Fresh payroll data from the Texas Education Agency for the 2025–26 school year is putting hard numbers to long-running questions about who gets paid what in Greater Houston’s public schools. The latest figures show some superintendents pulling in half‑million‑dollar compensation packages while average pay for teachers, paraprofessionals and support staff swings widely from district to district. The release is already sharpening local arguments over how districts use state dollars and what their real priorities are heading into budget season.
In mid‑March the Texas Education Agency posted two PEIMS reports that spell out superintendent salaries and district staff base pay for 2025–26, with data searchable by district. According to the Texas Education Agency, the superintendent salary report lists base and total compensation for district leaders across Texas. The files also include district‑level totals so school boards and the public can see contracted base pay alongside extra compensation pieces.
Top superintendent pay in Greater Houston
An analysis of the TEA files by Community Impact found Cy‑Fair and Klein at the top of the pack for superintendent pay in the region. Cy‑Fair Superintendent Wayne Killian is listed with $520,231 in total pay, and Klein Superintendent Jenny McGown at $508,554. Katy, Houston and Conroe follow with total compensation of $474,440, $462,000 and $454,589, respectively, as reported by Community Impact. Four of the five highest‑paid superintendents were employed in Region 4 districts, according to that review.
Teacher pay: who’s near the top and bottom
On the classroom side, the TEA staff FTE and salary report shows Lamar CISD leading the region for average teacher base pay at $76,225. New Caney follows at $75,125 and Deer Park at $74,343, with Houston ISD at $73,934. At the other end of the scale, Bryan reported an average teacher base of $59,776 and College Station $61,116. Those figures cover base pay only and do not factor in stipends, local supplements or Teacher Incentive Allotment payments, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Support staff and paraprofessionals show wide gaps
Support‑staff wages swing just as dramatically. Community Impact’s review found Pasadena ISD with the highest average support‑staff base pay in the region at $91,531, while College Station reported one of the lower averages at $72,810. Houston ISD led paraprofessional pay at $32,502, and Willis ISD reported one of the lowest paraprofessional averages at $20,054. Districts say those gaps matter when they compete for librarians, nurses and teacher aides who are considered essential to keeping classrooms running smoothly, according to Community Impact.
Why this matters now
Statewide, superintendent pay has been rising even as enrollment declines and budget pressures mount, a trend highlighted in independent analysis of the TEA dataset. Texas Policy Research notes that more than 100 superintendents now earn well above the governor’s salary and identified dozens of administrators with six‑figure compensation packages. At the same time, the Legislature signed off on an $8.5 billion education package last year that includes long‑term teacher raises, a context districts point to when deciding how to use new funding, according to The Texas Tribune. Locally, critics have focused on large administrator contracts, including Houston ISD’s 2025 deal that raised Superintendent Mike Miles’ base salary to $462,000, as they push boards to direct more money into classrooms, according to the Houston Chronicle.
All of the TEA files are public and searchable by district, and the 2025–26 numbers give residents a clearer view of where education dollars are going. Expect school boards, parent groups and local elected officials to lean on this data as budget talks ramp up and districts decide which pay steps to lock in for the long term.
