What Does a High School Teacher Do?
High school teachers instruct students in grades nine through twelve, usually in one subject such as English, mathematics, biology, history, a world language, art, music or physical education. A typical day follows a bell schedule of five or six class periods, each with its own roster of students. The teacher plans lessons around state standards, introduces new material, leads discussion and lab or studio work, helps students one on one and judges learning through quizzes, essays, projects and exams. A planning block and the hours after school go to grading, preparing materials, answering parent email and meeting colleagues.
The job reaches well past the classroom. High school teachers revise curriculum, sit on department and school committees, supervise hallways and lunch and take on duties such as coaching a sport, advising a club or chaperoning events. They work most closely with the students on their rosters and the other teachers in their department, but they also coordinate with counselors, special education case managers, administrators and families. Because teenagers are preparing for college, work or the military, teachers often write recommendation letters and advise on courses and next steps.
The role differs from neighboring jobs in specialization and student age. Compared with an elementary teacher, a high school teacher is a subject specialist who sees far more students in a day and teaches content in greater depth. Compared with a career and technical education teacher, whose courses lead to a trade credential, a high school teacher usually covers the core academic subjects. Compared with a college instructor, a high school teacher works with minors, manages behavior and attendance and answers to state K-12 accountability rules.
Where Do High School Teachers Work?
High school teachers work in public, charter and private schools, and public schools employ the large majority, about 81 percent according to the BLS. Public schools pay on a transparent salary schedule and generally offer stronger salaries, pensions and union protections. Private and religious schools set pay individually and often pay less, though some well-funded independent schools are competitive and offer smaller classes, more curricular freedom and sometimes housing. Public school teachers must hold a state license, while some private schools hire on subject knowledge alone.
District size and location bring real differences. Large suburban and urban districts, particularly in the high-paying coastal and Northeastern states, tend to have the highest schedules and the deepest benefits, while small rural districts often pay near the bottom of the range and ask teachers to cover several subjects. Urban schools may add hard-to-staff bonuses but come with bigger caseloads and tougher conditions, whereas rural schools offer lower pay, lower living costs and a tighter community.
Subject counts too. Many states struggle to staff math, science, world languages and special education, so teachers in those fields sometimes qualify for signing bonuses or stipends and enjoy more security and mobility, while teachers in fields with a larger pool of candidates compete harder for the same positions. The base schedule is usually the same for every subject, so the difference shows up in bonuses, hiring leverage and how fast someone lands a permanent job.
How Do You Become a High School Teacher With an Online Master's Degree?
You become a high school teacher by earning a bachelor's degree with strong knowledge of your subject and a state teaching license, and an online master's in secondary education, math education or science education is either the route to that license for a subject-degree holder or the step up for a working teacher. Most people combine a major in the subject they plan to teach with education coursework and a semester of supervised student teaching. Others finish the subject degree first and earn licensure through a graduate program or an approved alternative route.
The license is the non-negotiable part for public schools, and it comes from the state. The BLS lists the typical requirements as a bachelor's degree with a minimum grade point average, a student-teaching program, a background check and passing a general teaching certification test and a test of the subject taught. A license earned in one state often transfers to another through reciprocity, though the new state may add its own tests or coursework, and the licensure guide walks through those rules for online students.
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Earn Subject Knowledge and a Preparation Program
Complete a bachelor's that pairs strong content knowledge with teacher preparation, such as secondary education, English language arts, mathematics or science teacher education. If you already hold a subject degree, a graduate or alternative-route program can add the licensure.
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Choose an Online Master's in Your Teaching Field
Compare online master's programs in secondary education, math education and science education. A master's moves a licensed teacher to a higher lane on the salary schedule, and some states require a master's degree after the first certification and a job.
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Complete Supervised Student Teaching
Finish a full-time placement, often a semester in a high school, under an experienced mentor teacher and a university supervisor. This is where candidates show real classroom skill before they run a room on their own, and online students arrange the placement near home.
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Pass the Exams, Get Licensed and Apply
Sit for your state's subject-area content exam and typically a general teaching certification test. Submit your records, scores and background check for the license, then apply to districts. Some states start new teachers on an initial license that must be upgraded later.
Which Online Master's Programs Lead to a High School Teacher Job?
Online master's programs in secondary education, math education and science education lead to a high school teacher job, either as the way into a first license or as the credential that raises a working teacher's pay.
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Online Master's in Secondary Education
63 fully online programs ranked
Secondary education and teaching programs, the broadest route for teachers of English, history, languages and other subjects.
Top score University of the Cumberlands, 95.2
See the Ranking -
Online Master's in Math Education
18 fully online programs ranked
Mathematics teacher education, for teachers of a subject that many districts have trouble staffing.
Top score Western Governors University, 90.1
See the Ranking -
Online Master's in Science Education
22 fully online programs ranked
General science, biology, chemistry, physics and related teacher education programs, grouped on one list.
Top score Western Governors University, 90.1
See the Ranking
How Much Does a High School Teacher Make in 2027?
A high school teacher makes a median of $72,040 a year, about $34.63 an hour, on the May 2025 federal wage survey, and eight in ten earn between $48,780 and $107,600. That median pay is a midpoint and not a starting offer, since half of high school teachers earn less.
These figures describe about 1,065,210 secondary school teachers, and the $76,320 mean runs above the median because the high end of the range pulls the average up. The hourly equivalent of $34.63 should be read with care: most teachers are salaried on a nine- or ten-month contract, which is one reason many take summer jobs or teach summer school to add income.
The spread from about $48,780 to $107,600 comes mostly from geography and years of service, because public school pay usually follows a schedule that rises automatically with each year worked and with each level of education completed. Extra-duty pay for coaching, advising or department leadership adds to the base, but usually only modestly. A first-year teacher starts near the bottom of the district schedule, and the teachers who reach the top are veterans with advanced credits in high-paying states.
Median pay for high school teachers runs from $48,710 to $102,670 across 50 states, the District of Columbia and 3 territories in the same survey, and the high school teacher salary guide sets each one beside the other education careers.
What Is the Job Outlook for High School Teachers?
The job outlook for high school teachers is large and stable, resting on replacement more than growth. About 1,065,210 secondary teachers worked nationally as of May 2025, and turnover in a workforce that size creates a steady flow of openings every year even when the total number of jobs holds flat. The ten-year projection for secondary teachers sits in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
The biggest driver is replacement. The BLS says most openings are expected to come from replacing workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire, and each departure opens a position. Enrollment trends and school budgets, which depend on local property taxes and state funding, add year-to-year variation, so demand can be tight in one region and slack in another.
Demand also varies by subject and place. Many states report shortages in mathematics, the sciences, special education and world languages, and rural and high-poverty schools have the hardest time filling and keeping positions. A candidate certified in a shortage field, or willing to work where staffing is difficult, will generally find a welcoming market, while a candidate in a crowded field aiming at a desirable suburban district may face stiff competition.
Is Becoming a High School Teacher Worth It?
Becoming a high school teacher is worth it for people who enjoy teenagers, know their subject well and want to watch the same students grow over a year or more. The teachers who thrive are organized enough to juggle several sections of students, resilient enough to keep going on hard days and steady enough to hold a room without needing to be liked every minute. A real interest in the content helps, because teaching the same material year after year rewards people who like going deeper instead of mastering it once and moving on.
The trade-offs are real. Pay has a ceiling set by the salary schedule, so a high income means reaching the top of the grid over decades, moving to a high-paying state or stepping into leadership. At a median of $72,040 the pay is the highest of the classroom roles we cover, but early-career pay near $48,780 can feel thin against student loan payments in an expensive city. Grading, planning and parent contact spill into nights and weekends, and the emotional load of managing behavior, motivation and the personal crises of dozens of adolescents is the part outsiders underestimate. The summer break is a genuine benefit, but it is unpaid time built into a lower annual salary.
The master's degree is the lever on pay. At the 63 fully online master's programs in secondary education we rank, the median annual graduate charge is $15,193 out of state and $11,261 in state (2023-24), and a licensed teacher who finishes the degree moves permanently to a higher lane.
When weighing nearby paths, compare the day and the pay. A special education teacher has smaller caseloads and more individualized plans but heavy documentation and legal requirements, while an instructional coordinator leaves the classroom to shape curriculum and coach other teachers for a median of $77,440.