Texas·Educational Instruction and Library Occupations·SOC 25-2021

Best Elementary School Teacher programs in Texas, ranked by enrollment

Teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school.

102 schools in Texas run programs that feed this job, graduating 4,285 people a year. The job pays a median of $62,760 in Texas across about 116,260 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledTeacherClassroom TeacherElementary TeacherElementary School TeacherEducatorArt TeacherGym TeacherArt Educator
Graduates / yr
4,285
in Texas
Median pay · Texas
$62,760
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
116,260
people employed
Schools
102
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
41%
across those schools
Median net price
$21,285
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Texas that lead to this job

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

7 programs in Texas that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Texas (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 Texas page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 13.1210In Texas
1,966
45.9%
46$41,127$25,500
2
CIP 13.1206In Texas
1,527
35.6%
38$41,127$25,500
3
CIP 13.1202In Texas
610
14.2%
32$41,127$25,500
4
CIP 13.0201In Texas
122
2.8%
13$56,738$19,664
5
CIP 13.1401In Texas
38
0.9%
7$36,305$26,250
6
CIP 13.1213In Texas
21
0.5%
4$41,127$25,500
7
CIP 13.1207In Texas
1
0.0%
1$41,127$25,500

Top 25 schools in Texas

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 27 of the 102 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Dallas College
Dallas, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
504Early Childhood Education and Teaching$25,38532%
2Texas State University
San Marcos, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
346Teacher Education, Multiple Levels55%89%
3Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
318Teacher Education, Multiple Levels55%90%
4Lone Star College System
The Woodlands, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
204Early Childhood Education and Teaching$20,23621%
5South Texas College
McAllen, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
177Early Childhood Education and Teaching$16,90227%
6El Paso Community College
El Paso, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
148Teacher Education, Multiple Levels$19,14124%
7San Jacinto Community College
Pasadena, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
138Early Childhood Education and Teaching$19,58130%
8Houston City College
Houston, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
122Teacher Education, Multiple Levels17%
9Northwest Vista College
San Antonio, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
101Early Childhood Education and Teaching$22,35232%
10Texas A & M International University
Laredo, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
99Elementary Education and Teaching46%44%
11Odessa College
Odessa, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
93Early Childhood Education and Teaching37%
12Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
84Elementary Education and Teaching48%90%
13Texas A & M University - Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
83Elementary Education and Teaching40%89%
14The University of Texas at Tyler
Tyler, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
81Teacher Education, Multiple Levels54%94%
15San Antonio College
San Antonio, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
78Teacher Education, Multiple Levels$21,18426%
16Tarrant County College District
Fort Worth, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
71Early Childhood Education and Teaching$24,50734%
17Austin Community College District
Austin, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
69Early Childhood Education and Teaching$46,43020%
18Tyler Junior College
Tyler, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
60Early Childhood Education and Teaching27%
19Palo Alto College
San Antonio, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
59Early Childhood Education and Teaching$29,06233%
20Baylor University
Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
56Elementary Education and Teaching$53,61480%$35,68251%
21Texas Southmost College
Brownsville, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
54Early Childhood Education and Teaching$10,57630%
22Sul Ross State University
Alpine, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
51Teacher Education, Multiple Levels30%99%
23Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, TX Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
49Early Childhood Education and Teaching$55,81486%$25,82344%
24The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
48Early Childhood Education and Teaching50%100%
25Northeast Lakeview College
Universal City, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
45Early Childhood Education and Teaching32%

All 102 schools in Texas

Every school in Texas 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 Texas that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Dallas CollegeDallasPublic5042
Texas State UniversitySan MarcosPublic3462
Sam Houston State UniversityHuntsvillePublic3182
Lone Star College SystemThe WoodlandsPublic2041
South Texas CollegeMcAllenPublic1771
El Paso Community CollegeEl PasoPublic1481
San Jacinto Community CollegePasadenaPublic1381
Houston City CollegeHoustonPublic1221
Northwest Vista CollegeSan AntonioPublic1011
Texas A & M International UniversityLaredoPublic992
Odessa CollegeOdessaPublic931
Tarleton State UniversityStephenvillePublic841
Texas A & M University - Corpus ChristiCorpus ChristiPublic832
The University of Texas at TylerTylerPublic811
San Antonio CollegeSan AntonioPublic781

What elementary school teachers earn in Texas

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

Median annual in Texas
$62,760
Mean annual
$61,890
Jobs in state
116,260
What the range looks like
10th pct$48,500Median$62,76090th pct$73,570
Versus the national median
-1.9%

U.S. median $63,970. Texas pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.93×

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

Metro areas in Texas

Midland, TX
$61,350median
380 jobs
Odessa, TX
$63,020median
820 jobs
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$65,070median
27,350 jobs
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
$63,110median
4,090 jobs
Killeen-Temple, TX
$63,120median
2,280 jobs
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$64,500median
30,980 jobs
El Paso, TX
$63,800median
2,580 jobs
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
$63,350median
1,950 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-2.0%
Decline
Openings per year
91,000
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-27,900
1,422,700 → 1,394,800
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 Elementary School Teachers page.

How to become a Elementary 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.

Top skills

Learning StrategiesSpeakingMonitoringActive ListeningCritical ThinkingWriting

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in Texas

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 15 majors mapped to Elementary School Teachers13 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 13.0201Bilingual and Multilingual Education
  • 13.1202Elementary Education and Teaching
  • 13.1206Teacher Education, Multiple Levels
  • 13.1207Montessori Teacher Education
  • 13.1208Waldorf/Steiner Teacher Education(no graduates reported)
  • 13.1210Early Childhood Education and Teaching
  • 13.1211Online Educator/Online Teaching
  • 13.1212International Teaching and Learning
  • 13.1213Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods
  • 13.1338Environmental Education
  • 13.1339Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education
  • 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
  • 45.0199Social Sciences, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing elementary school teachers programs in Texas.

What degree do you need to become an Elementary 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 Early Childhood Education and Teaching, which awarded 1,966 degrees in Texas in 2024-25, 45.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Elementary School Teacher?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Teacher Education and Professional Development, Bilingual, Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language. Together they graduate about 4,285 people a year in Texas.

How much do elementary school teachers earn in Texas?+

The median is $62,760 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 1.9% below the U.S. median of $63,970. 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 elementary school teachers growing?+

BLS projects a -2.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 91,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

102 institutions in Texas reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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 elementary school teachers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Teacher, Classroom Teacher, Elementary Teacher, Elementary School Teacher among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-2021.

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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