Career
Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education
Teach students through the middle-school years.
$64,370
Median pay
-0.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
38,800
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
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
- Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
- Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
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?
“Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Learning Strategies, Instructing, Speaking, Active Listening.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $64,370 a year and 38,800 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
- Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and TeachingCIP 13.1203
- 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%
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$63,970 · -0.4%
- Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors$61,540 · -13.9%
- Tutors$43,350 · -0.2%
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education$62,680 · -0.3%
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.