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DENVER (KDVR) — If you’re a teacher in Colorado, you’re best off in the Cherry Creek School District.

May 8-12 is National Teacher Appreciation Week as well as National Nurses Week.

Though it is one of the most expensive places in the U.S. to call home, Colorado also has a relatively poor pay scale for teachers. The average pay for Colorado teachers is in line with the rest of the country but starting pay for teachers is some of the nation’s lowest as of 2021 data.

FOX31’s Data Desk analyzed the Colorado Department of Education’s data to find which school districts offer the best working environment for teachers. This analysis consists of the average rankings for two items – average teacher salary and teacher turnover among nearly 200 districts. The analysis did not include Boards of Cooperative Educational Services districts.

Cherry Creek schools ranked first on the list with the state’s second-highest average salary and the 29th-lowest turnover. Boulder Valley schools rank second with the highest salaries in the state and the 37th lowest turnover rate.

The 20 top districts include Poudre-1, Littleton 6, Platte Valley, St. Vrain Valley, Gilpin County, Summit, Jefferson County, Cheyenne Mountain, Roaring Fork, Briggsdale, Mesa County, Pueblo County, Westminster, Hinsdale, Ridgway, Adams 12 Five Star, Meeker and Johnstown-Milliken districts.

The school districts with the lowest pay are in rural areas, including De Beque, South Conejos, Otis, Cripple Creek-Victor and Cotopaxi. In these districts, average salaries barely exceed $40,000 at their highest, and their turnover rates are as high as 45%.