Kindergarten Lead Teacher Salary in the United States

How much does a Kindergarten Lead Teacher make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Kindergarten Lead Teacher in the United States is $46,648 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $22.

However, a Kindergarten Lead Teacher's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $59,217
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $41,395 to $53,227
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $36,613
Compensation Planning
Develop a Job Description
Pay Equity
2025 Compensation Trend
AI-Powered HR
AI-Powered Talent
View as table View as graph 25% $41,395 10% $36,613 90% $59,217 75% $53,227 $46,648 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Kindergarten Lead Teacher Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $53,227 $4,436 $1,024 $26
Average $46,648 $3,887 $897 $22
25th Percentile $41,395 $3,450 $796 $20
Check out Kindergarten Lead Teacher Job Openings in the United States
Lead Teacher and Licensed Pre Teacher Act

Little Lakers Academy - COLCHESTER, VT

Lead Teacher

First Care Health Center - PARK RIVER, ND

Lead Teacher

COLUMBUS EARLY LEARNING CENTERS - COLUMBUS, OH

Before&Aftercare Lead Teacher

Georgetown Hill Early School - GAITHERSBURG, MD

Search More Kindergarten Lead Teacher Jobs in the United States

Key Factors That Influence Kindergarten Lead Teacher Salaries

A Kindergarten Lead Teacher's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Kindergarten Lead Teacher Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Kindergarten Lead Teacher's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $44,970
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $45,334
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $48,525
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $53,563
  • Expert (over 8 years): $53,898
Levels Salary
Entry Level Kindergarten Lead Teacher$44,970
Intermediate Level Kindergarten Lead Teacher$45,334
Senior Level Kindergarten Lead Teacher$48,525
Specialist Level Kindergarten Lead Teacher$53,563
Expert Level Kindergarten Lead Teacher$53,898
$44,970 0 yr
$45,334 < 2 yrs
$48,525 2-4 yrs
$53,563 5-8 yrs
$53,898 > 8 yrs
View as Table
View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do Kindergarten Lead Teacher Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Kindergarten Lead Teachers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

  • District of Columbia: $51,648.
  • California: $51,452.
  • Massachusetts: $50,766.

Top Paying Cities for Kindergarten Lead Teachers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $58,836
  • San Francisco: $58,258
  • Oakland: $56,966

What Skills Can Increase a Kindergarten Lead Teacher's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Planning (Mentioned in 4.32% Job Postings): An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
  • Estate Planning (Mentioned in 2.67% Job Postings): Estate planning is the process of anticipating and arranging, during a person's life, for the management and disposal of that person's estate during the person's life and at and after death, while minimizing gift, estate, generation skipping transfer, and income tax. Estate planning includes planning for incapacity as well as a process of reducing or eliminating uncertainties over the administration of a probate and maximizing the value of the estate by reducing taxes and other expenses. The ultimate goal of estate planning can be determined by the specific goals of the client, and may be as simple or complex as the client's needs dictate. Guardians are often designated for minor children and beneficiaries in incapacity. The law of estate planning overlaps to some degree with elder law, which additionally includes other provisions such as long-term care.
  • Bookkeeping (Mentioned in 1.85% Job Postings): Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions, and is part of the process of accounting in business. Transactions include purchases, sales, receipts, and payments by an individual person or an organization/corporation. There are several standard methods of bookkeeping, including the single-entry and double-entry bookkeeping systems. While these may be viewed as "real" bookkeeping, any process for recording financial transactions is a bookkeeping process. Bookkeeping is the work of a bookkeeper (or book-keeper), who records the day-to-day financial transactions of a business. They usually write the daybooks (which contain records of sales, purchases, receipts, and payments), and document each financial transaction, whether cash or credit, into the correct daybook—that is, petty cash book, suppliers ledger, customer ledger, etc.—and the general ledger. Thereafter, an accountant can create financial reports from the information recorded by the bookkeeper.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Planning 4.32%
Estate Planning 2.67%
Bookkeeping 1.85%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Kindergarten Lead Teacher's salary.
  • Onboarding: Can increase your salary by up to 29%.
  • Flexibility: Can increase your salary by up to 21%.
  • Analytical Skills: Can increase your salary by up to 16%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Onboarding
$60,175
29%
Flexibility
$56,443
21%
Analytical Skills
$54,111
16%
Accounting Systems
$53,178
14%
Interpersonal Communication
$52,712
13%
Cash Management
$51,779
11%
Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Kindergarten Lead Teacher's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Kindergarten Lead Teachers enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Kindergarten Lead Teacher with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $44,411 and $47,008).

Kindergarten Lead Teacher Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Kindergarten Lead Teacher
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 100.0%
High School 0.0%
Associates 100.0%
Bachelors 0.0%
Masters 0.0%
Doctorate 0.0%
view as graph

Kindergarten Lead Teacher Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Kindergarten Lead Teacher's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Salaries for a Kindergarten Lead Teacher can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $44,414 in 2023 to around $43,801 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Kindergarten Lead Teacher salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Kindergarten Lead Teacher Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$44,414
2024
$44,080
2025
$43,801
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $44,414
2024 $44,080
2025 $43,801
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
For Employers

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution.

Compensation Planning

Common company salaries for Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Here are companies hiring for Kindergarten Lead Teacher and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Kindergarten Lead Teacher Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Kindergarten Lead Teacher job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
For Employees

Get a Salary Increase

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Search Job Openings

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

For Employers

Adjust Employee Salary

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Price My Industry Jobs

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst