Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
Teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level.
- Median pay
- $63,970
- Doing it now
- 1,419,300
- By 2035
- Down 0.4%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
87,500 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among the students.
- Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
- Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
- Instruct students individually and in groups, using teaching methods such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to students.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsSee 1,219 colleges that teach it
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasSee 985 colleges that teach it
- Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural EducationSee 41 colleges that teach it
- Social Sciences, GeneralSee 348 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Helping and teaching
Creative and expressive
Organised and precise
Careers like this one
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$64,370
- Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education$38,140
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education$62,680
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School$66,270
- Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors$61,540
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $63,970 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.