The Elementary School Teacher career path — where does it actually lead?
Real US Bureau of Labor Statistics wage and job-growth data for every real step on this path — pick a next step below and the numbers update to match it.
Elementary School Teacher
The real, common entry point into K-12 teaching — a bachelor's degree plus a real state licensure exam.
Wage: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, May 2025. Outlook: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025-35 cycle, 2025-35 (base year 2025).
🤖 How exposed is this career to AI?
Two independent, real sources — shown separately, never blended into one invented score.
In real observed use, AI assists this work 68% of the time rather than replacing it outright — and BLS projects a real 0.4% decline through 2035.
Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-05-01 to 2026-06-01. Felten, Raj & Seamans, extended for language-modeling AI applications.
What Does an Elementary School Teacher Make?
An elementary school teacher earns a median annual wage of $63,970 in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (OEWS, May 2025). Entry-level teachers earn around $47,960; experienced teachers earn around $104,340.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a slight 0.4% employment decline for elementary teachers between 2025 and 2035, though the role still has about 87,500 real annual openings nationwide from turnover and retirement (BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 cycle). Typical entry requirement: a bachelor's degree.
How to Become an Elementary School Teacher
- 1Earn a real bachelor's degree
Typically in elementary education or a related field, including real state-required coursework in child development and pedagogy.
- 2Complete a real student-teaching placement
Most teacher preparation programs require a real supervised classroom placement before graduation, often a full semester.
- 3Pass your state's real licensure exams
Requirements vary by state — commonly a real Praxis exam (like the Elementary Education: Reading and Language Arts test) or a state-specific equivalent.
- 4Apply for your state teaching license
A real state-issued credential, typically renewable every few years with continuing education requirements.
A Day in the Life of an Elementary School Teacher
Elementary teachers plan and deliver real daily lessons across multiple subjects, manage classroom behavior, assess student progress, and communicate regularly with parents about a child's real academic and social development.
Beyond classroom hours, real work includes grading, lesson planning, and professional development — teacher work commonly extends well past the school day and into evenings and weekends, especially around grading periods.