Elementary School Teachers vs. High School Teachers: Pay, Job Outlook and Training Compared (2025 BLS Data)
- High School Teachers had the higher median annual wage in May 2025: $72,040, versus $63,970 for elementary school teachers.
- There are more elementary school teachers: about 1,388,390 U.S. jobs, versus 1,065,210 for high school teachers.
- BLS projects employment of elementary school teachers to change by -0.4% and employment of high school teachers by -0.2% from 2025 to 2035.
Choosing between elementary school teachers and high school teachers, or thinking about switching? This side-by-side uses the federal government’s BLS OEWS national data, May 2025 for pay and job counts and BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 for growth, openings and typical entry requirements. BLS occupation titles: “Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education” (SOC 25-2021) and “Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education” (SOC 25-2031). More detail: Elementary School Teachers (BLS) and High School Teachers (BLS).
Pay side by side
| May 2025 | Elementary School Teachers | High School Teachers |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. jobs | 1,388,390 | 1,065,210 |
| 10th percentile (annual) | $47,960 | $48,780 |
| 25th percentile | $57,710 | $59,980 |
| Median (annual) | $63,970 | $72,040 |
| Median (hourly) | annual only* | annual only* |
| 75th percentile | $81,450 | $92,570 |
| 90th percentile | $104,340 | $107,600 |
| Mean (average) | $72,650 | $76,320 |
* The OEWS program releases only annual wages for some occupations that typically work fewer than 2,080 hours per year but are paid on an annual basis, such as teachers, pilots, and athletes (BLS OEWS field descriptions, May 2025 data file).
Percentile wages: for example, 10% of workers earn less than the 10th-percentile figure. OEWS wages exclude overtime, tips and most bonuses.
Outlook and how you get in
| BLS Employment Projections | Elementary School Teachers | High School Teachers |
|---|---|---|
| Projected job growth, 2025–35 | -0.4% | -0.2% |
| Openings per year (avg.) | 87.5 thousand | 63.5 thousand |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree |
| Work experience in a related job | none | none |
| Typical on-the-job training | none | none |
Openings include jobs that open up when workers retire or change occupations, not just new positions, which is why a field with slow growth can still hire a lot of people every year.
Where each job pays best
The three states with the highest median wage for each occupation (BLS OEWS state data, May 2025):
| Rank | Elementary School Teachers | High School Teachers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington – $102,350 | Washington – $102,670 |
| 2 | California – $99,650 | California – $101,370 |
| 3 | District of Columbia – $96,580 | New York – $97,070 |
By industry, elementary school teachers earned the highest median in Educational Services ($63,970) and high school teachers in Government (federal, state and local; excludes public schools, public hospitals and the Postal Service) ($77,330), counting sectors with at least 1,000 jobs in the occupation (BLS OEWS industry data).
Which should you pick?
- Look past the median. Compare the 25th and 75th percentiles too: they show what a typical early-career and an experienced worker earn in each field.
- Count the cost of entry. The education and training rows above tell you how long it takes to start earning. A longer path can still pay off if the pay gap is large.
- Check your area. State pay differs a lot from the national figure; use the state table and your local job ads before deciding.
- Already in one of these jobs? If your pay is below the 25th percentile for your field, that is a concrete number to bring to a raise conversation.
Published October 30, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
One more data point, from metro-level data: among metro areas with at least 300 jobs in the occupation, the highest median for elementary school teachers was in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA ($104,650, 950 jobs), and for high school teachers it was in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($108,850, 2,210 jobs). Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan-area data, May 2025.
— JobPayRaise Data Desk