Elementary Education & Teaching Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Elementary Education & Teaching maps to BLS occupations averaging about $89,176, with roughly 107,930 workers nationwide in those roles. About 30,161 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median in-state published tuition is about $7,334.
Key Statistics
Elementary Education & Teaching: what the data shows
Common questions about elementary education & teaching degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a elementary education & teaching degree?
A Elementary Education & Teaching program is classified under NCES CIP 13.1202 in the Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods field family (13.12).
A program that prepares individuals to teach students in the elementary grades, which may include kindergarten through grade eight, depending on the school system or state regulations. Includes preparation to teach all elementary education subject matter.
IPEDS counted 30,161 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of elementary education & teaching degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 13.12 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching (CIP 13.1201)
- College/Postsecondary/University Teaching (CIP 13.1214)
- Early Childhood Education & Teaching (CIP 13.1210)
- International Teaching and Learning (CIP 13.1212)
- Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching (CIP 13.1203)
- Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching (CIP 13.1209)
- Montessori Teacher Education (CIP 13.1207)
- Online Educator/Online Teaching (CIP 13.1211)
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods (CIP 13.1213)
- Secondary Education and Teaching (CIP 13.1205)
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other (CIP 13.1299)
- Teacher Education, Multiple Levels (CIP 13.1206)
- Waldorf/Steiner Teacher Education (CIP 13.1208)
How long does it take to get a elementary education & teaching degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 13.1202 in our file:
- 1,947 Associate (4.7% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 30,161 Bachelor's (73.0% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 9,057 Master's (21.9% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 128 Doctorate (0.3% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in elementary education & teaching?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Instructing, Speaking, Active Learning, Active Listening, Learning Strategies, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Teachers and Instructors, All Other (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 13.1202, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a elementary education & teaching degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Elementary Education & Teaching to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers and Instructors, All Other | 125,010 | $64,690 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | 114,410 | $61,430 |
| Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary | 5,260 | $95,770 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | 97,890 | $80,190 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | 382,960 | $58,570 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a elementary education & teaching degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods bachelor's program family: median debt $23,206, median earnings $47,382 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.55.
About 1.6% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $7,334 and median net price is $15,724.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Elementary Education & Teaching and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$7,334 Median In-State Public
$35,420 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Elementary Education & Teaching majors are, on average, $7,334 for in-state public colleges, and $35,420 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Elementary Education & Teaching programs.
Institutions awarding the most Elementary Education & Teaching degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Governors University | UT | 2,917 |
| 2 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 1,398 |
| 3 | Liberty University | VA | 657 |
| 4 | University of the Cumberlands | KY | 408 |
| 5 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 349 |
| 6 | University of Phoenix-Arizona | AZ | 343 |
| 7 | Illinois State University | IL | 320 |
| 8 | Northern Arizona University | AZ | 315 |
| 9 | University of West Alabama | AL | 301 |
| 10 | University of Central Florida | FL | 297 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
30,161 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Elementary Education & Teaching from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Elementary Education & Teaching.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 3 | Western Governors University | UT | 155,088 |
| 4 | Western Governors University | UT | 155,088 |
| 5 | Western Governors University | UT | 155,088 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Elementary Education & Teaching programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haskell Indian Nations University | KS | $600 |
| 2 | Haskell Indian Nations University | KS | $600 |
| 3 | Tohono O'odham Community College | AZ | $932 |
| 4 | Tohono O'odham Community College | AZ | $932 |
| 5 | Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute | NM | $1,095 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Elementary Education & Teaching programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 2 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 3 | Fort Peck Community College | MT | $400 |
| 4 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 5 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $614 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Elementary Education & Teaching programs.
Graduation Rates
52.28% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
51.97% Average Graduation Rate
1,492 Institutions Reporting
38.32% - 65.02% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Elementary Education & Teaching programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Elementary Education & Teaching is in UT (2,342 completions). That state represents about 7.8% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is MH (50.00% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| UT | 2,342 | 7.8% | 2.17% |
| AZ | 1,704 | 5.7% | 1.23% |
| NY | 1,682 | 5.6% | 0.61% |
| GA | 1,416 | 4.7% | 1.24% |
| FL | 1,396 | 4.6% | 0.61% |
| IL | 1,368 | 4.5% | 0.99% |
| IA | 1,203 | 4.0% | 2.52% |
| WI | 1,067 | 3.5% | 1.40% |
| IN | 1,066 | 3.5% | 1.03% |
| NC | 1,009 | 3.4% | 0.82% |
| KS | 949 | 3.1% | 2.58% |
| MO | 947 | 3.1% | 1.33% |
| MN | 911 | 3.0% | 1.07% |
| VA | 876 | 2.9% | 0.71% |
| MS | 791 | 2.6% | 2.60% |
| KY | 760 | 2.5% | 1.47% |
| AL | 741 | 2.5% | 1.09% |
| NJ | 650 | 2.2% | 0.75% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 13.12 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching CIP 13.1201
- College/Postsecondary/University Teaching CIP 13.1214
- Early Childhood Education & Teaching CIP 13.1210
- International Teaching and Learning CIP 13.1212
- Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching CIP 13.1203
- Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching CIP 13.1209
- Montessori Teacher Education CIP 13.1207
- Online Educator/Online Teaching CIP 13.1211
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods CIP 13.1213
- Secondary Education and Teaching CIP 13.1205
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other CIP 13.1299
- Teacher Education, Multiple Levels CIP 13.1206
- Waldorf/Steiner Teacher Education CIP 13.1208
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 13.1202 in the survey year used in our extract (41,293 total across levels below).
- 1,947 Associate (4.7% of IPEDS total)
- 30,161 Bachelor's (73.0% of IPEDS total)
- 9,057 Master's (21.9% of IPEDS total)
- 128 Doctorate (0.3% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $89,176. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Elementary Education & Teaching graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers and Instructors, All Other | $92,692 | 125,010 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | $129,630 | 11,430 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | $91,347 | 114,410 |
| Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary | $126,897 | 5,260 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $130,318 | 97,890 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | $75,138 | 382,960 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods CIP family (207 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Elementary Education & Teaching graduate.
- $23,206 median federal loan debt among completers
- $47,382 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.55 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 1.6% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$87,722 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Elementary Education & Teaching majors is $87,722.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Elementary Education & Teaching majors.
Occupations by Share
107,930 2023 Workforce
The number of Elementary Education & Teaching graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Elementary Education & Teaching by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Elementary Education & Teaching in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Elementary Education & Teaching.
Age distribution for Elementary Education & Teaching degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
30,161 Total Degrees Awarded
2,128 Male (7.06%)
28,033 Female (92.94%)
Gender distribution of Elementary Education & Teaching degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
22,189 White (73.57%)
3,643 Hispanic or Latino (12.08%)
1,631 Black or African American (5.41%)
884 Two or More Races (2.93%)
618 Asian (2.05%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Elementary Education & Teaching degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Elementary Education & Teaching are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Elementary Education & Teaching.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Elementary Education & Teaching field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Elementary Education & Teaching majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Elementary Education & Teaching majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Elementary Education & Teaching majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to teach students in the elementary grades, which may include kindergarten through grade eight, depending on the school system or state regulations. Includes preparation to teach all elementary education subject matter.
In 2023, 30,161 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Elementary Education & Teaching.
CIP Code
13.1202 - Elementary Education & Teaching
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $23,206 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $47,382, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.55. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Elementary Education & Teaching graduate.
Women earned 91.9% of 42,205 Elementary Education & Teaching completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $89,176. The largest mapped role by headcount is Teachers and Instructors, All Other (125,010 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $7,334 in-state at public colleges and $35,420 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.