SOC 25-2021.00Bright outlook

    Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education

    Teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level.

    Median pay
    $63,970
    Growth
    -0.4%
    Little or no change
    Openings a year
    87,500
    Typical education
    Bachelor's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $47,960
    Median
    $63,970
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $104,340
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    1,388,390 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Elementary school teachers instruct young students in basic academic and social skills. The career offers a median annual pay of $63,970, with opportunities available across the country.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What elementary school teachers, except special education do

    Job Zone 4: Considerable preparation

    Teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level.

    Most need a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

    What the work is like

    Elementary school teachers focus on teaching academic lessons and social skills to young children. Their daily activities center on training, teaching, coaching, and caring for others. To manage a classroom effectively, teachers must establish strong interpersonal relationships, think creatively, solve problems, and schedule daily activities. They also use computers and regularly update their professional knowledge.

    This role requires strong skills in instructing, speaking, active listening, and reading comprehension. Teachers must use effective learning strategies, monitor student progress, and maintain social perceptiveness to understand student needs. Key knowledge areas include the English language, education and training, mathematics, psychology, and counseling.

    Because this is a highly social occupation, success relies on specific personal work styles. Teachers must demonstrate dependability, cooperation, empathy, and optimism. Maintaining self-control, integrity, sincerity, and stress tolerance helps educators navigate the daily challenges of a classroom environment.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires a bachelor's degree. Because this work requires considerable preparation, most teachers also need several years of experience in a related educational setting.

    Students preparing for this career often choose college majors such as teacher education and professional development for specific levels, methods, or subject areas. Other relevant majors include general social sciences, bilingual, multilingual, and multicultural education, or teaching English or French as a second language.

    Some states list a license for this work. Additionally, teachers can pursue professional certifications to demonstrate their expertise. Available credentials include the DoDEA Certification from the Department of Defense Education Activity, the National Career Readiness Certificate from ACT, and National Board Certifications for early or middle childhood generalists.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for elementary school teachers was $63,970. Earnings vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10% earning less than $47,960 and the highest 10% earning more than $104,340.

    There are 1,388,390 people employed in this field. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to experience little or no change, with a slight decrease of -0.4%. Despite this flat growth, the occupation still expects a high volume of opportunities, with 87,500 job openings projected each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    27 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    39 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    48 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    26 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    46 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SAC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Training and Teaching Others
    87
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    79
    Working with Computers
    78
    Coaching and Developing Others
    77
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    77
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    75
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    73
    Thinking Creatively
    72
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    72
    Scheduling Work and Activities
    70
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Instructing
    • Learning Strategies
    • Speaking
    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Monitoring
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Coordination
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Service Orientation

    Knowledge

    • English Language
    • Education and Training
    • Mathematics
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Psychology
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Administrative
    • Administration and Management

    Abilities

    • Oral Expression
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Fluency of Ideas
    • Information Ordering
    • Written Comprehension

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Empathy
    • Optimism
    • Integrity
    • Social Orientation
    • Sincerity
    • Self-Control
    • Perseverance
    • Stress Tolerance

    Also called

    Art Educator · Art Instructor · Art Teacher · Band Teacher · Bilingual Instructor · Bilingual Teacher · Choir Teacher · Classroom Teacher · Educator · Elementary Art Teacher

    Career pathway

    From your interests to elementary school teachers, except special education

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$63,970 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Vanderbilt University logo
      Vanderbilt University

      Nashville, TN · Social Sciences, General · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $74,534
      4 yrs after
      $103,229
      Median debt
      $15,000
    2. 2
      New York University NYU

      New York, NY · Social Sciences, General · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $51,431
      4 yrs after
      $91,917
      Median debt
      $21,125
    3. 3California State University-Sacramento logo
      California State University-Sacramento

      Sacramento, CA · Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $69,280
      4 yrs after
      $82,062
      Median debt
      $23,000
    4. 4
      CUNY Brooklyn College

      Brooklyn, NY · Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $54,793
      4 yrs after
      $80,207
      Median debt
      $12,875
    5. 5Harvard University logo
      Harvard University

      Cambridge, MA · Social Sciences, General · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $55,717
      4 yrs after
      $78,996
      Median debt
      $25,000
    6. 6St. John's University-New York logo
      St. John's University-New York

      Queens, NY · Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $78,215
      Median debt
      $25,500
    7. 7CUNY Queens College logo
      CUNY Queens College

      Queens, NY · Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $58,736
      4 yrs after
      $76,925
      Median debt
      $12,500
    8. 8
      College of Staten Island CUNY

      Staten Island, NY · Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $46,195
      4 yrs after
      $75,637
      Median debt
      Not reported

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What elementary school teachers, except special education may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work. Showing 12 of 15.

    • Bilingual and Multilingual Education
    • Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education
    • Early Childhood Education and Teaching
    • Elementary Education and Teaching
    • Environmental Education
    • International Teaching and Learning
    • Montessori Teacher Education
    • Online Educator/Online Teaching
    • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods
    • Social Sciences, Other
    • Teacher Education, Multiple Levels
    • Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    52 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about elementary school teachers, except special education

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for this career?

    People in this field are also called classroom teachers, educators, bilingual instructors, or bilingual teachers. Depending on their specialty, they may be known as art educators, art instructors, art teachers, elementary art teachers, band teachers, or choir teachers.

    What are some related careers in education?

    Related careers include teaching at other grade levels, such as kindergarten teachers, middle school teachers, and secondary school teachers. Other similar paths include special education teachers for elementary schools, tutors, and instructors for adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English as a second language.

    What interest area is most important for this occupation?

    The strongest interest area for this career is social. This means the job is highly suited for individuals who enjoy communicating, teaching, and helping others.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.