Education
K-12 Teacher
Teachers shape the next generation — planning lessons, leading classrooms, and supporting students' growth. Deeply meaningful, secure work with modest pay and real demands.
Median salary
$62,000
Typical range
$45k – $90k
Job outlook
+1% (little change)
AI exposure
Plan a path to K-12 Teacher
Education
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's plus a state teaching license.
Plan my path to this →How to qualify
License requiredCost to qualify
$20,150–$100,500
Time to qualify
4.4 yr
Renewal
$20/yr
- 1
Bachelor's + teacher-prep program
DegreeBachelor's degree with an approved educator-preparation program.
$20,000–$100,000 · 4 years source
- 2
Student teaching (one semester)
ExperienceSupervised classroom placement.
Cost varies · 4 months · varies by state source
- 3
Praxis / state licensure exams
ExamSubject and pedagogy exams.
$100–$300 · 2 months · varies by state source
- 4
State teaching certificate
LicenseIssued after the program, student teaching, and exams.
$50–$200 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 5 yr source
Which occupations require a license and in which states: CareerOneStop License Finder (U.S. DOL). Costs/hours are curated estimates that vary by state and change — see each step's official source.
Typical progression
Junior K-12 Teacher
Entry / Junior
$45,000
~2 yrs to advance
K-12 Teacher
Established
$62,000
~3 yrs to advance
Senior K-12 Teacher
Senior
$76,000
Key skills
A typical day
- •Plan and teach lessons
- •Assess student work
- •Support students and families
Fields of study
Education · Subject-area major
Top colleges for Education
Explore all- University of Michigan18% admit · $87,000 grad pay
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill19% admit · $73,000 grad pay
- University of Wisconsin–Madison49% admit · $72,000 grad pay
- Vanderbilt University7% admit · $88,000 grad pay
- University of Virginia19% admit · $85,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.