The Bureau of Labor Statistics median salary for elementary school teachers is $63,970 a year and for secondary school teachers $72,040, with preschool teachers at $38,140. The school level, the state, and your graduate credits move the number more than any other factor.
Key Takeaways
- Elementary school teachers earn a median $63,970 a year; secondary teachers $72,040; preschool teachers $38,140, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- The online bachelor's or master's in education plus a state license is the standard path, and licensed teachers in-demand states move straight to a salary schedule.
- Public school salary schedules are public documents, so you can see your exact starting pay before you sign a contract.
- Strong online education programs finish 85% to 92% of their students, so completion rate is a real filter between schools.
- Teacher salaries rise with level, experience, and advanced degrees, which is why the master's in education is the professional norm in many states.
The medians by level
The teacher salary scale steps up with the grade level you teach. Preschool teachers earn a median $38,140, elementary teachers $63,970, and secondary teachers $72,040, all per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Special education and career and technical roles add a premium on top of the base schedule.
Those are national medians across public, private, and charter settings. Public full-time teachers are the largest group, and their pay is set by a published salary schedule that rewards graduate credits and years of service rather than classroom merit.
Why the state matters more than the school
Compensation runs wide between states. High-paying states start teachers near or above the national median, while lower-paying states start them well under it, and the mixed bag in between means the same license is worth very different salaries depending on where you live.
The practical reading for an online student is to shortlist by the state you plan to teach in and verify its reciprocity rules. Many states honor other states' licenses through interstate agreements, which changes the school you should choose.
The degree and the license path
The standard route is an accredited bachelor's in education, a passing state licensure exam, and a classroom residency or student teaching segment. Several states let you teach on a temporary license while you finish, and the online degree is a common and accepted way to complete the coursework.
The master's in education is the professional norm in many states and districts: it raises you several rungs on the salary schedule or unlocks specialist roles like instructional coach and curriculum lead. The strongest online education programs in our data finish most of their students, so read completion before you pick one.
Strong programs to compare
In our best online education programs list, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill posts a 92% completion rate and an $11,655 net price, University of Florida 91% at $6,541, and University of Minnesota Twin Cities 85% at $16,778. Those are whole-school figures for aided undergraduates, so pair them with the program's own certification pass rate.
The ranking sorts by published metrics you can verify, and the methodology lists exactly what moved each school. That is the same standard to hold a licensure program to: ask for its exam pass rate and placement record before you deposit.
How the schedule works once you are in
Public districts post their salary schedules publicly, so after an offer you can read the exact step you land on: the column for your degree and the row for your years. Private schools set pay individually, which is why the same degree can be a different salary in the two settings.
Plan for the master's if your district links pay to graduate credits, and check whether the school accepts a transcript of online coursework without penalty. Nearly all do, and the online master's is the cheapest way to climb the schedule.
Where these numbers come from
Salaries are U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics medians for the occupational level named. Net prices, completion rates, and earnings for the schools named are published College Scorecard data describing undergraduates who received federal aid. Licensure rules and salary schedules belong to the states and districts that publish them; the degree is the part you control.
All guides|Source figures: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, unless a section says otherwise.