How to become a high school teacher

1. 1Choose the subject you want to teach

   Time: During high school or early collegeSources 1

   High school teachers are licensed by subject, so the choice shapes your major. Openings vary by subject and district, so look at job postings in the area where you want to live before you commit. Many states expect a major or substantial coursework in the subject itself, not only in education. If you are unsure, take a few college courses in two possible subjects and volunteer or tutor teenagers to see which you can explain well.

2. 2Earn a bachelor's degree with a teacher preparation program

   Time: 4 yearsCost: About $10,201 a year at public collegesSources 1, 6, 8

   The traditional route is a bachelor's degree that combines a major in your subject with a state-approved teacher education program, or a degree in secondary education with a subject concentration. Courses cover adolescent development, teaching methods, classroom management and teaching students with disabilities and English learners. Check that the program is approved by your state's education agency, since that approval is what makes you eligible to be recommended for a license.

3. 3Complete student teaching

   Time: One semester, usuallyCost: Included in tuitionSources 1, 7

   Near the end of the program you teach full time in a high school classroom under a mentor teacher, gradually taking over planning, teaching and grading. Most student teaching is unpaid, so plan your finances for that semester. Some states also require a teaching performance assessment, in which you submit lesson plans, video of your teaching and student work for scoring; California's credential programs include one.

4. 4Pass the state licensing exams

   Time: 1-3 months of preparationCost: $130-$436 in Praxis feesSources 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

   Many states use the Praxis series from ETS: a subject test such as Mathematics (5165), which has 66 questions over 180 minutes, and often the Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 7-12 (5624), a two-hour test with 70 selected-response and 4 constructed-response questions. Some states also require Praxis Core. Others use their own exams, such as Texas's TExES or California's CSET, and California also accepts other ways to show subject knowledge.

5. 5Apply for your license and pass a background check

   Time: 1-2 monthsCost: State fees varySources 6, 7

   Your preparation program recommends you to the state, and you apply to the state education agency with transcripts, exam scores and fingerprints for a criminal background check. Texas, for example, fingerprints all first-time applicants for a national check. Many states issue a first-stage license first: California's preliminary credential lasts up to five years, during which you complete an induction program to earn the clear credential.

6. 6Get hired and keep your license current

   Time: OngoingSources 1, 7

   Districts post most jobs in spring and summer for the next school year, and shortage subjects are often hired year-round. New teachers usually work with a mentor and are evaluated more often in the first years. To renew a license, states require professional development hours, and some require a master's degree within a set number of years. National Board Certification is an optional advanced credential, and in California it is one way to earn the clear credential.

Programs, tuition and graduates’ earnings

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15). Scorecard groups programs by 4-digit field, so a row can include related programs. Tuition is the median published undergraduate tuition and fees of the colleges offering the program (shown only for undergraduate credentials); debt is the median of programs’ median federal loan debt at completion; earnings are the national median for the field and credential four years after completion.

Requirements differ by state. Check your state’s rules in the CareerOneStop License Finder (U.S. Department of Labor) before you enroll.

Deep subject knowledge

Teenagers ask hard questions, and teaching calculus or chemistry well means knowing it far beyond the textbook chapter.

Classroom management

Thirty teenagers with phones will not learn much unless routines and expectations are set from the first day.

Explaining clearly

The same idea often has to be taught three different ways before every student in a mixed-ability class gets it.

Organization

Juggling several course preps, stacks of grading, IEP accommodations and deadlines takes tight planning.

Working with parents

Calm, specific conversations with families about grades or behavior often decide whether a struggling student turns around.

Resilience

Long hours, testing pressure and difficult days are part of the job, and teachers who last find ways to recover and keep going.

O*NET 31.0 rates these skills as most important for the occupation: reading comprehension, active listening, speaking, learning strategies, critical thinking.

Training cost

$40.9K–$41.2K

Before financial aid

Time

4 to 5 years

Typical path

Median pay

$72,040

All US jobs: $50,980

Payback once qualified

1.9–2.0 yrs

Pay above the all-jobs median vs. cost

Low: 4 years x College Scorecard median public in-state tuition of $10,201 for a bachelor's in teacher education = $40,804, plus one Praxis subject test at $130. High: the same degree plus Praxis Core Combined ($150), a subject test ($130) and the PLT Grades 7-12 ($156). Not included: housing, books, state license and fingerprint fees, or a master's degree. Career changers who already have a degree pay only for an alternative certification program, whose cost varies widely, and the exams.

Rough guide only: ignores taxes, aid, interest and earnings given up during training. How we calculate it.

• School principal or assistant principal$105,870 median

  Usually requires several years of teaching, a master's degree in educational leadership and a state administrator license.

• School counselor$64,330 median

  Requires a master's degree in school counseling and a state school counselor credential; teaching experience helps but is not required everywhere.

• Librarian or media specialist$68,270 median

  School librarians generally need a library science degree or a state school library endorsement on top of a teaching license.

• College instructor$82,250 median

  Community colleges often hire instructors with a master's in the subject; university faculty roles usually require a doctorate.