Understanding compensation philosophy and structure is essential for attracting and retaining talented educators while maintaining financial sustainability. Whether you’re evaluating your current compensation structure or building a new model from the ground up, these resources will assist schools in developing a fair, competitive, and mission-aligned approach to teacher compensation.
Effective compensation models are built on a foundation of educational research, market analysis, and clearly articulated organizational values. These resources explore recent regional research and market comparisons that should inform compensation decisions in independent schools. From understanding the local landscape to considering the research on teacher retention, this data provides the basis for making strategic compensation decisions.
Several insights presented here draw from two comprehensive SAIS resources that provide a foundation for understanding both operational benchmarks and faculty experience across independent schools. SAIS Meridian is a new benchmarking tool designed to help school leaders make data-informed decisions that strengthen mission-driven strategic plans. This platform aggregates data from nearly 400 SAIS member schools, offering leaders a powerful lens through which to evaluate their institution’s performance and identify areas for growth. The second source is the SAIS Faculty Motivation and Engagement Survey. Administered in fall 2025, this survey gathered feedback from educators about workplace culture, well-being, and the factors that shape their professional experience. With over 1,500 responses from faculty across a variety of schools and levels of experience, this survey provides an authentic voice to the teachers in our schools.
Implementing the right teacher compensation model can affect everything from budget sustainability to faculty morale, from recruitment success to long-term retention. Many schools operate with inherited compensation structures that have randomly evolved over time. The mission alignment or effectiveness of the system may be due for review. We’ve collected a comprehensive overview of the primary compensation models used in independent schools today, outlining the core features, advantages, and limitations of each approach. Understanding these different models enables school leaders to make informed, intentional decisions about compensation that reflect their school’s unique mission, values, and resources, whether your school is considering a complete restructuring of compensation or seeking incremental improvements to an existing system.
