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Nebraska State Education Association

Intriguing Facts


Nebraska has seen a great deal of success in education, both from its students and its educators. Despite this success, Nebraska has been losing its teachers and potential teachers to other states, professions and opportunities. The following is a list of facts to show how our teachers and students are doing on a national level.

  1. Nebraska ranks in the Top 10 in the nation in student achievement (SAT, ACT, and NAEP scores).

  2. In 2008-09, Nebraska’s 22.1 average score ranked first among U.S. states with 70 percent or more graduates taking the ACT. (Source: Nebraska State Board of Education 2009)

  3. On the NAEP, Nebraska’s reading scores ranked in the Top 10 nationally. Only nine states scored significantly higher than Nebraska at the fourth grade. Only eight states scored significantly higher than Nebraska at the eighth grade.

  4. On average, Nebraska teachers have 15.2 years of classroom teaching experience.
    (Source: Nebraska State Board of Education 2009)

  5. Nebraska ranks 42nd nationally in teachers’ average salary: $44,957 vs. $54,319, behind the national average by over $9,300. (Source: NEA Rankings and Statistics, 2008)

  6. The average starting salary ($28,235*) for Nebraska teachers in 2008-09 ranked last (seventh of seven) when compared to average starting salaries paid in contiguous states. Nebraska trailed Wyoming ($40,658), Iowa ($35,509), Kansas ($32,094), Colorado ($30,799) and South Dakota ($29,987). (*Source: 09-10 database from NSEA’s Collective Bargaining & Research)

  7. Nebraska average teacher salaries fell on average, $1,300 behind the surrounding states, $3,700 behind Iowa teachers, $3,500 behind Colorado teachers’ salaries, $1,500 behind Kansas teachers and more than $9,500 behind Wyoming teachers. (Source: NEA Rankings and Statistics, 2008)

  8. In 2008-2009 Nebraska received an average salary increase of 3 percent, trailing a 6.5 percent increase in Iowa, 3.1 percent increase in Wyoming and a 3.6 percent increase in Kansas. (Source: NEA Rankings and Statistics, 2008)

  9. Adjusting average salaries for regional cost of living ranked Nebraska average teachers’ salaries are more than 10 percent, or $5,600 below the national average. (Source: NEA Rankings and Estimates and the Council for Community and Economic Research – ACCRA-COLI, 2010)

  10. In Nebraska, fewer than half of teachers who received a teaching certificate in 2005 were teaching in Nebraska schools in 2007-08. (Source: Census Bureau, Public Education Finances.)

  11. In 2008, there were 64 unfilled teaching positions, impacting 51 Nebraska school districts. (Source: Nebraska Department of Education)

  12. Nebraska teachers make 21 percent less in weekly wages than other college graduates and more than $6,000 less on an annual basis. (Source: Economic Policy Institute, 2008, using Bureau of Labor Statistics data)

  13. In Nebraska, two-thirds of the funding for teacher salaries and compensations comes from local sources, primarily property taxes.

  14. Less than 1 percent of the Nebraska state aid formula is connected to teacher qualifications and none is dedicated to compensation.

  15. Nationally, 47.6 percent of the funding for public schools comes from state government revenues while Nebraska state government provides only 31.7 percent. (Source: Census Bureau, Public Education Finances.)

  16. Nebraska ranks last in the nation in the percent of state revenue supporting public schools. (Source: Census Bureau, Public Education Finances.)