Money · 1 of 5

What teachers make

Mid-grid

$85,000

Year 1

$52,000

Top of grid

$105,000

Public school teachers are paid on a fixed grid by years of experience and qualifications. You reach the top in about 10 years. Alberta and Ontario grids are among the highest; the Maritimes are lower. Job Bank's national median works out to about $95,000 a year for high school teachers and $90,000 for elementary, which lands mid-grid.