State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Elementary School Teacher Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education earn a median of $63,970 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 2.0% through 2034, with about 91,000 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 25-2021Educational Instruction and LibraryLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $63,970
- Projected growth
- -2.0%
- Openings a year
- 91,000
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Art Teacher, Classroom Teacher, Elementary Classroom Teacher, Elementary School Teacher, Elementary Teacher, Math Teacher (Mathematics Teacher).
How much do Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education make?
10th percentile$47,960
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$57,710
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$63,970
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$81,450
Upper quartile
90th percentile$104,340
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $63,970 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | N/A |
| Mean annual wage | $72,650 |
| People employed | 1,388,390 |
Versus all US occupations
At $63,970, Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education earn 25% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $12,990 a year.
Versus educational instruction and library occupations
Inside the Educational Instruction and Library group, where the middle occupation pays $77,355, this is 17% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $104,340 or more while the bottom 10% earn $47,960, a gap of 2.2×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 49% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Washington pays the most at $102,350, and still leads at $95,643 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $102,350 | $95,643 | 28,980 |
| California | $99,650 | $90,002 | 155,160 |
| District of Columbia | $96,580 | $87,879 | 3,750 |
| Massachusetts | $94,000 | $88,883 | 29,930 |
| Rhode Island | $90,930 | $88,903 | 3,830 |
| New York | $85,760 | $79,466 | 101,410 |
| Connecticut | $80,600 | $77,792 | 16,330 |
| Alaska | $79,260 | $77,433 | 3,500 |
| New Jersey | $78,200 | $71,872 | 40,300 |
| Maryland | $77,680 | $74,010 | 29,610 |
Is Elementary School Teacher a growing career?
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education-2.0%
All US occupations3.1%
-2.0% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Declining
BLS projects employment of Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education to change -2.0% over 2024–2034, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.1%. That is 27,900 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 91,000 openings are projected each year, 6.4% of the 1,422,700 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of kindergarten and elementary school teachers is projected to grow 2 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The number of students enrolling in public kindergarten and elementary schools is expected to decrease over the projections decade. The increase in charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling options provides families with alternatives to traditional public schools, potentially leading to a shift in enrollment numbers.
Employment growth for kindergarten and elementary school teachers also will depend on state and local government budgets. If state and local governments experience budget deficits, they may lay off employees, including teachers.
How to become an Elementary School Teacher
Kindergarten and elementary school teachers usually must have a bachelor’s degree. In addition, public school teachers must have a state-issued certification or license.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as elementary school teachers, except special education.
- Bachelor's Degree78.2%
- Master's Degree21.8%
What does an Elementary School Teacher do?
Teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level.
Kindergarten and elementary school teachers instruct young students in basic subjects, such as math and reading, in order to prepare them for middle school.
Day-to-day tasks
- 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.
- 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.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
- Confer with parents or guardians, teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
- Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine priorities for their children and their resource needs.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where elementary school teachers, except special education work
| Elementary and secondary schools; local | 84% |
|---|---|
| Elementary and secondary schools; private | 13% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Learning Strategies4.3/5
- Speaking4.1/5
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Critical Thinking4.0/5
- Monitoring4.0/5
- Reading Comprehension3.9/5
- Writing3.9/5
- Active Learning3.8/5
Transferable skills
- Instructing4.3/5
- Social Perceptiveness4.0/5
- Coordination3.9/5
- Service Orientation3.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8/5
- Time Management3.8/5
- Persuasion3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1/5
Tools and software
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software
- Computer based training software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Desktop communications software
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Internet browser software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits an Elementary School Teacher?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic2.6
Investigative3.4
Artisticprimary3.9
Socialprimary7.0
Enterprising2.6
Conventionalprimary3.8
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Elementary School Teacher: frequently asked questions
How much do Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education make?
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education earn a median of $63,970 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 25% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. The middle half earn between $57,710 and $81,450. The top 10% earn $104,340 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Elementary School Teacher?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 78.2% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Elementary School Teacher a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 2.0% over 2024–2034, a loss of 27,900 jobs (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 91,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Elementary School Teacher do?
Kindergarten and elementary school teachers instruct young students in basic subjects, such as math and reading, in order to prepare them for middle school. A core O*NET task: instruct students individually and in groups, using teaching methods such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations. Employers most often ask for Document management software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education the most?
The highest state medians for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education are Washington ($102,350), California ($99,650), District of Columbia ($96,580) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Elementary School Teacher?
O*NET scores Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education highest on the Social, Artistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESFP, ENFJ, ENFP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.