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Education

Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

Teach academic and social skills to kindergarten students.

Median salary (BLS)

$62,680

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$47k – $102k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $85,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$40,100–$150,700

Time to qualify

4.3 yr

Renewal

$20/yr

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    State teaching certification

    License

    Approved educator-prep program, pedagogy & subject exams, background check, and a state application.

    $100–$700 · 3 months · varies by state · renews every 5 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

    Entry / Junior

    $46,990

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

    Established

    $62,680

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

    Senior

    $82,255

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
  • •Prepare children for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
  • •Instruct students individually and in groups, adapting teaching methods to meet students' varying needs and interests.
  • •Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
  • •Demonstrate activities to children.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Education

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.