# Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education

> Assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher with instructional duties. Serve in a position for which a teacher has primary responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/teaching-assistants-preschool-elementary-middle-and-secondary-school-except-special
- SOC code: 25-9042.00
- Career family: Education
- Median annual pay: $36,780 (10th percentile $27,150, 90th percentile $50,040)
- Projected growth: Little or no change, -0.3%
- Openings a year: 176,200
- Typical entry education: Some college
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections
- Pay and outlook are for the broader BLS group "Teaching assistants, except postsecondary".

## Interest profile (code SCE)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 26 |
| Investigative (I) | 22 |
| Artistic (A) | 30 |
| Social (S) | 92 |
| Enterprising (E) | 33 |
| Conventional (C) | 54 |

## What you'd do

- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 88/100)
- Thinking Creatively (importance 87/100)
- Getting Information (importance 86/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 84/100)
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (importance 83/100)
- Developing Objectives and Strategies (importance 79/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 79/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 79/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 78/100)
- Scheduling Work and Activities (importance 78/100)

## Skills

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

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Psychology, Mathematics, Education and Training, Public Safety and Security, Administrative, Sociology and Anthropology, Geography, Therapy and Counseling

## Also called

Bilingual Teacher Aide, BSIP Instructional Aide (Basic Skills Improvement Program Instructional Aide), Classroom Aide, Classroom Assistant, Early Childhood Teacher Assistant (EC Teacher Assistant), Education Paraprofessional, Educational Assistant, Educational Assistant Teacher, Educational Technician (Educational Tech), Elementary Instructor

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1312) (CIP 1312, 1,830 colleges)
- [Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1907) (CIP 1907, 1,004 colleges)
- [Education, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1301) (CIP 1301, 906 colleges)
- [Teaching Assistants/Aides](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1315) (CIP 1315, 233 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [College of Staten Island CUNY](https://www.collegesref.com/college/college-of-staten-island-cuny-621) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $46,195 | $75,637 | not reported |
| [CUNY Hunter College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-hunter-college-739) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $46,784 | $73,857 | not reported |
| [Monroe College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/monroe-college-1752) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $63,150 | $73,537 | not reported |
| [University of Virginia-Main Campus UVA](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-virginia-main-campus-uva-3072) | Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $46,352 | $71,638 | $19,500 |
| [Seattle Pacific University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/seattle-pacific-university-2392) | Education, General | not reported | $70,584 | not reported |
| [St. John's University-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/st-john-s-university-new-york-2579) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | not reported | $69,439 | $27,000 |
| [University of the Pacific](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-the-pacific-3061) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $44,998 | $69,342 | not reported |
| [CUNY York College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-york-college-749) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $60,692 | $67,862 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Teaching Assistants, Special Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/teaching-assistants-special-education): $36,780 median pay
- [Tutors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/tutors): $43,350 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Secondary School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-secondary-school): $74,260 median pay
- [Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/elementary-school-teachers-except-special-education): $63,970 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Elementary School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-elementary-school): $65,120 median pay
- [Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/adult-basic-education-adult-secondary-education-and-english-as-a-second-language): $61,540 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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.