On average, educators in Richmond Public Schools are earning $72,303 this school year, a $4,567 increase over last year’s numbers.

That’s according to recently published data from the Virginia Department of Education detailing school staff salaries for every locality in the state, as mandated by state law. 

It also marks a regional milestone for RPS educators, as the average salary in Richmond is higher than the average salary in Chesterfield and Henrico counties. The last time RPS held the top spot locally was 2019, according to the state data.

The numbers show the average salary decreasing this year in Henrico and Chesterfield, but spokespeople in both counties said that the cause is older teachers leaving the profession and being replaced with younger teachers, who start on a lower pay scale. Both counties gave raises to their teachers during this school year.

Annual average salaries are typically driven by years of experience in Henrico County Public Schools, said spokesperson Eileen Cox, adding that the salaries tend to decrease when the division replaces “a long-tenured employee with someone with less experience.”

She said the division also provides raises to employees based on their experience, meaning that returning employees make more in subsequent years. 

“All returning full-time and permanent part-time employees – including teachers –received a 6% across-the-board increase through wage and step adjustment. Temporary, part-time employees and new employees received a minimum of a 3.628% wage increase” this school year, she told The Richmonder.

Teacher salaries have increased 54% over the last decade and the division has absorbed larger portions of healthcare costs, she added. 

In Richmond, Superintendent Jason Kamras has prioritized teacher pay during his tenure.

Richmond teachers’ compensation has risen 41% since 2018, when the average salary was $51,530, according to VDOE data.

“That’s the difference between being able to pay a mortgage or not,” Kamras said in 2025 when he budgeted for the most recent round of raises.

But those gains may disappear in the budget for school year 2026-2027, as Kamras has proposed pausing raises.

Pay raises will not be considered until later this spring in Henrico schools. The proposed budget in Chesterfield will include a pay increase for all school employees, a CCPS spokesperson said. 

Other positions

The average pay for principals and assistant principals also increased this school year in RPS.

Principals in Richmond made $128,266, up from $114,896 last school year – but that still trails behind pay in the neighboring counties. Chesterfield’s increase in principal pay this year, from $140,345 to $144,226, was the highest of the three localities.

Shawn Smith, a spokesperson for Chesterfield County Public Schools, gave similar reasons as Cox’s for the average teacher pay going down in the county’s school division.

All employees in Chesterfield schools received raises over the past three years of 7%, 4% and 3% respectively, Smith said. 

With experienced teachers leaving the profession, which he said is happening across the country and state, newer educators start at the beginning of the pay scale and are less likely to have advanced degrees.

He also added that principals are more likely to remain in their role for a longer time, compared to teachers. 

"It is untrue, inaccurate and inflammatory to say that Chesterfield is cutting teacher pay while raising principal pay,” he said in an email. “Statistics can often be helpful, but the statistics cited in this inquiry are misleading when taken out of context.”

Reported salaries in each of the three localities did not keep up with the state average this year overall.

How does RPS compare to the rest of the state?

RPS pay by school

The increases in Richmond are due in part to the administration’s collective bargaining agreements with the unions representing school employees, which raised salaries by 3% this school year, along with an annual 1.17% step increase. 

Teachers new to RPS are making an average of $55,881 if they have their bachelor’s degree, $58,674 if they have their master’s, and $62,799 with a doctorate degree. Those wages are slightly above starting pay in Chesterfield, but less than Henrico. 

The state’s data also shares average teacher salaries from the last school year for every school within a locality. 

In Richmond, teachers were paid the highest at Cardinal Elementary – an average $80,484. The Southside school has the highest number of English learners and second highest number of Hispanic students in the entire division, according to state data, likely requiring bilingual teachers, which can result in a pay bump. Cardinal is also the most populated out of all elementary schools in the district.

Fairfield Court Elementary, Woodville Elementary and Mary Scott Preschool were among the top ten schools with the highest paid teachers at $76,547, $73,818 and $75,222 respectively.  

RPS administrators have identified some of the highest-paying schools as “hard to staff” – schools with a teacher contract vacancy rate of at least 17%. Last year, the division offered a $7,500 bonus in salaries to teachers who agree to teach at hard-to-staff schools, likely contributing to Fairfield Court and Mary Scott’s high teacher salaries. 

Use the table below to see all average teacher salaries for each public school within RPS.

Contact Reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin at vifatusin@richmonder.org