Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level.
Also called: Art Teacher · English Teacher · Math Teacher (Mathematics Teacher) · Music Teacher · PE Teacher (Physical Education Teacher) · Science Teacher
Median pay (national)
$64,580
$47,330–$104,670 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
1,072,540
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-1.6%
~66,200 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $104,670 versus $47,330 at the bottom 10% — 2.2x. The median of $64,580 leaves roughly 62% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -1.6% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 66,200 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 54 states with released data, Washington pays the most for this role (median $99,640, +54% vs the national median), while Guam sits lowest at $36,830 — a 171% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Learning Strategies
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Learning
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.
- Instruct and monitor students in the use of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.
- Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
- Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
- Assign and grade class work and homework.
- Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.
- Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
- Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
Tools & technology
- ABC programming language
- Blackboard software
- Common Curriculum
- Desmos
- Flipgrid
- Geogebra
- Google Classroom
- Google Drive
- Google Meet
- Instructional software
- Logo design software
- Moodle
- Nearpod
- PowerSchool SIS
- Schoology
- Screencastify
Knowledge areas
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
- Psychology
- Sociology and Anthropology
- History and Archeology
- Communications and Media