School Nurse salary
A school nurse earns about $87,800 a year — roughly $42.21/hour, with most earning between $72,300 and $101,120. This is an estimate — a starting point, not an exact figure.
School Nurse — U.S. national
Specialty estimateMedian annual pay
$87,800
Hourly
$42.21/hr
- Typical range
- $72,300–$101,120
- What most nurses earn
- High end
- $123,720
- Top earners
- Entry level
- $62,050
- Newer nurses
What affects this pay
- School-district / public pay scale
- School-year vs year-round schedule
- National Certified School Nurse (NCSN)
- District size and funding
- State and metro labor market
About School Nurses
What they do
School nurses manage student health in K-12 and college settings — daily medications, chronic conditions like asthma and diabetes, vision and hearing screenings, immunization records, and emergencies — often as the only health professional in the building.
How to become a School Nurse
School nurses are RNs; many states require or prefer a BSN, and some require additional school-nurse certification or licensure. The National Certified School Nurse (NCSN) credential is available for experienced school nurses.
What drives the pay
Public wage data doesn’t separately track school nurses; figures are based on registered nurse pay. Pay is frequently set on a public school-district scale and many roles follow the school year, so reported salaries can sit below the hospital RN median.
School Nurse pay by state
Estimated school nurse pay where this role tends to earn the most. Open a state for the full local picture.
| State | Est. annual pay | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| California | $126,240 | +44% vs national |
| Hawaii | $122,690 | +40% vs national |
| Oregon | $116,110 | +32% vs national |
| Washington | $111,780 | +27% vs national |
| Alaska | $98,530 | +12% vs national |
| New York | $98,500 | +12% vs national |
| New Jersey | $95,850 | +9% vs national |
| Massachusetts | $94,100 | +7% vs national |
Why there is no school nurse pay table by state
The federal wage survey behind these figures (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) measures nursing by occupation code, not by clinical specialty. There is a published figure for Registered Nurse in every state, but none for school nurse specifically. Any state-by-state school nurse table would be the registered-nurse figure with a specialty adjustment applied — a model, not a local measurement, so we do not publish one.
For pay where you live, use the measured data: registered nurse salary by state, then apply the specialty difference described above. Our methodology explains how that adjustment is derived and where it is weakest.
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School Nurse salary FAQ
- How much do School Nurses make?
- School Nurses earn an estimated $87,800 a year — about $42.21 an hour, with most between $72,300 and $101,120. School Nurses aren't reported as a separate role in public wage data, so this is a specialty estimate that starts from registered nurse pay.
- What is the hourly pay for School Nurses?
- Most School Nurses are paid an hourly wage. The national estimate works out to about $42.21 an hour at a full-time schedule, with a typical range of $34.76 to $48.62. Nights, weekends, and overtime differentials push the real hourly rate higher.
- Which state pays School Nurses the most?
- California is among the highest-paying states for School Nurses, at roughly $126,240 a year, followed by other West Coast and Northeast states. State figures are estimates based on national pay and local cost of living.
- Why is School Nurse pay shown as an estimate?
- No public source measures School Nurses as a separate occupation, so we start from registered nurse pay and apply the pay difference these nurses typically see. The figure is clearly labeled an estimate and sharpens as nurses submit their own pay.
- Why are some figures verified and others estimates?
- National pay for the main nursing roles — registered nurses, LPNs/LVNs, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, nurse midwives, and nursing assistants — comes from verified public wage data. State, city, and specialty figures that aren't reported on their own start from that national pay and are labeled "Estimated" or "Specialty estimate." We never show an estimate as a verified figure.
Source & confidence— An estimate for a specialty that public pay data does not list on its own. A ballpark to start from, not an exact figure.
Modeled specialty estimate
School Nurse is not broken out by BLS. Figures are modeled from the SOC 29-1141 median using a specialty differential of 0.90×, reflecting commonly reported pay differences. Treat as directional, not precise.
Source year 2025. Last reviewed July 17, 2026. Full methodology
This role isn’t broken out in public wage data, so the figure starts from registered nurse pay and sharpens as nurses submit their pay. Last reviewed July 17, 2026.