Best degree programs for Secondary School Teachers, ranked by enrollment
88 college programs and 2,100 schools train Secondary School Teachers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $72,040 median wage, 1,065,210 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
88 college programs at 2,100 schools train secondary school teachers, graduating 421,453 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Biology/Biological Sciences, General. The job pays a median of $72,040 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About secondary school teachers
Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level.
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.
88 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 26.0101 | 90,079 | 21.4% | 1,660 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 45.1001 | 39,456 | 9.4% | 1,171 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 3 | CIP 23.0101 | 31,764 | 7.5% | 1,374 | $29,622 | $24,546 |
| 4 | CIP 30.0101 | 29,387 | 7.0% | 305 | $28,446 | $11,000 |
| 5 | CIP 54.0101 | 26,654 | 6.3% | 1,333 | $31,217 | $24,000 |
| 6 | CIP 27.0101 | 23,537 | 5.6% | 1,300 | $48,772 | $21,544 |
| 7 | CIP 45.0601 | 19,798 | 4.7% | 638 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 8 | CIP 50.0701 | 19,283 | 4.6% | 717 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 9 | CIP 40.0501 | 18,075 | 4.3% | 1,168 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 10 | CIP 45.0101 | 14,991 | 3.6% | 339 | $35,590 | $24,095 |
| 11 | CIP 40.0801 | 12,137 | 2.9% | 800 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 12 | CIP 13.1205 | 10,339 | 2.5% | 530 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 13 | CIP 50.0901 | 10,232 | 2.4% | 976 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 14 | CIP 13.1206 | 9,066 | 2.2% | 279 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 15 | CIP 13.1314 | 7,066 | 1.7% | 415 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 16 | CIP 16.0905 | 6,320 | 1.5% | 761 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 17 | CIP 13.1315 | 6,128 | 1.5% | 305 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 18 | CIP 13.1401 | 5,419 | 1.3% | 325 | $36,305 | $26,250 |
| 19 | CIP 13.1312 | 4,104 | 1.0% | 447 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 20 | CIP 13.1311 | 3,340 | 0.8% | 347 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 21 | CIP 40.0101 | 2,967 | 0.7% | 131 | $27,007 | $9,000 |
| 22 | CIP 13.1305 | 2,847 | 0.7% | 349 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 23 | CIP 13.1203 | 2,728 | 0.6% | 273 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 24 | CIP 19.0101 | 1,992 | 0.5% | 75 | $31,910 | $26,500 |
| 25 | CIP 13.1318 | 1,922 | 0.5% | 219 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 26 | CIP 16.0101 | 1,917 | 0.5% | 198 | $27,449 | $20,824 |
| 27 | CIP 13.1302 | 1,858 | 0.4% | 258 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 28 | CIP 13.1307 | 1,475 | 0.3% | 75 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 29 | CIP 16.0901 | 1,322 | 0.3% | 324 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 30 | CIP 45.1099 | 1,060 | 0.3% | 55 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 31 | CIP 16.1601 | 1,050 | 0.2% | 100 | $32,695 | $25,209 |
| 32 | CIP 13.1316 | 1,021 | 0.2% | 160 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 33 | CIP 16.1200 | 1,000 | 0.2% | 170 | — | $22,560 |
| 34 | CIP 13.1328 | 976 | 0.2% | 128 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 35 | CIP 13.0201 | 797 | 0.2% | 83 | $56,738 | $19,664 |
| 36 | CIP 16.0302 | 783 | 0.2% | 117 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 37 | CIP 13.1322 | 702 | 0.2% | 145 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 38 | CIP 16.0501 | 640 | 0.2% | 168 | $44,390 | $23,202 |
| 39 | CIP 16.9999 | 546 | 0.1% | 48 | $34,944 | $24,828 |
| 40 | CIP 16.0301 | 524 | 0.1% | 100 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 41 | CIP 13.1317 | 498 | 0.1% | 66 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 42 | CIP 13.1213 | 398 | 0.1% | 21 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 43 | CIP 13.1309 | 389 | 0.1% | 33 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 44 | CIP 13.1330 | 342 | 0.1% | 96 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 45 | CIP 45.1002 | 298 | 0.1% | 28 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 46 | CIP 16.0300 | 288 | 0.1% | 28 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 47 | CIP 13.1207 | 282 | 0.1% | 16 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 48 | CIP 54.0102 | 268 | 0.1% | 6 | $31,217 | $24,000 |
| 49 | CIP 13.1306 | 264 | 0.1% | 61 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 50 | CIP 13.1308 | 261 | 0.1% | 38 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 51 | CIP 13.1324 | 242 | 0.1% | 49 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 52 | CIP 13.1323 | 209 | 0.0% | 63 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 53 | CIP 16.0402 | 198 | 0.0% | 68 | $60,240 | $5,500 |
| 54 | CIP 16.1101 | 198 | 0.0% | 39 | $48,355 | $15,526 |
| 55 | CIP 16.0902 | 197 | 0.0% | 72 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 56 | CIP 13.1321 | 183 | 0.0% | 27 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 57 | CIP 13.1337 | 144 | 0.0% | 27 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 58 | CIP 16.0900 | 129 | 0.0% | 30 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 59 | CIP 16.0500 | 122 | 0.0% | 15 | $44,390 | $23,202 |
| 60 | CIP 13.1329 | 120 | 0.0% | 39 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 61 | CIP 16.0303 | 120 | 0.0% | 20 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 62 | CIP 13.1338 | 105 | 0.0% | 16 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 63 | CIP 16.0999 | 96 | 0.0% | 11 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 64 | CIP 30.4101 | 90 | 0.0% | 11 | — | — |
| 65 | CIP 16.1299 | 74 | 0.0% | 15 | — | $22,560 |
| 66 | CIP 16.1001 | 72 | 0.0% | 20 | — | — |
| 67 | CIP 16.0399 | 64 | 0.0% | 6 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 68 | CIP 30.3801 | 62 | 0.0% | 7 | — | — |
| 69 | CIP 13.1331 | 60 | 0.0% | 8 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 70 | CIP 13.1211 | 59 | 0.0% | 17 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 71 | CIP 13.1304 | 40 | 0.0% | 4 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 72 | CIP 13.1499 | 39 | 0.0% | 8 | $36,305 | $26,250 |
| 73 | CIP 16.1203 | 38 | 0.0% | 22 | — | $22,560 |
| 74 | CIP 13.1212 | 34 | 0.0% | 1 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 75 | CIP 16.1202 | 31 | 0.0% | 16 | — | $22,560 |
| 76 | CIP 13.1325 | 26 | 0.0% | 17 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 77 | CIP 30.3601 | 22 | 0.0% | 4 | — | — |
| 78 | CIP 16.1102 | 20 | 0.0% | 6 | $48,355 | $15,526 |
| 79 | CIP 13.1339 | 14 | 0.0% | 5 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 80 | CIP 16.1409 | 12 | 0.0% | 2 | — | — |
| 81 | CIP 45.0199 | 9 | 0.0% | 2 | $35,590 | $24,095 |
| 82 | CIP 13.1333 | 7 | 0.0% | 3 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 83 | CIP 16.1602 | 6 | 0.0% | 2 | $32,695 | $25,209 |
| 84 | CIP 13.1335 | 5 | 0.0% | 4 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 85 | CIP 16.0599 | 5 | 0.0% | 1 | $44,390 | $23,202 |
| 86 | CIP 16.1499 | 5 | 0.0% | 1 | — | — |
| 87 | CIP 13.1326 | 4 | 0.0% | 4 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 88 | CIP 13.1332 | 2 | 0.0% | 2 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What secondary school 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 | $101,370 | 99,230 | 0.80× | 212 | 90,553 |
| New York | $97,070 | 70,660 | 1.06× | 138 | 28,763 |
| Texas | $63,590 | 111,660 | 1.16× | 122 | 28,034 |
| Illinois | $79,990 | 44,670 | 1.07× | 99 | 15,999 |
| Pennsylvania | $78,800 | 52,240 | 1.26× | 117 | 15,450 |
| Arizona | $58,360 | 21,190 | 0.95× | 33 | 14,857 |
| Florida | $60,410 | 49,810 | 0.73× | 48 | 14,555 |
| Virginia | $72,170 | 31,100 | 1.10× | 59 | 12,913 |
| Massachusetts | $95,260 | 28,460 | 1.14× | 76 | 12,426 |
| Georgia | $75,480 | 25,730 | 0.77× | 52 | 11,134 |
| Ohio | $78,800 | 49,540 | 1.30× | 78 | 10,952 |
| North Carolina | $57,650 | 28,620 | 0.85× | 51 | 10,634 |
| Michigan | $66,030 | 25,540 | 0.85× | 56 | 9,514 |
| New Jersey | $82,200 | 38,140 | 1.30× | 44 | 8,983 |
| Indiana | $61,880 | 20,430 | 0.93× | 48 | 8,418 |
| Wisconsin | $62,870 | 15,910 | 0.79× | 34 | 7,584 |
| Utah | $76,330 | 11,030 | 0.93× | 11 | 7,156 |
| Washington | $102,670 | 14,880 | 0.61× | 50 | 6,554 |
| Maryland | $78,670 | 16,640 | 0.88× | 36 | 6,467 |
| Missouri | $59,240 | 24,380 | 1.21× | 52 | 6,435 |
| Tennessee | $61,860 | 21,230 | 0.95× | 37 | 6,383 |
| Minnesota | $76,460 | 16,020 | 0.79× | 53 | 5,777 |
| Alabama | $61,990 | 15,880 | 1.10× | 25 | 5,362 |
| South Carolina | $62,580 | 16,080 | 1.02× | 33 | 5,309 |
| Colorado | $72,900 | 18,310 | 0.93× | 30 | 5,057 |
| Oregon | $79,570 | 11,730 | 0.87× | 25 | 4,910 |
| Connecticut | $80,970 | 14,800 | 1.27× | 21 | 4,728 |
| Louisiana | $59,850 | 15,210 | 1.15× | 21 | 4,501 |
| Kentucky | $61,560 | 12,780 | 0.93× | 28 | 3,978 |
| Arkansas | $59,660 | 12,890 | 1.44× | 41 | 3,904 |
| Iowa | $61,200 | 12,310 | 1.15× | 45 | 3,670 |
| New Hampshire | $77,060 | 5,860 | 1.25× | 19 | 3,343 |
| Oklahoma | $48,710 | 15,480 | 1.32× | 37 | 3,312 |
| Mississippi | $50,980 | 10,400 | 1.30× | 23 | 3,208 |
| Kansas | $59,920 | 10,860 | 1.10× | 28 | 2,995 |
| District of Columbia | $82,750 | 2,800 | 0.58× | 8 | 2,759 |
| Idaho | $61,690 | 6,570 | 1.12× | 10 | 2,686 |
| Nevada | $65,520 | 8,920 | 0.84× | 7 | 2,531 |
| Nebraska | $63,450 | 7,170 | 1.02× | 19 | 2,510 |
| New Mexico | $75,900 | 8,120 | 1.36× | 21 | 2,034 |
| West Virginia | $56,610 | 3,590 | 0.75× | 19 | 1,967 |
| Rhode Island | $92,610 | 4,910 | 1.43× | 11 | 1,932 |
| Maine | $64,880 | 5,540 | 1.26× | 16 | 1,554 |
| Vermont | $76,220 | 2,450 | 1.18× | 8 | 1,272 |
| Montana | $60,990 | 3,670 | 1.05× | 16 | 1,163 |
| Hawaii | $74,310 | 5,590 | 1.30× | 6 | 1,137 |
| North Dakota | $61,210 | 3,070 | 1.04× | 11 | 1,133 |
| Delaware | $77,960 | 5,360 | 1.61× | 5 | 1,041 |
| South Dakota | $51,050 | 3,360 | 1.07× | 13 | 888 |
| Wyoming | $62,690 | 1,600 | 0.83× | 8 | 522 |
| Alaskamoderate | $79,650 | 2,790 | 1.25× | 4 | 360 |
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
- Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
- Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
- Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Learning Strategies4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Monitoring3.9
- Active Learning3.8
- Writing3.6
Knowledge areas
- Education and Training4.7
- English Language4.3
- Customer and Personal Service3.9
- Computers and Electronics3.6
- Psychology3.4
- Sociology and Anthropology3.2
Abilities
- Oral Expression4.1
- Written Comprehension4.0
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Speech Recognition4.0
- Speech Clarity4.0
- Written Expression4.0
Core activities
- Training and Teaching Others4.7
- Coaching and Developing Others4.5
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.4
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.3
- Developing Objectives and Strategies4.2
- Working with Computers4.2
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Secondary School 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 25 majors mapped to Secondary School Teachers24 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 13.0201Bilingual and Multilingual Education
- 13.1203Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching
- 13.1205Secondary Education and Teaching
- 13.1206Teacher Education, Multiple Levels
- 13.1207Montessori Teacher Education
- 13.1208Waldorf/Steiner Teacher Education(no graduates reported)
- 13.1211Online Educator/Online Teaching
- 13.1212International Teaching and Learning
- 13.1213Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods
- 13.1302Art Teacher Education
- 13.1304Driver and Safety Teacher Education
- 13.1305English/Language Arts Teacher Education
- 13.1306Foreign Language Teacher Education
- 13.1307Health Teacher Education
- 13.1308Family and Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education
- 13.1309Technology Teacher Education/Industrial Arts Teacher Education
- 13.1311Mathematics Teacher Education
- 13.1312Music Teacher Education
- 13.1314Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
- 13.1315Reading Teacher Education
- 13.1316Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
- 13.1317Social Science Teacher Education
- 13.1318Social Studies Teacher Education
- 13.1321Computer Teacher Education
- 13.1322Biology Teacher Education
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 Secondary School Teacher?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Biology/Biological Sciences, General, which awarded 90,079 degrees in 2024-25, 21.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Secondary School Teacher?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 88 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Political Science and Government, Teacher Education and Professional Development, English Language and Literature, plus 28 more. Together they graduate about 421,453 people a year.
How much do secondary school teachers earn?+
The median is $72,040 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $48,780 at the 10th percentile to $107,600 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 secondary school teachers growing?+
BLS projects a -1.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 66,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
2,100 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 88 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 secondary school teachers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Teacher, English Teacher, Social Studies Teacher, Math Teacher (Mathematics Teacher) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-2031.
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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