Massachusetts·Educational Instruction and Library Occupations·SOC 25-2012

Best Kindergarten Teacher programs in Massachusetts, ranked by enrollment

Teach academic and social skills to kindergarten.

38 schools in Massachusetts run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,140 people a year. The job pays a median of $84,100 in Massachusetts across about 1,980 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledTeacherKinder TeacherClassroom TeacherBilingual Kindergarten TeacherEducatorInstructorArt TeacherMontessori Teacher
Graduates / yr
1,140
in Massachusetts
Median pay · Massachusetts
$84,100
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,980
people employed
Schools
38
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
45%
across those schools
Median net price
$26,273
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Massachusetts that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

6 programs in Massachusetts that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Massachusetts (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Massachusetts page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1827
72.5%
35$41,127$25,500
2177
15.5%
12$36,305$26,250
386
7.5%
6$41,127$25,500
432
2.8%
4$41,127$25,500
517
1.5%
4$56,738$19,664
61
0.1%
1$36,305$26,250

Top 25 schools in Massachusetts

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 18 of the 38 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Salem State University
Salem, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
101Early Childhood Education and Teaching50%96%
2Worcester State University
Worcester, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
93Early Childhood Education and Teaching$42,31361%88%
3Springfield Technical Community College
Springfield, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
80Early Childhood Education and Teaching$28,76932%
4University of Massachusetts - Boston
Boston, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
74Early Childhood Education and Teaching$38,84649%84%
5Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, MA Public · 3 feeder programs
72Early Childhood Education and Teaching$43,80053%88%
6Merrimack College
North Andover, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
60Early Childhood Education and Teaching70%$33,87770%
7Urban College of Boston
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
56Early Childhood Education and Teaching$32,5210%
8Framingham State University
Framingham, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
46Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor48%84%
9Cambridge College
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
40Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor11%
10Lesley University
Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
40Early Childhood Education and Teaching$36,89758%$30,83797%
11Fisher College
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
34Early Childhood Education and Teaching28%$26,27371%
12Bay Path University
Longmeadow, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
33Early Childhood Education and Teaching$33,33044%$16,85985%
13Bunker Hill Community College
Boston, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
33Early Childhood Education and Teaching13%
14Quinsigamond Community College
Worcester, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
32Early Childhood Education and Teaching$31,90122%
15Boston University
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
31Early Childhood Education and Teaching$35,28189%$21,95611%
16Gordon College
Wenham, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
30Early Childhood Education and Teaching$43,98969%$23,07769%
17University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Amherst, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
29Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor83%60%
18Fitchburg State University
Fitchburg, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
28Early Childhood Education and Teaching$40,78055%87%
19Bristol Community College
Fall River, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
27Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching$21,73822%
20Northern Essex Community College
Haverhill, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
27Early Childhood Education and Teaching$28,63521%
21Westfield State University
Westfield, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
27Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching$35,09054%81%
22American International College
Springfield, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
25Early Childhood Education and Teaching46%$23,595100%
23Middlesex Community College
Bedford, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
19Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching$27,98123%
24Massachusetts Bay Community College
Wellesley Hills, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
14Early Childhood Education and Teaching17%
25Cape Cod Community College
West Barnstable, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
11Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching22%

All 38 schools in Massachusetts

Every school in Massachusetts with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Massachusetts that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Salem State UniversitySalemPublic1012
Worcester State UniversityWorcesterPublic932
Springfield Technical Community CollegeSpringfieldPublic801
University of Massachusetts - BostonBostonPublic742
Bridgewater State UniversityBridgewaterPublic723
Merrimack CollegeNorth AndoverPrivate not-for-profit603
Urban College of BostonBostonPrivate not-for-profit561
Framingham State UniversityFraminghamPublic462
Cambridge CollegeBostonPrivate not-for-profit402
Lesley UniversityCambridgePrivate not-for-profit403
Fisher CollegeBostonPrivate not-for-profit341
Bay Path UniversityLongmeadowPrivate not-for-profit332
Bunker Hill Community CollegeBostonPublic331
Quinsigamond Community CollegeWorcesterPublic322
Boston UniversityBostonPrivate not-for-profit314

What kindergarten teachers earn in Massachusetts

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Massachusetts
$84,100
Mean annual
$84,950
Jobs in state
1,980
What the range looks like
10th pct$58,900Median$84,10090th pct$106,600
Versus the national median
+34.2%

U.S. median $62,680. Massachusetts pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.78×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Massachusetts

Barnstable Town, MA
$95,540median
80 jobs
Worcester, MA
$89,770median
200 jobs
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$81,700median
1,500 jobs
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$76,740median
40 jobs
Pittsfield, MA
$75,160median
40 jobs
Springfield, MA
$77,880median
100 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-1.6%
Decline
Openings per year
12,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-1,900
117,200 → 115,200
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Kindergarten Teachers page.

How to become a Kindergarten Teacher

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

MonitoringActive ListeningLearning StrategiesSpeakingReading ComprehensionWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Massachusetts

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 10 majors mapped to Kindergarten Teachers8 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 13.0201Bilingual and Multilingual Education
  • 13.1206Teacher Education, Multiple Levels
  • 13.1207Montessori Teacher Education
  • 13.1208Waldorf/Steiner Teacher Education(no graduates reported)
  • 13.1209Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching
  • 13.1210Early Childhood Education and Teaching
  • 13.1212International Teaching and Learning
  • 13.1401Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor
  • 13.1402Teaching French as a Second or Foreign Language(no graduates reported)
  • 13.1499Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing kindergarten teachers programs in Massachusetts.

What degree do you need to become a Kindergarten Teacher?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Early Childhood Education and Teaching, which awarded 827 degrees in Massachusetts in 2024-25, 72.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Kindergarten Teacher?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Teacher Education and Professional Development, Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language, Bilingual. Together they graduate about 1,140 people a year in Massachusetts.

How much do kindergarten teachers earn in Massachusetts?+

The median is $84,100 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 34.2% above the U.S. median of $62,680. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for kindergarten teachers growing?+

BLS projects a -1.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 12,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Massachusetts?+

38 institutions in Massachusetts reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do kindergarten teachers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Teacher, Kinder Teacher, Classroom Teacher, Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-2012.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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