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Elementary School Teacher vs Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: what changes?

Consider Elementary School Teacher if you want to teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level. Consider Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education if you would rather teach one or more subjects to students at the middle, intermediate, or junior high school level. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Elementary School Teacher and Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

Elementary School Teacher

National median pay (2025)
$63,970
Route into the job
Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate
Instruct students individually and in groups, using teaching methods such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
87,500
Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Elementary School Teacher brief

Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

National median pay (2025)
$64,370
Route into the job
Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate
Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
38,800
Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Elementary School Teacher has the edge on annual openings

Elementary School Teacher is at 87,500 annual openings, compared with 38,800 annual openings for Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education.

2

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Compare actual offers, expected paid hours, schedule, and benefits before treating either career as the higher-paying option.

55/ 100

Elementary School Teacher

vs
52.7/ 100

Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Elementary School Teacher vs Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

DimensionElementary School TeacherMiddle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Median pay (2025)$63,970$64,370
Pay percentile55.3 percentile55.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)-0.4%-0.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)87,50038,800
2025 employment1,419,300630,100
How you qualifyBachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 4Job Zone 4
Related work experienceNo prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job trainingBLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Elementary School Teacher briefRead Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education brief

Try another comparison

Elementary School Teacher vs High School Teacher

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Elementary School Teacher
$63,970 · -0.4% growth
High School Teacher
$72,040 · -0.2% growth
Compare careers →

Elementary School Teacher vs Preschool Teacher

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Elementary School Teacher
$63,970 · -0.4% growth
Preschool Teacher
$38,140 · 4.5% growth
Compare careers →

Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education vs Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$64,370 · -0.4% growth
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education
$62,680 · -0.3% growth
Compare careers →
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