Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Education, Training, and Library · SOC 25-2021 · O*NET 25-2021.00
Teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level.
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education fall under the Education, Training, and Library category in the U.S. occupational classification. Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education earn a median salary of $62,340 per year, ranking in the top 44% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -2.0% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What parents should know about elementary school teachers, except special education right now
Elementary school teachers shape how children learn to read, reason, and relate to others, making it one of the most influential careers a young person can choose. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of kindergarten and elementary school teachers will decline 2 percent from 2024 to 2034, but jobs remain widely available because so many current teachers leave or retire each year. The median annual wage was $62,340 for elementary school teachers (except special education) in May 2024. Public school teachers typically need a bachelor's degree in elementary education, completion of a teacher preparation program, and a state-issued teaching license; alternative certification routes are available for career changers. Many states also require a passing score on a general teaching exam plus a subject test, and some require a master's degree within several years of hire. Despite the small projected decline, real-world demand is strong: the Learning Policy Institute reports that all 50 states and DC reported teacher shortages in the 2024 to 2025 school year, with an estimated 365,967 teachers nationwide working without full certification and 45,582 unfilled positions. Elementary education is among the most-cited shortage areas, alongside special education and career and technical education. Parents can help a teen explore this path through tutoring, camp counseling, or classroom volunteer work, and by encouraging strong reading, writing, and math foundations of their own.
What do elementary school teachers, except special education earn?
The median annual wage for elementary school teachers, except special education is $62,340. That puts elementary school teachers, except special education at #354 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $46,440 |
| 25th percentile | $50,680 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $62,340 |
| 75th percentile | $79,410 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $102,010 |
Is elementary school teachers, except special education a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for elementary school teachers, except special education is -2.0%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 1.4M positions in 2024 to 1.4M in 2034, a net change of -28K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do elementary school teachers, except special education do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working elementary school teachers, except special education, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- 2.Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
- 3.Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of elementary school programs.
- 4.Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guest speakers or other experiential activities, and guide students in learning from those activities.
- 5.Supervise, evaluate, and plan assignments for teacher assistants and volunteers.
- 6.Perform administrative duties, such as school library assistance, hall and cafeteria monitoring, and bus loading and unloading.
- 7.Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among the students.
- 8.Guide and counsel students with adjustment or academic problems or with special academic interests.
Top skills for elementary school teachers, except special education
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become elementary school teachers, except special education?
The standard path into elementary school teachers, except special education begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Licensing requirements for elementary school teachers, except special education
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education are regulated at the state level in the United States. Practicing without a current license is not legal in most jurisdictions.
Related careers your child might also consider
- Law Teachers, Postsecondary$126,650 median
- Economics Teachers, Postsecondary$119,980 median
- Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary$106,120 median
- Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary$105,620 median
- Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary$101,480 median
- Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$101,390 median
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about elementary school teachers, except special education
What is the median salary for elementary school teachers, except special education?
The median annual salary for elementary school teachers, except special education is $62,340 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is elementary school teachers, except special education a growing career?
BLS projects -2.0% growth for elementary school teachers, except special education from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become elementary school teachers, except special education?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to elementary school teachers, except special education?
Related occupations within the Education, Training, and Library category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.