Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods at Northwest Nazarene University

Northwest Nazarene's teacher education graduates start at $40,450—landing in the bottom half both nationally and among Idaho's seven programs. While the debt load of $26,250 is roughly typical for teacher prep programs, it still represents about eight months of that first-year salary. The 3% earnings growth over four years barely keeps pace with inflation, which matters in a profession where salary schedules tend to be predictable and transparent.

The small sample size here (under 30 graduates) is worth flagging—these numbers could shift significantly with more data. That said, when you're paying close to median debt for below-median outcomes even within Idaho, you're looking at programs like Boise State and Idaho State that start teachers $1,700-$2,600 higher annually. Over a teaching career, that gap compounds substantially.

If your child is committed to teaching and specifically wants Northwest Nazarene's faith-based environment, the program isn't dramatically worse than alternatives—the debt isn't crushing and teachers do earn pensions and benefits. But purely on the earnings-to-debt calculus, this represents an average investment in a below-average-paying outcome, even by education major standards.