How Much Money Do Middle School Coaches Make?

Middle school coaches are teachers of sport and physical fitness who work with pupils between the ages of 8 and 13 years. They instruct children in the health benefits of exercise, demonstrate exercise techniques and coach pupils in the skills of particular sports. They may also coach individuals and teams to compete in inter-school sports competitions. Salary levels for the role are comparable with teachers of other subjects working in middle schools.

For the purposes of its survey of employment trends across the U.S. economy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics classified middle school coaches alongside the teachers of all other subjects working within that level of the education system. The bureau concluded that the mean yearly wage across the occupational grouping was $54,880 as of May 2008. This translates into a monthly income of $4,573. Individuals within the top 10 percent bracket of earners achieved salaries of over $80,940, while their contemporaries in the corresponding bottom bracket earned less than $34,990 per year.

The vast majority of middle school coaches work within elementary and secondary schools. According to the bureau's figures, the mean annual pay within this sector of the industry was $54,900. Individuals employed by local government earned a mean of $51,460, while positions within other schools and instruction, such as sports clubs, paid $45,610.

Location can also impact a middle school coach's salary level. The bureau reported that New York was the state in which middle school teachers were most likely to secure the highest wages, with a mean of $70,670 per year. Connecticut and Alaska were also comparatively lucrative locations, with respective means of $68,420 and $66,890. Texas and Florida had similar wage levels -- $51,230 and $50,770, respectively -- while Mississippi was among the states with the lowest pay levels with a mean of just $40,700.

The bureau predicts that employment opportunities for middle school teachers, as well as for their counterparts working in other areas of the education system, will rise by approximately 13 percent over the decade from 2008 to 2018. This corresponds with projections for the country as a whole across all occupations, estimated to grow between 7 and 13 percent over the same time. However, the bureau cautions that opportunities are likely to vary between regions and teachers and coaches with a mobile, flexible attitude.