Career
Elementary school teachers, except special education
Teach children to read, write, count and think.
$63,970
Median pay
-0.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
87,500
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Instruct students individually and in groups, using teaching methods such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among the students.
- Guide and counsel students with adjustment or academic problems or with special academic interests.
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on people & care, then creation & expression?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Instruct students individually and in groups, using teaching methods such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Learning Strategies, Instructing, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $63,970 a year and 87,500 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Teaching (by Grade Level)See the degree →
- Teaching (by Subject)See the degree →
- Social SciencesSee the degree →
- Bilingual and Multilingual EducationCIP 13.0201
- Elementary Education and TeachingCIP 13.1202
- Teacher Education, Multiple LevelsCIP 13.1206
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 · -0.2%
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$64,370 · -0.4%
- Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors$61,540 · -13.9%
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education$62,680 · -0.3%
- Tutors$43,350 · -0.2%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.