How much does a secondary school teachers make?

The median secondary school teachers salary in the United States is $72,040 per year (). Salaries range from $48,780 (10th percentile) to $107,600 (90th percentile). There are 1,065,210 secondary school teachers jobs in the U.S. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS.

Which state pays secondary school teacherss the most?

The highest paying state for secondary school teacherss is Washington at $102,670 median salary.

Is secondary school teachers a good career?

Secondary School Teachers employment is projected to decline 1.6% from 2024 to 2034 (decline). There are approximately 66,200 job openings per year. Typical education required: Bachelor's degree.

What certifications should secondary school teacherss get?

Top-ROI certifications for secondary school teacherss: National Board Certification (NBPTS) ($1,900 total, spread over 1-3 years. Often reimbursed.); Bilingual/ELL/TESOL endorsement ($1,500-$5,000 coursework.); Special Education dual-certification ($3,000-$10,000 for add-on.).

How do you negotiate a secondary school teachers salary?

Anchor on documented market data (BLS median $72,040, p75 $92,570), specific outcomes you've delivered, and the specific band for your years of experience. Base is set by district salary schedule; negotiating base rarely possible. Where you CAN negotiate: (1) starting step placement — if you have out-of-district experience, ask them to honor those years; (2) signing bonus i...

Secondary School Teachers Salary

Q: What interview questions are asked for secondary school teachers roles?

Common secondary school teachers interview questions include: "Walk through a lesson plan for a challenging concept in your subject.", "Describe your classroom management approach.", "How would you differentiate for a student reading 3 grade levels below their peers?". Interview format at top employers ranges from behavioral panels (STAR method) to technical case rounds — for example Large urban districts (LAUSD, NYC DOE, Chicago Public Schools) typically uses 2-3 rounds.

Q: What is the career ladder for secondary school teacherss?

The typical secondary school teachers career ladder: First-Year Teacher / Probationary (0-1 yrs, $47k-$62k · Suburban top-of-state $60k-$78k) → Continuing Contract Teacher (2-8 yrs, $52k-$78k · Top districts $70k-$95k) → Department Chair / Instructional Lead (5-12 yrs, $68k-$98k + $2-8k stipend) → Instructional Coach / District Curriculum Specialist (8+ yrs, $75-115k).

Bureau of Labor Statistics title: Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

The median secondary school teachers salary in the United States is $72,040 per year. Salaries range from $48,780 at the entry level to $107,600+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 1,065,210 secondary school teachers jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to decline 1.6% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 · Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asHigh School TeacherHS TeacherSecondary Teacher

Median Salary

$72,040

per year

Employment

1,065,210

jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile

$48,780

25th percentile

$59,980

Median

$72,040

75th percentile

$92,570

90th percentile

$107,600

Job Growth (2024-2034)

-1.6%

Decline

Annual Openings

66,200

jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Bachelor's degree

Secondary School Teachers Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for secondary school teacherss.

High school teachers (grades 9-12) teach subject-specific content across public, charter, and private schools. Compensation is set by district salary schedule (years × education level) with almost zero individual negotiation on base. Career levers: which district (top-of-state suburban vs rural), extra endorsements (bilingual, STEM, special ed dual-cert), stipends (coaching, advising, department head, mentoring), and summer school. Charter schools + private schools pay less than public but move faster on hiring.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Subject-matter mastery

Deep content knowledge in your teaching field. English teachers need literary + composition depth; math teachers need through-calculus fluency; science teachers need lab + inquiry technique.

Classroom management

Setting expectations, redirecting adolescent behavior, managing group dynamics. Weighted heavily in hiring.

Lesson planning + curriculum

Backward design from state standards, differentiated instruction, formative + summative assessment.

Data-driven instruction

Using assessment data to group students + target reteaching. Standards-based grading trending.

Adolescent development + SEL

Understanding teen brain + social dynamics + mental health. Post-pandemic weighting increased.

Technology + digital literacy

LMS (Canvas, Google Classroom), digital assessments, screen-time balance.

Family + community engagement

Parent communication, difficult conversations, cultural competence.

How to Become a Secondary School Teachers

1
Bachelor's + teacher preparation program
4-year Ed degree OR subject-area bachelor's + 1-2 year credential.
2
Pass state licensing exams
Praxis Content Knowledge (subject-specific) + edTPA (in some states) + state-specific tests.
3
Complete student teaching
12-16 weeks unpaid with a mentor teacher. Rec letters from cooperating teacher critical.
4
Apply to districts (fall Jan-May for next fall)
Top-paying suburban districts hire earliest. Fall postings often high-need schools or late resignations.
5
Get mentor in first year
Formal district mentor + informal department buddy. First year attrition highest.
6
Master's for pay column advancement
MA + 30 or MA + 45 = biggest reliable raise on schedule. Do online M.Ed. or content-area MA within first 5-7 years.

Career Progression

First-Year Teacher / Probationary

0-1 yrs$47k-$62k · Suburban top-of-state $60k-$78k

•Full teaching load (5-6 classes, ~150 students)
•Formal mentor pairing
•Formal evaluations 3-6x/year

Next: Continuing contract teacher.

Continuing Contract Teacher

2-8 yrs$52k-$78k · Top districts $70k-$95k

•Master a subject / grade
•Precept student teachers
•Serve on department + school committees

Next: Tenure + department chair.

Department Chair / Instructional Lead

5-12 yrs$68k-$98k + $2-8k stipend

•Lead department PLC
•Curriculum decisions + textbook adoption
•Coach struggling colleagues

Next: Instructional coach or admin credential.

Instructional Coach / District Curriculum Specialist

8+ yrs$75-115k

•Coach 8-15 teachers across schools
•District-wide PD + curriculum leadership

Assistant Principal / Principal

10+ with admin credential yrs$100-160k+

•Instructional leadership + operations
•Teacher evaluation + hiring
•Parent + community engagement

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 11 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk through a lesson plan for a challenging concept in your subject.technical

Example: teaching stoichiometry to 10th-grade chemistry. Hook (kitchen recipe analogy). Direct instruction (mole concept + conversion). Guided practice (worked example + I do/we do/you do). Independent practice with immediate feedback. Formative check (exit ticket). Reteach loop for struggling students. Screens for pedagogy structure + subject depth.

Q2. Describe your classroom management approach.behavioral

Have a system. First 3 weeks: explicit procedures (entering, transitions, phone usage, bathroom, quiet signal). Positive reinforcement (praise + earned privileges). Tiered response to off-task (proximity → private conversation → refocus form → parent contact → admin referral). Never lecture the whole class over one student's behavior.

Q3. How would you differentiate for a student reading 3 grade levels below their peers?technical

Pre-assessment. Small-group instruction with scaffolded texts. Frequent check-ins. Not just simplified — same rigor, different pathway. Coordinate with special ed / EL / literacy specialist. Involve family in home reading. Screens for real differentiation.

Q4. A parent emails angry about their child's grade. Walk me through your response.situational

Acknowledge within 24 hours. Don't discuss grade in email. Offer call or meeting. Bring work samples + rubric. Listen first. If grade wrong, own it. Loop in admin BEFORE meeting so you're not blindsided. Document.

Q5. Why teach at our school specifically?culture

Research: demographics, principal's message, most recent assessment data, specific programs (dual-language, AP, IB, magnet). Concrete: 'Your dual-language program is a fit for my bilingual endorsement.' Not: 'Your school seems nice.'

Resume Template — First-Year Teacher (0-1 yr)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

First-Year Teacher (0-1 yr)

▸Taught daily instruction to 145 students across 5 sections of Algebra II; achieved 78% proficiency on end-of-year state assessment (state avg: 62%).
▸Implemented differentiated small-group instruction 2 days per week; moved 8 students out of Tier 2 intervention over the year.
▸Wrote weekly parent newsletter with student learning highlights; achieved 92% parent-teacher conference attendance.
▸Served on school Wellness Committee focused on student SEL programming.

What Gets You Rejected

✗Talking about students disparagingly ('these kids can't...') — immediate DQ.
✗Vague on management or differentiation — signals no actual system.
✗Not asking about mentoring, curriculum, or class size — signals disengagement.
✗Not knowing the school's demographics or recent report card.
✗Bad-mouthing previous administrators.
✗Overselling yourself — new teachers should acknowledge growth areas.

Salary Negotiation Levers

✓Extra endorsements (bilingual, TESOL, special ed dual-cert, STEM) — stipends common.
✓Master's + 30 or MA + 45 — biggest reliable pay bump.
✓Coaching or advising a club — $2-8k stipends common.
✓Summer school, tutoring, or curriculum work.
✓Signing bonus in high-need districts — $2-15k for STEM, bilingual, special ed.
✓PSLF eligibility (public + non-profit teaching).
✓Move to a higher-paying district after tenure — 15-40% jumps possible.

Secondary School Teachers Resume Review — $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired secondary school teacherss. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

✓ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
✓ Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
✓ Missing skills / keywords flagged
✓ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
✓ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Secondary School Teachers Career Kit — $19

✓ All 11 interview questions with expert answers
✓ 6 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
✓ Interview format intel for 5 top employers
✓ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
✓ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
✓ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
✓ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
✓ Detailed salary negotiation script
✓ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
✓ Downloadable PDF for offline access
✓ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription

✓ 7-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked

One-time purchase. 7-day refund guarantee.

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Secondary School Teachers Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) →

Salary Map — Click a state for details

$49K

$103K■ No data

Top Paying States

Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.

State	Median	vs. National	Employment
Washington	$102,670	+42.5%	14,880
California	$101,370	+40.7%	99,230
New York	$97,070	+34.7%	70,660
Massachusetts	$95,260	+32.2%	28,460
Rhode Island	$92,610	+28.6%	4,910
District of Columbia	$82,750	+14.9%	2,800
New Jersey	$82,200	+14.1%	38,140
Connecticut	$80,970	+12.4%	14,800
Illinois	$79,990	+11.0%	44,670
Alaska	$79,650	+10.6%	2,790

Showing 1–10 of 51

Secondary School Teachers Salary by Metro Area

Metro Area	Median	vs. National
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	$121,190	+68.2%
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$108,850	+51.1%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$108,230	+50.2%
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$105,200	+46.0%
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$105,060	+45.8%
Walla Walla, WA	$104,940	+45.7%
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	$104,180	+44.6%
Longview-Kelso, WA	$104,110	+44.5%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$102,880	+42.8%
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$102,840	+42.8%

Showing 1–10 of 378

Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.

How does this compare to pro athletes?

A secondary school teachers earning $72,040/year would need 827 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 888 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.

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📈 See how secondary school teachers salaries have changed over the past decade.

View Secondary School Teachers salary trend (2011–2024) →