	$58,160	$60,309	$61,116	$61,922	$62,729
3	$59,236	$59,450	$59,665	$61,815	$62,620	$63,427	$64,233
4	$60,739	$60,954	$61,168	$63,318	$64,125	$64,931	$65,736
5	$62,243	$62,458	$62,674	$64,823	$65,629	$66,435	$67,241
6	$63,747	$63,963	$64,178	$66,327	$67,133	$67,939	$68,746
7	$65,253	$65,467	$65,683	$67,832	$68,638	$69,444	$70,250
8	$66,625	$66,973	$67,186	$69,336	$70,143	$70,949	$71,756
9	—	$69,520	$69,734	$71,883	$72,689	$73,496	$74,302
10	—	$72,124	$72,338	$74,487	$75,294	$76,100	$76,906
11	—	$74,989	$75,205	$77,354	$78,160	$78,966	$79,773
12	—	$78,997	$78,997	$81,146	$81,951	$82,758	$83,564
13	—	$83,290	$83,290	$85,439	$86,245	$87,051	$87,858
14	—	$87,589	$87,589	$89,738	$90,544	$91,350	$92,157
15	—	$91,888	$91,888	$94,038	$94,843	$95,648	$96,455
16 ★	—	$99,630	$99,630	$101,877	$102,508	$103,140	$103,788

Step	B	B+12	B+24	M	M+15	M+30	M+45
1	$56,815	$57,033	$57,250	$59,424	$60,238	$61,052	$61,866
2	$58,308	$58,526	$58,741	$60,912	$61,727	$62,541	$63,356
3	$59,828	$60,045	$60,262	$62,433	$63,247	$64,062	$64,875
4	$61,346	$61,563	$61,780	$63,951	$64,766	$65,580	$66,394
5	$62,866	$63,082	$63,300	$65,471	$66,285	$67,099	$67,913
6	$64,385	$64,603	$64,820	$66,991	$67,805	$68,619	$69,433
7	$65,905	$66,122	$66,340	$68,510	$69,324	$70,139	$70,953
8	$67,291	$67,642	$67,858	$70,029	$70,844	$71,658	$72,473
9	—	$70,215	$70,431	$72,602	$73,416	$74,231	$75,045
10	—	$72,845	$73,062	$75,232	$76,047	$76,861	$77,675
11	—	$75,739	$75,957	$78,128	$78,942	$79,756	$80,571
12	—	$79,787	$79,787	$81,958	$82,771	$83,586	$84,399
13	—	$84,123	$84,123	$86,294	$87,108	$87,922	$88,736
14	—	$88,465	$88,465	$90,636	$91,450	$92,264	$93,079
15	—	$92,807	$92,807	$94,978	$95,792	$96,605	$97,420
16 ★	—	$101,164	$101,164	$103,446	$104,087	$104,728	$105,386

Step	B	B+12	B+24	M	M+15	M+30	M+45
1	$57,951	$58,174	$58,395	$60,613	$61,443	$62,273	$63,103
2	$59,474	$59,696	$59,916	$62,131	$62,962	$63,792	$64,623
3	$61,024	$61,246	$61,467	$63,681	$64,512	$65,343	$66,173
4	$62,573	$62,794	$63,016	$65,230	$66,061	$66,891	$67,722
5	$64,123	$64,344	$64,566	$66,781	$67,611	$68,441	$69,271
6	$65,673	$65,895	$66,116	$68,331	$69,161	$69,991	$70,822
7	$67,223	$67,445	$67,667	$69,880	$70,710	$71,542	$72,372
8	$68,637	$68,995	$69,216	$71,430	$72,261	$73,091	$73,923
9	—	$71,620	$71,840	$74,054	$74,884	$75,716	$76,546
10	—	$74,302	$74,523	$76,737	$77,568	$78,398	$79,228
11	—	$77,254	$77,476	$79,691	$80,521	$81,351	$82,182
12	—	$81,383	$81,383	$83,597	$84,426	$85,257	$86,087
13	—	$85,805	$85,805	$88,020	$88,850	$89,680	$90,511
14	—	$90,234	$90,234	$92,449	$93,279	$94,109	$94,940
15	—	$94,663	$94,663	$96,878	$97,708	$98,537	$99,368
16 ★	—	$103,339	$103,339	$105,670	$106,325	$106,980	$107,652

Step	B	B+12	B+24	M	M+15	M+30	M+45
1	$59,632	$59,861	$60,088	$62,370	$63,225	$64,079	$64,933
2	$61,198	$61,427	$61,654	$63,932	$64,788	$65,642	$66,497
3	$62,794	$63,022	$63,250	$65,528	$66,382	$67,238	$68,092
4	$64,388	$64,615	$64,843	$67,122	$67,977	$68,831	$69,686
5	$65,982	$66,210	$66,439	$68,718	$69,572	$70,426	$71,280
6	$67,577	$67,806	$68,033	$70,312	$71,166	$72,021	$72,876
7	$69,173	$69,400	$69,629	$71,907	$72,761	$73,616	$74,471
8	$70,628	$70,996	$71,223	$73,501	$74,357	$75,211	$76,066
9	—	$73,697	$73,923	$76,202	$77,056	$77,911	$78,766
10	—	$76,457	$76,684	$78,962	$79,817	$80,671	$81,526
11	—	$79,494	$79,723	$82,002	$82,856	$83,710	$84,565
12	—	$83,743	$83,743	$86,021	$86,874	$87,730	$88,584
13	—	$88,293	$88,293	$90,572	$91,426	$92,281	$93,136
14	—	$92,851	$92,851	$95,130	$95,984	$96,838	$97,693
15	—	$97,408	$97,408	$99,687	$100,541	$101,394	$102,250
16 ★	—	$106,181	$106,181	$108,576	$109,249	$109,922	$110,613

★ Step 16 is terminal — no further step movement after reaching this level. BA lane ends at Step 8; Steps 9–16 require B+12 or higher.

🏥 Health Insurance (PPO Plan — New Employees)

In-network deductible: $500/person · $1,000/family
PCP copay: $20 · Specialist: $30 · Urgent care: $40
ER copay: $100 (waived if admitted)
OOP max: $3,675 single · $7,350 family
Employee premium share (per pay, 26x/yr):
Single: $31.90 | H/W: $76.23 | Family: $85.13

🏥 Health Insurance (Traditional Plan — Pre-2019 Hires)

80/20 co-insurance; $250/person deductible
80/20 on first $2,000 then 100% coverage
Employee premium share (per pay, 26x/yr):
Single: $50.99 | H/W: $122.52 | Family: $133.33
⚠️ Closed to new enrollees hired after June 30, 2019

💊 Prescription Drug

30-day supply: $5 generic / $10 brand name
90-day supply: $10 generic / $20 brand name
FSA (IRS Section 125) account available

🦷 Dental & 👁️ Vision

Dental included via EBTEP (Employee Benefit Trust of Eastern PA)
Vision care included
Coverage for employee + dependents under age 26

🛡️ Life Insurance & Disability

Term group life = 100% of salary (rounded to nearest $1K)
Double indemnity for accidental death
Income protection: 60% of salary after 30 consecutive sick days
Benefits continue to social security retirement age

🎓 Retirement Bonus

15+ years continuous service → TSA contribution = final salary + 1%/yr of service
Alternative: $40/unused sick day (requires 30 total yrs public service, 10 in Nazareth)
Late notice option: 1%/yr of service or $20,000 max
Must notify superintendent by March 1 of final year

📅 Leave & Other

Personal leave, sick leave, bereavement leave
Jury duty, child rearing leave, FMLA
Sabbatical leave available
Tuition credit reimbursement
Association leave (union business)
Travel reimbursement

💰 Extra Pay (EPED)

Extra Pay/Extra Duty schedule available (Appendix E)
Teacher Leader positions: 50 hrs at contracted hourly rate (required duties)
Tier 2: up to 75 hrs additional · Tier 3: up to 100 hrs additional

📋 Data Sources & Methodology

Nazareth Area SD: Full salary schedules extracted directly from the NAEA Contract Extension (SY23–28), Provided via official contract. All figures are confirmed official contract values.
Northampton Area SD: Official salary schedule PDF retrieved from NASD server (fy25teachersalaryschedulepriortosy25.pdf, created March 2024).
All other districts: Salary ranges are estimates based on PA Department of Education average salary data, PSEA contract benchmarks, and comparable district analysis. Most districts do not publicly post salary schedules.
Average/median salary data: GovSalaries.com public salary data for 2024–2025.

⚠️ Important Caveats

Estimated ranges for non-Nazareth/non-Northampton districts should be treated as directional only — actual schedules may differ.
To get exact salary schedules for other districts, file a Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) request — free, districts must respond within 5 business days. File at: openrecords.pa.gov
Nazareth's contract is an extension of a prior CBA (executed September 27, 2022, extended to cover SY23–28).
Health insurance costs for employees at Northampton Area and other districts were not obtained — comparison is salary only.

🔗 Useful Links

Northampton Area SD HR: nasdschools.org
Easton Area SD Union Contracts: eastonsd.org
East Stroudsburg Area SD: esasd.net
PA Open Records (RTKL filing): openrecords.pa.gov
PA Dept. of Education salary data: education.pa.gov