Best Secondary School Teacher programs in Virginia, ranked by enrollment
Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school.
59 schools in Virginia run programs that feed this job, graduating 12,913 people a year. The job pays a median of $72,170 in Virginia across about 31,100 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Virginia that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
49 programs in Virginia that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Virginia (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 Virginia page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101In Virginia → | 2,726 | 21.1% | 39 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 54.0101In Virginia → | 1,403 | 10.9% | 40 | $31,217 | $24,000 |
| 3 | CIP 45.1001In Virginia → | 1,284 | 9.9% | 34 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 4 | CIP 30.0101In Virginia → | 1,082 | 8.4% | 24 | $28,446 | $11,000 |
| 5 | CIP 45.0101In Virginia → | 1,054 | 8.2% | 16 | $35,590 | $24,095 |
| 6 | CIP 23.0101In Virginia → | 836 | 6.5% | 37 | $29,622 | $24,546 |
| 7 | CIP 40.0501In Virginia → | 625 | 4.8% | 31 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 8 | CIP 50.0701In Virginia → | 524 | 4.1% | 17 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 9 | CIP 27.0101In Virginia → | 439 | 3.4% | 30 | $48,772 | $21,544 |
| 10 | CIP 40.0801In Virginia → | 348 | 2.7% | 22 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 11 | CIP 45.0601In Virginia → | 289 | 2.2% | 18 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 12 | CIP 13.1307In Virginia → | 232 | 1.8% | 3 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 13 | CIP 13.1315In Virginia → | 223 | 1.7% | 13 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 14 | CIP 13.1205In Virginia → | 209 | 1.6% | 10 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 15 | CIP 13.1314In Virginia → | 194 | 1.5% | 12 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 16 | CIP 40.0101In Virginia → | 187 | 1.4% | 1 | $27,007 | $9,000 |
| 17 | CIP 45.1099In Virginia → | 179 | 1.4% | 4 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 18 | CIP 50.0901In Virginia → | 172 | 1.3% | 25 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 19 | CIP 16.0101In Virginia → | 161 | 1.2% | 10 | $27,449 | $20,824 |
| 20 | CIP 13.1401In Virginia → | 124 | 1.0% | 9 | $36,305 | $26,250 |
| 21 | CIP 13.1203In Virginia → | 88 | 0.7% | 5 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 22 | CIP 13.1206In Virginia → | 75 | 0.6% | 5 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 23 | CIP 16.0905In Virginia → | 73 | 0.6% | 13 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 24 | CIP 13.1305In Virginia → | 64 | 0.5% | 5 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 25 | CIP 13.1302In Virginia → | 48 | 0.4% | 5 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 26 | CIP 13.1311In Virginia → | 48 | 0.4% | 7 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 27 | CIP 13.1318In Virginia → | 35 | 0.3% | 5 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 28 | CIP 16.1200In Virginia → | 35 | 0.3% | 7 | — | $22,560 |
| 29 | CIP 19.0101In Virginia → | 34 | 0.3% | 2 | $31,910 | $26,500 |
| 30 | CIP 13.1312In Virginia → | 24 | 0.2% | 5 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 31 | CIP 13.1328In Virginia → | 22 | 0.2% | 2 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 32 | CIP 16.0901In Virginia → | 19 | 0.1% | 4 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 33 | CIP 16.1601In Virginia → | 11 | 0.1% | 1 | $32,695 | $25,209 |
| 34 | CIP 16.1202In Virginia → | 7 | 0.1% | 3 | — | $22,560 |
| 35 | CIP 13.1306In Virginia → | 6 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 36 | CIP 16.0501In Virginia → | 5 | 0.0% | 3 | $44,390 | $23,202 |
| 37 | CIP 13.1316In Virginia → | 4 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 38 | CIP 16.1102In Virginia → | 4 | 0.0% | 1 | $48,355 | $15,526 |
| 39 | CIP 13.1322In Virginia → | 3 | 0.0% | 3 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 40 | CIP 16.0302In Virginia → | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 41 | CIP 54.0102In Virginia → | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | $31,217 | $24,000 |
| 42 | CIP 13.1309In Virginia → | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 43 | CIP 13.1324In Virginia → | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 44 | CIP 13.1330In Virginia → | 2 | 0.0% | 2 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 45 | CIP 13.1308In Virginia → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 46 | CIP 13.1317In Virginia → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 47 | CIP 13.1323In Virginia → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 48 | CIP 13.1329In Virginia → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 49 | CIP 16.0300In Virginia → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
Top 25 schools in Virginia
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 34 of the 59 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 31 feeder programs | 1,310 | History, General | $33,456 | 65% | $28,911 | 99% |
| 2 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 15 feeder programs | 1,106 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,149 | 63% | — | 93% |
| 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 13 feeder programs | 1,100 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,239 | 86% | — | 55% |
| 4 | University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA Public · 15 feeder programs | 1,086 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $23,395 | 96% | — | 17% |
| 5 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA Public · 19 feeder programs | 925 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $34,719 | 68% | — | 87% |
| 6 | William & Mary Williamsburg, VA Public · 18 feeder programs | 738 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $29,851 | 89% | — | 34% |
| 7 | Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA Public · 5 feeder programs | 719 | Social Sciences, General | $23,637 | 33% | — | — |
| 8 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA Public · 15 feeder programs | 709 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $34,159 | 80% | — | 72% |
| 9 | Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA Public · 15 feeder programs | 533 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,953 | 46% | — | 90% |
| 10 | J Sargeant Reynolds Community College Richmond, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 444 | Social Sciences, General | $18,164 | 32% | — | — |
| 11 | Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA Public · 3 feeder programs | 312 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $30,605 | 32% | — | — |
| 12 | Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA Public · 8 feeder programs | 298 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,287 | 72% | — | 86% |
| 13 | Radford University Radford, VA Public · 15 feeder programs | 289 | Art/Art Studies, General | $23,308 | 49% | — | 90% |
| 14 | Virginia Peninsula Community College Hampton, VA Public · 3 feeder programs | 245 | Social Sciences, General | $25,478 | 34% | — | — |
| 15 | University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg, VA Public · 11 feeder programs | 207 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $35,194 | 66% | — | 80% |
| 16 | Richard Bland College South Prince George, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 191 | Physical Sciences, General | $20,219 | 9% | — | 89% |
| 17 | University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA Private not-for-profit · 12 feeder programs | 166 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $36,300 | 85% | $24,049 | 22% |
| 18 | Laurel Ridge Community College Middletown, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 149 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $37,850 | 45% | — | — |
| 19 | Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA Public · 7 feeder programs | 148 | Economics, General | $46,046 | 76% | — | 71% |
| 20 | Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA Private not-for-profit · 13 feeder programs | 146 | Economics, General | $71,737 | 94% | $11,983 | 14% |
| 21 | Longwood University Farmville, VA Public · 12 feeder programs | 144 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $33,686 | 61% | — | 90% |
| 22 | Virginia State University Petersburg, VA Public · 8 feeder programs | 142 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $26,547 | 39% | — | 89% |
| 23 | Shenandoah University Winchester, VA Private not-for-profit · 13 feeder programs | 132 | Teacher Education, Multiple Levels | — | 67% | $27,455 | 77% |
| 24 | Norfolk State University Norfolk, VA Public · 9 feeder programs | 130 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 38% | — | 88% |
| 25 | Virginia Western Community College Roanoke, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 126 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $27,786 | 40% | — | — |
All 59 schools in Virginia
Every school in Virginia 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty University | Lynchburg | Private not-for-profit | 1,310 | 31 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond | Public | 1,106 | 15 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Blacksburg | Public | 1,100 | 13 |
| University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville | Public | 1,086 | 15 |
| George Mason University | Fairfax | Public | 925 | 19 |
| William & Mary | Williamsburg | Public | 738 | 18 |
| Northern Virginia Community College | Annandale | Public | 719 | 5 |
| James Madison University | Harrisonburg | Public | 709 | 15 |
| Old Dominion University | Norfolk | Public | 533 | 15 |
| J Sargeant Reynolds Community College | Richmond | Public | 444 | 2 |
| Tidewater Community College | Norfolk | Public | 312 | 3 |
| Christopher Newport University | Newport News | Public | 298 | 8 |
| Radford University | Radford | Public | 289 | 15 |
| Virginia Peninsula Community College | Hampton | Public | 245 | 3 |
| University of Mary Washington | Fredericksburg | Public | 207 | 11 |
What secondary school teachers earn in Virginia
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $72,040. Virginia pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Virginia
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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 Secondary School Teachers page.
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.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Virginia
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
Common questions
Answers for people weighing secondary school teachers programs in Virginia.
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 2,726 degrees in Virginia in 2024-25, 21.1% 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 49 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Political Science and Government, History, Biological and Physical Sciences, plus 20 more. Together they graduate about 12,913 people a year in Virginia.
How much do secondary school teachers earn in Virginia?+
The median is $72,170 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.2% above the U.S. median of $72,040. 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 in Virginia?+
59 institutions in Virginia reported graduates from at least one of the 49 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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