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Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: Career Overview

Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level.

What Do Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education Take On?

Typical responsibilities of secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education span:

  • Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
  • Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
  • Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
  • Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
  • Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
  • Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.
  • Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
  • Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.

Key Skills and Knowledge

Successful secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Key Skills

The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Instructing  4.1 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  4.0 / 5
0
5
Learning Strategies  4.0 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Speaking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  3.9 / 5
0
5

Core Knowledge

Education and Training  4.7 / 5
0
5
English Language  4.3 / 5
0
5
Customer and Personal Service  3.9 / 5
0
5
Computers and Electronics  3.6 / 5
0
5
Psychology  3.4 / 5
0
5
Sociology and Anthropology  3.2 / 5
0
5

Common job titles for this role include:

  • Accounting Teacher
  • After School Teacher
  • Algebra Teacher
  • Art Educator
  • Art Instructor
  • Art Teacher
  • Arts and Crafts Teacher
  • Athletic Instructor

Job Outlook

The U.S. employs around 561,804 secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +1.8% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education Pay

Statistic Value
Annual median $77,927
Hourly median $37.47
10th percentile $54,684
25th percentile $66,306
75th percentile $89,549
90th percentile $101,171

Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

How Much Do Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education Make in Different U.S. States?

State Annual median salary
Washington $99,640
California $98,710
New York $98,370
Rhode Island $89,040
Massachusetts $88,990
New Jersey $80,440
Oregon $79,600
District of Columbia $78,770
Pennsylvania $77,990
Alaska $77,730
Connecticut $77,270
Maryland $77,030
Illinois $77,020
Ohio $76,740
Delaware $75,420
Utah $74,280
Georgia $73,340
New Hampshire $69,340
New Mexico $66,960
Michigan $64,000
Minnesota $63,950
Virginia $63,760
Vermont $63,740
Colorado $63,660
Wyoming $63,390
Nevada $62,870
Maine $62,230
Texas $61,980
Nebraska $61,900
Hawaii $61,830
Wisconsin $61,620
South Carolina $61,300
Idaho $60,960
Alabama $60,530
Indiana $60,430
Kentucky $60,420
Tennessee $60,330
Arizona $59,900
Florida $59,400
North Dakota $59,380
Louisiana $59,340
Iowa $58,910
Kansas $58,770
Montana $58,730
Arkansas $56,890
West Virginia $56,480
North Carolina $54,890
Missouri $50,780
Virgin Islands $50,730
Puerto Rico $49,920
South Dakota $49,530
Mississippi $49,340
Oklahoma $49,170
Guam $36,830

Pay by U.S. Region

Earnings for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Far Western US $92,877 13.0% 0.80
Middle Atlantic $86,494 17.6% 1.17
New England $81,043 5.9% 1.23
Great Lakes $71,096 15.1% 1.10
Rocky Mountains $65,740 3.8% 0.95
Southwest $60,614 14.7% 1.17
Southeast $60,348 22.2% 0.95
Plains States $57,720 7.0% 1.02

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA WA $106,970 510
Kennewick-Richland, WA WA $105,630 720
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA WA $105,400 280
Kingston, NY NY $104,720 600
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA CA $103,640 6,180
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA CA $103,640 4,470
Bellingham, WA WA $102,810 420
Napa, CA CA $100,720 240

Top Industries Employing Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

Most secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education are found across these industries:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Educational Services 1,067,580 n/a
Other Services (except Public Administration) 1,180 n/a
Health Care and Social Assistance 1,120 n/a
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 520 n/a
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education sectors

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education work in the following industries:

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education industries

Tools and Technology

  • Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
  • Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
  • Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
  • Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
  • Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

What the Workplace Is Like

Daily working conditions for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education tends to involve the following characteristics:

  • E-Mail
  • Contact With Others
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  • Public Speaking

Education and Training

Typical secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.

Similar Occupations

Similar Occupations

Top Programs to Study For This Career

Future secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education often complete programs in:

Education

42 programs across 4 majors

About the Data

This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 25-2031.00 (Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education).

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