By: The Capella University Editorial Team with Irene Abrego Nicolet, PhD, NCSP, LSSP, Vice President and Dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Reading Time: 12 minutes
Job growth projections and salary figures are drawn from Lightcast data and reflect national trends. Actual outcomes vary based on factors such as experience, industry, location, skills and economic conditions, and are not representative of Capella University graduate results.
If you’re looking to become an elementary school teacher, you’ll need to follow the guidelines in your state, which typically involve pursuing a bachelor’s degree, completing an approved teacher preparation program, and passing competency exams in basic skills and pedagogy.
Elementary school teachers work with children in kindergarten through fifth or sixth grade, and they can support students with everything from reading and writing to mathematics, science and social studies.
Yet to become an elementary school teacher, you’ll need to do more than pursue a degree. You’ll also need to develop a knowledge of child development and teaching methods, gain classroom experience and meet your state’s certification requirements. These requirements vary in each state, so it’s important to do your own research and find out how to obtain licensure where you live.
Explore the steps to becoming an elementary school teacher, including education, student teaching, certification, licensure, salary, career outlook and options to pursue a master’s degree for specialization.
Elementary school teachers are responsible for educating children during the early years of their formal schooling. School systems vary, but elementary school generally covers kindergarten through fifth or sixth grade.
Teachers often manage several core subjects instead of specializing in one area. Common elementary subjects include:
An elementary teacher’s responsibilities also extend beyond delivering lessons. Teachers plan developmentally appropriate activities, assess each student’s progress and adapt or try out different approaches when a student needs additional support. Classroom management is a critical part of the job, and teachers play a large role in creating their own learning environment to support student participation and learning.
In addition to their classroom responsibilities, communication is central to elementary school teaching. As a teacher, you must regularly communicate with parents, caregivers, counselors and other teachers about student progress and coordinate collaborative efforts to support those pupils further.
The role of a teacher isn’t strictly academic, either. Children are also developing socially and emotionally, which means elementary teachers can also help students build essential skills that will help them thrive both inside and outside of school.
Common employment settings for teachers include both public and private schools, charter schools and other educational settings. Just bear in mind that hiring practices and eligibility requirements vary by school district, location and employer.
You don’t need a particular personality type to become an effective elementary school teacher.
However, the profession will appeal more if you’re someone who enjoys working with children, explaining ideas in different ways and building relationships with students. Above all, the best teachers genuinely care about their students’ growth and stay invested in their progress, even when it takes patience. Elementary teaching could also be a good fit if you’re interested in child development and are comfortable multitasking.
Elementary teaching also differs from related professions. For example, school counselors focus on students’ academic, social and emotional development instead of delivering classroom instruction. Meanwhile, secondary teachers work with older students and often specialize in a particular subject that interests them.
Before you choose this path, ask yourself these questions:
If the answers to these questions are “yes,” elementary school education could be the right path for you.
Every state sets its own path to becoming an elementary school teacher. However, progression generally includes earning a bachelor’s degree, completing teacher preparation and gaining supervised classroom experience. You’ll need to meet examination and licensure requirements, which must be maintained through ongoing professional development.
A bachelor’s degree is generally going to be your starting point if you want to become a public school teacher.
A degree in education offers aspiring teachers a foundation in both academic content and teaching practice and is a common degree pathway. Depending on the college or university you choose, there may be alternative options like early childhood education. Regardless of how your bachelor’s program is focused, relevant coursework will likely cover:
These courses work together to help you understand how students’ abilities change as they grow, and introduce different ways of presenting concepts to meet those abilities and needs.
Your state may specify particular coursework or degree requirements for teacher certification at the bachelor’s level, so it’s important to check that the elementary teacher education programs you’re looking at align with those requirements before you commit.
If you already hold a bachelor’s degree in a different field and want to transition into teaching, some states offer alternative certification pathways.
In Colorado, for instance, the state offers an alternative teacher license pathway that lets eligible candidates teach full time in a classroom while they complete an approved teacher preparation program in their spare time.
Alternative programs tend to combine coursework with supervised classroom experience. However, the requirements for these programs often depend heavily on what your previous education looked like, your subject knowledge and the specific role you’d like to pursue.
Teacher preparation programs give you the opportunity to connect your academic study with real, hands-on experience in the classroom.
State-approved teaching programs normally integrate supervised classroom experience in their curricula, although specific requirements vary.
Student teaching places you in a classroom under the guidance of an experienced supervising teacher. This helps you understand the day-to-day responsibilities of teaching before you take responsibility for your own classroom. Responsibilities may include:
Your supervising teacher should provide feedback as you develop your practice. Let’s say you plan and deliver a reading comprehension lesson. Your supervisor would observe how students respond and then discuss their engagement and learning outcomes with you after the lesson.
Each state requires you to pass one or more exams before you can become a certified teacher.
The number and type of assessments you’ll need to pass depend on where you want to teach. Many states use standardized assessments like the Praxis Elementary Education exams. However, states like Arizona have their own alternative assessments. Arizona uses the Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments.
Regardless of which exam you take, you’ll be assessed in areas like basic academic skills, elementary education content knowledge and teaching knowledge or instructional practice. You’ll also likely be asked to demonstrate knowledge across multiple subjects like reading, mathematics, science and social studies.
Because examination requirements can change, use your state education authority and official testing resources when trying to determine which exams you need to take and what a passing score looks like.
After passing the required exams, you’ll need to apply for certification or licensure through your state education department or another relevant licensing authority.
Terminology differs from state to state, too. Your state might refer to “teacher certification,” while others call it “licensure.” However, both terms amount to the same thing and applications usually require completion of:
Private schools often have their own hiring requirements and may not demand licensure. However, public school requirements are generally tied closely to each state’s rules on credentialing. Before you apply for teaching positions, check with your state’s education department to make sure you hold the right credentials or documentation.
Gaining your certification isn’t the end of your professional development. Many states require you to renew your credentials periodically, update your licensing status or complete continuing education programs to retain it.
As with licensure, how you maintain your credentials depends on your state.
Professional development can cover a lot of different areas. You may be asked to complete micro-credentials around new instructional approaches, educational technology, literacy strategies, classroom management and supporting diverse learning styles.
Elementary school teachers rely on a wide range of organizational, instructional and social skills that help them support students and manage classroom demands. There is a range of useful skills you may develop as you train to become a teacher.
Don’t panic if you haven’t mastered all these skills yet. They often develop through a combination of education, student teaching and on-the-job experience. They’ll also strengthen over time as you experience different classroom settings and work with new pupils.
According to Lightcast data, demand for elementary school teachers has increased in recent years thanks to teacher retirements and shortages in particular regions around the country. The opportunities and roles in your region or school district may vary, and factors that affect teaching opportunities often include student enrollment, class-size policies and local education funding.
Lightcast data puts the national median salary for elementary school teachers at $63,970. This figure excludes special education teachers, because that’s a field that requires a different set of skills and certification requirements.
This figure is only illustrative, and completing a degree or teacher preparation program doesn’t guarantee employment. Your experience, credentials, location and employer can all influence the roles and salaries that may be available.
If you want to build a strong foundation in the knowledge and skills required in elementary classrooms, an education degree may be the right place to start.
Education programs introduce essential subjects like learning theory, instructional strategies, assessment and classroom management. Tackling all of these subjects as part of one program enables you to understand how these strands connect to your responsibilities as an elementary teacher.
Understanding learning theory informs your ability to present new concepts, while assessment coursework helps you evaluate student progress and identify areas where additional instruction may be useful.
If you want to build on your existing experience or move into teaching from another profession, a master’s degree can also be a strong way to gain the foundational knowledge needed to pursue a role as a teacher. Master’s programs can also help existing teachers develop expertise in a particular area of elementary education.
To illustrate, Capella offers an online Master of Science in Education program that lets you choose from a range of specializations like early childhood education, reading and literacy, special education and instructional design, so you can build on your classroom experience in the direction that interests you most. Note this program is not designed to meet the requirements for an initial teaching licensure.
Capella is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and all of Capella’s master’s in education degrees use a competency-based curriculum. Each of these programs is delivered using Capella’s GuidedPath learning format, which includes scheduled deadlines to help you maintain your momentum.
“Flexibility by far was one of the greatest experiences! Working full-time and being able to log in at my convenience minimized the stress level in my life. The ongoing support from my academic advisor as well as the faculty exceeded my expectations. They were always available and responded expeditiously.” – Marcia Cotton, MS in Education
If you’re passionate about helping children learn and develop the foundational skills and confidence they need to succeed, becoming an elementary school teacher could be a meaningful career path. It’s a role that combines unique subject knowledge with a range of skills, and the pathway to licensure often requires commitment.
This pathway isn’t identical in every state. However, you’ll generally need to earn a bachelor’s degree, complete teacher preparation and student teaching, pass the required certification exams and meet your state’s licensure requirements. It’s also possible to advance your knowledge and develop specialist expertise through graduate-level study.
At Capella, you can choose from a range of online education programs designed to build your knowledge and help you develop the skills necessary to pursue your career goals. Capella programs do not lead to an initial educator license, endorsement or other professional credential.
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