Here’s how much Houston ISD teachers will be paid in 2025-2026

HOUSTON — The Houston Independent School District has released its 2025–2026 Compensation Plan, outlining changes that will tie teacher pay increases to performance evaluations rather than years of service.

The plan continues the district’s ongoing shift toward performance-based compensation and comes as HISD implements broader reforms across the school system.

District leaders say the approach aims to attract and retain effective teachers while investing in future educators.

Key details from HISD’s 2025–2026 compensation plan:

• Teacher pay increases tied to evaluations: Teacher base salary raises will be based on 2024–2025 T-TESS evaluation ratings, funded in part by new money from the state legislature.
• Educator pipeline investments: The district plans to pay principal apprentices $100,000 annually and offer up to $50,000 for teacher residents, with the goal of building leadership capacity.
• Bus driver raises: HISD bus drivers will receive higher hourly wages, with rates going up to $35 an hour.
• Policy updates: The plan includes changes to policies governing promotions, demotions, salary placement, and allowances, with an emphasis on standardizing pay practices across the district.

HISD says the pay structure changes are being driven in part by funding made available through House Bill 2’s Teacher Retention Allotment. The district is opting for the Enhanced Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) pathway, which ties state funding to teacher effectiveness. Under this model, teachers with higher evaluation scores will see larger base salary increases.

HISD officials say the plan will maintain the district’s existing pay structure for now, but more changes are expected in future years with the phased implementation of the district’s Teacher Excellence System (TES), which will also focus on performance-based compensation.

The district said it intends to continue releasing annual compensation plans to keep employees informed.