109 New Athletic Trainer Jobs — Monday, April 13th, 2026 — Including the Ipswich, MA position at the center of the profession's biggest story this month.

109 new athletic trainer jobs this week. Where colleges and professional sports carried the list last week, secondary schools and independent schools played the major role this week — and they brought some of the wider salary bands of the year with them.

Some of the highlights we see this week definitely warrant a cost-of-living examination. A $147,626 ceiling from a Maryland school district. A Princeton, NJ independent school topping out at $102,682. Brooklyn private school money. A California director role at $115,000. Every one of those numbers looks different once you account for where it actually lands. The DC metro, New Jersey, Brooklyn, and Silicon Valley all showed up this week, and all four of those markets demand a COL conversation before a salary number means anything.

The most financially favorable roles this week are not the ones with the biggest headlines. They are in East Texas and South Texas, where no state income tax and below-average cost of living make $80,000 feel like a different kind of money than it does in Boston or Brooklyn.

One more thing before the picks. A part-time high school position out of Ipswich, Massachusetts made it onto the board this week. Normally, this wouldn’t move the needle, but it is all the controversy surrounding this posting that warrants a highlight. Be sure to stick around for the What’s Worth Noting This Week section at the end to get my take on the situation and the position.

Let’s get into the picks.

Athletic Trainer  |  Prince George’s County Public Schools

Capitol Heights, MD  |  $73,347–$147,626 (Annual)

The ceiling is extraordinary and it needs context before it does any work. This is a Unit III Grade 27 civil service classification in Maryland’s largest school district — the salary band reflects the full breadth of the pay scale from entry level to the top of the range, and getting to $147,626 requires years of service and advancement within the district structure. The floor at $73,347 is the realistic entry point. That said, this is a 12-month position with civil service job security and a structured advancement path, which is a genuinely different career proposition than a standard secondary school AT role. Capitol Heights sits just outside DC and the metro area runs roughly 50% above the national average on cost of living — the floor needs to be evaluated against that reality. Ask specifically what grade step you would enter at and what the advancement timeline looks like before treating any number in this range as your actual salary.

Director, Sports Medicine (Collegiate)  |  Pomona College

Claremont, CA  |  $90,000–$115,000 (Annual)

Pomona is one of the most well-resourced liberal arts colleges in the country. The Claremont Consortium setting means access to five institutions and a prestige platform that punches well above its D-III designation. The dual appointment with a coterminous faculty position is rare and genuinely valuable for long-term career trajectory. Five years of progressive collegiate experience and a Master’s required. The $115,000 ceiling is strong for this level. Claremont sits in the Inland Empire east of LA — cost of living is notably more manageable than LA proper or the Bay Area, which improves the salary picture considerably compared to other California postings this week. Ask how time is realistically protected between clinical coverage, teaching, and administrative duties before accepting — those three things compete for the same hours.

Athletic Trainer  |  Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart

Princeton, NJ  |  $52,104–$102,682 (Annual)

A 403(b) retirement plan with match confirmed — one of the better retirement disclosures this week. Free healthy lunch daily. Tuition remission for children attending the school, which has real dollar value at an independent school. The schedule runs 10 AM to 6 PM, a meaningful departure from the early mornings that define most secondary school AT roles. The wide salary band reflects placement based on experience and education. Princeton runs roughly 30–35% above the national average on cost of living — the $52,104 floor is tight there, the $102,682 ceiling is strong. Clarify where you’d be placed on that band before accepting. This posting also combines an athletic training role with lower school physical education instruction, so understand what the PE component looks like in practice.

Certified Athletic Trainer  |  The Berkeley Carroll School

Brooklyn, NY  |  $75,000–$95,000 (Annual)

Private K-12 in Brooklyn with a 10:30 AM start time, low travel requirement, and a salary range that is competitive for New York City. The COL reality applies hard here — NYC housing runs over 100% above the national average in many neighborhoods and Brooklyn is expensive by any measure. The $75,000 floor is survivable but not comfortable in that market; the $95,000 ceiling is genuinely workable money there. No retirement disclosure listed, which for a private school of this caliber is worth asking about directly. Three years of experience required. For an AT already in New York or committed to being there, the schedule structure and private school resources make this worth a close look.

Athletic Trainer  |  Boston University

Boston, MA  |  $70,000–$77,000 (Annual)

The posting explicitly notes this salary exceeds the national average for comparable collegiate settings and places in the top 10% of the NATA Salary Survey — that kind of self-assessment in a job posting is uncommon and worth noting. Annual professional development funding, certification and licensure reimbursement confirmed. The reporting structure goes through Student Health Services rather than the athletic department — that distinction typically means more clinical autonomy and less pressure on return-to-play decisions. Boston runs roughly 40% above the national average and housing is expensive — the $77,000 ceiling is adequate but not comfortable in that market. Master’s degree required, 1–3 years experience.

Athletic Trainer  |  Jasper Independent School District

Jasper, TX  |  $61,020–$82,490 (Annual)

Jasper is in deep East Texas, about 90 minutes north of Beaumont. Cost of living is well below the national average and Texas has no state income tax — a ceiling of $82,490 there has meaningfully more purchasing power than the same number in most other markets this week. Two years experience required. The usual secondary school questions apply: sole provider status, evening and weekend coverage expectations, supply budget. The financial picture here is one of the stronger ones this week relative to what the number actually buys you.

What's Worth Noting This Week:

Most of us have heard what happened in Ipswich, MA on March 21st. A varsity lacrosse scrimmage resulted in a serious injury, and there was no athletic trainer or athletic director on site. The response was described as chaotic, and within days, the school’s longtime athletic trainer resigned.

I’m not going to pass judgment on a situation I only know from the outside. But it is an absolute shame that this community — and this profession — are losing another athletic trainer. And I do think some of the responsibility falls on how this story was framed by reporter, Trevor Meek.

The coverage leaned heavily on parent outrage, which is understandable in a medical emergency. However, without proper context around coverage requirements, that outrage gets directed at the athletic trainer. Suggesting they should have been there — and implying negligence despite rules not requiring coverage — reflects a clear misunderstanding of how these roles function.

The reporting didn’t necessarily overlook the facts, but it failed to assign them to the correct doorstep. The articles mentioned that the AED was missing and the gates were locked, but by framing these as part of the “chaos” of the athletic trainer’s absence, the reporting obscured where the actual responsibility lies.

Let’s be clear: Unlocking gates is an administrative task. AED compliance is a district requirement often delegated to the athletic department. And the lack of coverage? That’s a policy decision — MIAA rules don’t require ATs at lacrosse scrimmages. There could be a dozen logical, administrative reasons for the lack of coverage that day, but the reporting failed to scratch the surface of why the gap existed, choosing instead to amplify the narrative that the AT was simply “missing.”

There’s an unspoken expectation in this profession that ATs need to “be at everything.” But when something happens at the one event you’re not at, the questions focus on you, not the staffing model.

I’m not saying an AT shouldn’t have been there — ideally, one should be at every high-risk event. But if a district wants full-time coverage, they need to pay for a full-time AT. The irony here is that after this outcry for “safety,” the position was recently reposted as a part-time role. The district is answering a demand for more support by providing even less.

The Real-World Consequences

This framing had real consequences. The athletic trainer cited social media backlash as a primary reason for stepping away. When reporting focuses on emotion rather than administrative structure, it doesn’t just describe the situation — it shapes a response that lands on someone who shouldn’t be shouldering the blame.

In her own words:

“The preparation and protocols I have curated for all venues in my absence fell apart. I am not the only person responsible for the students’ well-being.”

If the goal is to improve safety, the focus has to shift away from individuals and toward how coverage is actually structured and supported. Because until we stop treating athletic trainers as scapegoats for administrative gaps, this won’t be the last time we see a talented professional walk away. Just my two cents, whoever steps into this role next, needs to do so with eyes wide open. This position will be under a microscope.

Until next week — stop looking, start finding.