The Ontario teacher salary grid, explained: categories, steps and what boards pay
The Ontario teacher salary grid sets pay by a QECO qualification category (A through A4, labelled Group 1 to 4 in most secondary agreements) and an experience step. Every board negotiates its own grid, so the dollar figures differ. On the 22 published 2025-26 grids this site tracks, starting pay runs from $48,179 to $61,614 depending on the board and category, and the top of the grid runs from $119,967 to $120,384.
Two dimensions: category and step
Your placement is two-dimensional. The qualification category is assigned by QECO, the Qualifications Evaluation Council of Ontario, based on your academic credentials. The experience step rises one notch for each year of recognized experience until you reach the top of the grid, which most boards set around step 10 or 11.
QECO evaluates teachers who are members of AEFO, ETFO, OECTA and OSSTF and places them between Category A and Category A4. Category A is the floor for a teacher without a university degree, and most teachers holding a B.Ed start at A1 or higher. Secondary collective agreements label the same tiers Group 1 to Group 4, and some Catholic agreements write Category A as A0, but they are the same ladder.
How your category gets assigned
- You apply to QECO with your transcripts and teaching qualifications. QECO evaluates the academic record and issues a Statement of Evaluation.
- QECO deals only with the teacher. You submit the Statement of Evaluation to your board yourself, and the board places you on the grid.
- A new degree or additional qualifications can move you up a category. That is a re-evaluation, not a negotiation, and it is the largest pay lever most teachers control.
What the numbers look like
A concrete example: the Halton elementary (ETFO) grid for 2025-26 runs from Category A, Step 0 at $51,370, to Category A4, Step 0 at $70,194, up to the top of the grid at A4, Step 11, $119,969. A new teacher with a B.Ed starts at A1 or above, so a typical starting salary sits above the Category A floor.
Every board negotiates its own grid, so the same category and step pays differently across the province. The table lists the 22 published 2025-26 grids this site tracks, with the lowest step-0 figure on each grid, the top of the A4 column, and the daily occasional rate where the agreement publishes one. Each row links to the board's own agreement or grid in the sources at the end.
| Board and panel | Start of grid | Top of grid (A4) | Daily occasional rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDSB elementary | $51,370 | $119,969 | not published |
| PDSB elementary | $53,987 | $119,972 | not published |
| OCDSB elementary | $58,078 | $119,979 | not published |
| OCDSB secondary | $61,614 | $119,979 | not published |
| TDSB secondary | $57,943 | $120,057 | $286 |
| WRDSB secondary | $55,853 | $119,998 | $288 |
| YCDSB catholic | $48,179 | $120,227 | not published |
| TCDSB secondary | $53,090 | $120,024 | not published |
| YRDSB elementary | $51,556 | $120,384 | not published |
| YRDSB secondary | $57,269 | $120,384 | $294 |
| SCDSB elementary | $54,567 | $119,974 | $290 |
| SCDSB secondary | $59,128 | $119,974 | not published |
| DDSB elementary | $53,352 | $119,967 | $290 |
| DDSB secondary | $57,986 | $119,967 | not published |
| TDSB elementary | $53,605 | $120,060 | $290 |
| WRDSB elementary | $51,769 | $119,998 | not published |
| HWDSB elementary | $56,156 | $119,980 | $292 |
| HWDSB secondary | $56,155 | $119,978 | $289 |
| TVDSB elementary | $51,955 | $119,974 | not published |
| TVDSB secondary | $55,579 | $119,974 | $286 |
| UGDSB elementary | $52,974 | $119,975 | not published |
| UGDSB secondary | $59,301 | $119,975 | not published |
Figures are for the 2025-26 school year and vary by board collective agreement. Boards publish new grids for 2026-27 in September. Check your own board and contract year for your exact placement.
Which grid year applies
Grids follow the school year, not the calendar year, because the Education Act sets the school year at 194 days running from September. The "2026 salary grid" most people search for is the 2025-26 grid in effect until August 2026, and the 2026-27 grid takes over in September 2026. Your board employment letter will state the salary in effect on the date it is written, which is the figure a lender uses.
How a lender uses it
For a permanent teacher, the board salary letter (category, step, base salary) is the qualifying income. Grid placement also lets a broker forecast your contractual raises, which can help on a stretch file because the increases are scheduled, not speculative. For occasional and LTO teachers the grid sets the daily rate, but the lender qualifies on a two-year average of what you actually earned.
Sources and dates
Figures in this guide come from the sources below. Each entry shows the date the source states, or the date it was read when the source gives none. After the review date, treat any number as a starting point and check the source.
- Qualifications Evaluation Council of Ontario (QECO), salary category placement (accessed 2026-08-26)
- ETFO Halton local salary grid, 2025-26 (as of 2025-26)
- Ontario Regulation 304, School Year Calendar, Professional Activity Days (Education Act) (accessed 2026-08-26)
- ETFO Peel (PETL) collective agreement 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- ETFO Ottawa-Carleton salary grids 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- OSSTF District 25 (OCDSB) collective agreement 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- OSSTF Toronto (TTBU) collective agreement 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- OSSTF District 24 (WRDSB) salary grid, Sept 2025 (as of 2025-26)
- OECTA York Catholic unit collective agreement 2022-2026 (Art. 6.01) (as of 2025-26)
- OECTA Toronto Secondary Unit (TSU) collective agreement 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- ETFO York Region local collective agreement 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- OSSTF District 16 (YRDSB) collective agreement 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- ETFO Simcoe County (SCETF) collective agreement 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- OSSTF District 17 (SCDSB) collective agreement 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- ETFO Durham teachers salary grid 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- OSSTF District 13 (DDSB) salary grid 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- ETFO Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT) grid 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- ETFO Waterloo Region (WROTL) contract teacher salary scale 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- ETFO Hamilton-Wentworth (HWETL) teachers CA 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- OSSTF District 21 (HWDSB) teachers CA 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- ETFO Thames Valley teacher BU CA 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- OSSTF District 11 (TVDSB) TBU CA 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- ETFO Upper Grand teacher local CA 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
- OSSTF District 18 (UGDSB) secondary salary grid 2022-2026 (as of 2025-26)
Common questions
Who assigns my teaching category?+
QECO, the Qualifications Evaluation Council of Ontario, evaluates your academic credentials and places you between Category A and Category A4. You submit the Statement of Evaluation to your board for salary placement. Secondary agreements label the same tiers Group 1 to 4.
How much do Ontario teachers make?+
On the 22 published 2025-26 grids this site tracks, starting pay runs from $48,179 to $61,614 depending on the board and category, and the top of the grid runs from $119,967 to $120,384. Your own figure depends on your board, category and step.
What is the difference between A1 and A4?+
They are QECO qualification categories. A4 is the highest and requires the most academic credit, so it pays more at every step. On the Halton elementary 2025-26 grid, Category A and Category A4 at step 0 are $18,824 apart.
Is the 2026 teacher pay grid the same as the 2025-26 grid?+
Yes. Grids follow the school year, so the grid in effect in early 2026 is the 2025-26 grid. Boards publish 2026-27 grids for September 2026.
Do secondary teachers use the A categories?+
The same QECO ladder applies. Most secondary collective agreements label the tiers Group 1 to Group 4 instead of A1 to A4, and Group 4 is the equivalent of A4.
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