Elementary School Teacher vs High School Teacher: Which Field Is Better?

Dimension	Elementary School Teacher	High School Teacher
Median pay	$62,970	$64,580
Projected growth (2024–34)	-2%	-1.6%
Annual openings	40,500	66,200
2024 employment	633,700	1,094,500
2034 projected employment	621,300	1,076,700
Self-employed share	0.6%	0%
Typical entry education	Bachelor's degree	Bachelor's degree
Related work experience	None	None
On-the-job training	None	None

Dimension

Elementary School Teacher

High School Teacher

Median pay

$62,970

$64,580

Projected growth (2024–34)

-2%

-1.6%

Annual openings

40,500

66,200

2024 employment

633,700

1,094,500

2034 projected employment

621,300

1,076,700

Self-employed share

0.6%

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Elementary School Teacher: main tradeoff

Projected employment is declining, yet replacement openings remain substantial; retention and certification explain why a declining occupation can coexist with shortages.

High School Teacher: main tradeoff

Headline employment growth can look weak while replacement openings and real-world shortages remain large; turnover and working conditions are essential to the story.

Which should you choose?

High School Teacher has the higher national median pay in the BLS data. High School Teacher has the higher projected 2024–2034 growth rate. The larger decision is whether you prefer the training path, work style, and occupation-specific tradeoffs of Elementary School Teacher or High School Teacher.