Elementary Education Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Elementary Education maps to BLS occupations averaging about $95,682, with roughly 141,650 workers nationwide in those roles. Median program completion runs near 58%; modeled 10-year ROI is about 5155% on median net price.
Key Statistics
Elementary Education: what the data shows
Common questions about elementary education degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a elementary education degree?
A Elementary Education program is classified under NCES CIP 00.1202 in the 00.0012 field family (00.12).
Elementary Education and Teaching
IPEDS counted 441 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of elementary education degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 00.12 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Casino Operations and Services (CIP 00.1206)
- Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services (CIP 00.1204)
- Culinary Arts and Related Services (CIP 00.1205)
- Education (CIP 00.1202)
- Funeral Service and Mortuary Science (CIP 00.1203)
What do you learn in elementary education?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Speaking, Instructing, Learning Strategies, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Elementary School Teachers (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%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a elementary education degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Elementary Education 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers | 1,393,310 | $62,340 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a elementary education degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $1,506 and median net price is $2,244.
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 and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$1,506 Median In-State Public
$12,246 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Elementary Education majors are, on average, $1,506 for in-state public colleges, and $12,246 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Elementary Education programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
441 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Elementary Education from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Elementary Education.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gavilan College | CA | 4,410 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Elementary Education programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gavilan College | CA | $1,506 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Elementary Education programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gavilan College | CA | $2,244 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Elementary Education programs.
Graduation Rates
57.53% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
57.13% Average Graduation Rate
109 Institutions Reporting
45.45% - 70.63% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Elementary Education programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 00.12 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Casino Operations and Services CIP 00.1206
- Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services CIP 00.1204
- Culinary Arts and Related Services CIP 00.1205
- Education CIP 00.1202
- Funeral Service and Mortuary Science CIP 00.1203
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 $95,682. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Elementary Education graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers | $95,682 | 1,393,310 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
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
$95,682 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Elementary Education majors is $95,682.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Elementary Education majors.
Occupations by Share
141,650 2023 Workforce
The number of Elementary Education graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Elementary Education by share of the total number of graduates.
Return on Investment & Value
Debt and earnings fields below come from College Scorecard where present in our degree extract.
Financial value (extract)
N/A Median Student Debt
$47,169 Median Annual Earnings (10 years after enrollment)
nan% Debt-to-Earnings Ratio
nan years Estimated Payback Period (assuming 10% of income)
5155.01% Return on Investment (10-year earnings vs 4-year cost)
Ten-year earnings in this extract exceed four years of median net price.
$8,976 Estimated Total Cost (4 years at median net price)
Financial value comparison for Elementary Education degree.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Elementary Education 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.
Age distribution for Elementary Education degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of Elementary Education degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of Elementary Education degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Elementary Education are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Elementary Education.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Elementary Education field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Elementary Education majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Elementary Education 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 majors.
About
Elementary Education and Teaching
In 2023, 441 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Elementary Education.
CIP Code
00.1202 - Elementary Education
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $95,682. The largest mapped role by headcount is Elementary School Teachers (1,393,310 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
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.