The annual average salary of K-12 school teachers has been a growing concern for public officials and educators alike for decades. It is one of the leading causes of the teacher shortage, affecting 75% of the U.S.
School districts also face two key additional challenges that contribute to staffing deficits—the high cost of becoming a teacher and state licensure requirements, which vary from state to state and do not always transfer from one locale to another. When the demands of the job and shrinking budgets come into the mix, the full picture of what underlies the national teacher shortage begins to clarify. Workplace culture and compensation are the prevailing motivators for educators to switch to different careers.
The U.S. lost nearly 7% of the teaching staff during the two years following the pandemic, according to a February 2022 report from the Economic Policy Institute. A parallel study, released in October of that year by the Government Accountability Office, revealed those losses hit harder in the Western United States and, more generally, in rural and urban areas than in suburban districts.
Many teachers view their careers as a vocational calling to serve the community and have remained devoted to children and teens despite the myriad challenges the profession currently faces—with some even moving to different cities or states to fulfill their professional and personal aspirations. But at the end of the day, they, too, still have to be able to support themselves and their families—and the limited earnings potential of educators has now become a national crisis.
On the bright side, there's no shortage of jobs available for educators. In this regard, the shortage works in prospective teachers' favor—they may be able to negotiate for certain conditions or perks beyond financial compensation that employers may not have included in initial offers.
Colleges and universities offer different paths to becoming a K-12 educator, often adapted to the student's field of preference and personal goals. But graduates from some schools' education programs have gone on to earn more than others.
Using data from the Department of Education, Teachercertification.com determined, by median earnings three years post-graduation, which colleges yielded the highest-earning students with undergraduate degrees in teaching and education for grades K-12—from early childhood and elementary education through high school. Data is from the 2020-2021 school year representing undergraduate students from the class of 2018. The average cost of attendance, as shown for each school listed, includes books costs, as well as living-related expenses.
Continue reading to discover the schools that have produced the highest-earning early career teachers.
