Best degree programs for Kindergarten Teachers, ranked by enrollment
8 college programs and 1,270 schools train Kindergarten Teachers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $62,680 median wage, 108,870 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
8 college programs at 1,270 schools train kindergarten teachers, graduating 50,948 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Early Childhood Education and Teaching. The job pays a median of $62,680 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About kindergarten teachers
Teach academic and social skills to kindergarten students.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
8 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 13.1210 | 33,622 | 66.0% | 910 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 2 | CIP 13.1206 | 9,066 | 17.8% | 279 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 3 | CIP 13.1401 | 5,419 | 10.6% | 325 | $36,305 | $26,250 |
| 4 | CIP 13.1209 | 1,689 | 3.3% | 113 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 5 | CIP 13.0201 | 797 | 1.6% | 83 | $56,738 | $19,664 |
| 6 | CIP 13.1207 | 282 | 0.6% | 16 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 7 | CIP 13.1499 | 39 | 0.1% | 8 | $36,305 | $26,250 |
| 8 | CIP 13.1212 | 34 | 0.1% | 1 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What kindergarten teachers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $82,550 | 7,430 | 0.58× | 51 | 4,496 |
| Washington | $99,960 | 5,270 | 2.12× | 42 | 4,218 |
| Texas | $63,780 | 3,820 | 0.39× | 83 | 3,654 |
| North Carolina | $53,180 | 2,250 | 0.65× | 77 | 3,289 |
| New York | $77,630 | 6,950 | 1.02× | 56 | 2,647 |
| Pennsylvania | $64,430 | 2,510 | 0.59× | 78 | 2,561 |
| Arizona | $52,830 | 3,020 | 1.33× | 30 | 2,485 |
| Minnesota | $75,500 | 2,840 | 1.38× | 38 | 2,227 |
| Georgia | $65,680 | 4,530 | 1.32× | 38 | 1,853 |
| Illinois | $64,020 | 4,660 | 1.09× | 40 | 1,719 |
| Colorado | $62,870 | 3,260 | 1.62× | 27 | 1,695 |
| Ohio | $72,570 | 3,290 | 0.85× | 57 | 1,489 |
| Indiana | $58,250 | 2,120 | 0.95× | 25 | 1,444 |
| Massachusetts | $84,100 | 1,980 | 0.78× | 38 | 1,140 |
| Florida | $58,100 | 8,810 | 1.27× | 41 | 1,066 |
| Arkansas | $52,060 | 1,490 | 1.63× | 31 | 1,057 |
| Michigan | $63,300 | 1,890 | 0.61× | 35 | 994 |
| Wisconsin | $59,350 | 1,510 | 0.73× | 36 | 922 |
| Oregon | $68,580 | 1,330 | 0.96× | 17 | 902 |
| Utah | $63,190 | 530 | 0.44× | 9 | 791 |
| New Jersey | $74,210 | 5,370 | 1.79× | 19 | 790 |
| Tennessee | $58,070 | 2,740 | 1.19× | 20 | 763 |
| New Mexico | $74,380 | 950 | 1.56× | 22 | 714 |
| Missouri | $56,590 | 2,300 | 1.12× | 27 | 700 |
| Alabama | $50,900 | 310 | 0.21× | 17 | 659 |
| Virginia | $63,920 | 3,740 | 1.30× | 20 | 646 |
| Maryland | $75,910 | 1,560 | 0.80× | 24 | 528 |
| Idaho | $62,240 | 460 | 0.77× | 7 | 505 |
| Nevada | $64,930 | 1,400 | 1.29× | 6 | 465 |
| South Carolina | $60,890 | 1,540 | 0.96× | 26 | 444 |
| Connecticut | $90,030 | 1,420 | 1.20× | 12 | 438 |
| Oklahoma | $47,860 | 1,690 | 1.41× | 27 | 406 |
| Kentucky | $60,280 | 2,450 | 1.75× | 12 | 397 |
| Nebraska | $62,200 | 1,120 | 1.57× | 13 | 301 |
| New Hampshire | $60,240 | 520 | 1.09× | 14 | 257 |
| Iowa | $58,420 | 1,160 | 1.06× | 23 | 241 |
| Maine | $52,660 | 570 | 1.28× | 11 | 233 |
| Mississippi | $48,880 | 1,350 | 1.66× | 8 | 184 |
| Louisiana | $53,130 | 3,730 | 2.76× | 12 | 175 |
| Hawaii | $53,160 | 90 | 0.21× | 8 | 157 |
| Rhode Island | $85,470 | 360 | 1.02× | 5 | 147 |
| Vermont | $63,280 | 250 | 1.16× | 6 | 147 |
| District of Columbia | $81,500 | 180 | 0.37× | 5 | 135 |
| Montana | $47,590 | 400 | 1.11× | 11 | 131 |
| Delawaremoderate | $74,030 | 70 | 0.21× | 4 | 126 |
| South Dakota | $49,410 | 610 | 1.90× | 5 | 65 |
| North Dakota | $59,420 | 600 | 1.99× | 9 | 45 |
| Kansas | $56,670 | 1,300 | 1.29× | 8 | 44 |
| Wyoming | $60,990 | 360 | 1.86× | 6 | 30 |
| West Virginia | $58,790 | 730 | 1.48× | 5 | 26 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Prepare children for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Instruct students individually and in groups, adapting teaching methods to meet students' varying needs and interests.
- Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
- Demonstrate activities to children.
- Read books to entire classes or to small groups.
- Guide and counsel students with adjustment or academic problems or special academic interests.
- Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
Skills
- Monitoring4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Learning Strategies4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Writing3.3
- Critical Thinking3.3
- Active Learning3.3
Knowledge areas
- Education and Training4.7
- English Language4.6
- Psychology4.0
- Mathematics3.9
- Customer and Personal Service3.5
- Sociology and Anthropology3.3
Abilities
- Oral Expression4.1
- Written Comprehension4.0
- Oral Comprehension3.9
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Speech Clarity3.9
- Written Expression3.9
Core activities
- Thinking Creatively4.3
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.2
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.1
- Developing Objectives and Strategies4.0
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.0
- Training and Teaching Others4.0
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
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.
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
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
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 33,622 degrees in 2024-25, 66.0% 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 8 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 50,948 people a year.
How much do kindergarten teachers earn?+
The median is $62,680 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $46,990 at the 10th percentile to $101,830 at the 90th. 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?+
1,270 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 8 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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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