Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
Teach one or more subjects to students at the middle, intermediate, or junior high school level.
BLS SOC 25-2022 · O*NET-SOC 25-2022.00 · BLS 2025–2035 · O*NET 31.0
Median annual wage, 2025
$64,370
Projected change, 2025–2035
-0.4%
2025–2035 annual average openings
38,800
AI exposure
High
Editorial analysis
A classroom is more than thirty personalized worksheets
Elementary teachers can use AI to brainstorm lessons, adjust reading levels, create practice activities, draft parent communications, generate examples, and adapt materials for different learners. Those capabilities can reduce preparation time and make differentiated instruction easier.
But young children do not experience school as an information-delivery system. They learn how to take turns, persist through frustration, work with classmates, ask for help, resolve disagreements, and become members of a classroom community. A teacher notices the child who suddenly stops participating or the student whose incorrect answer reveals an important misunderstanding.
AI may personalize materials; teachers personalize learning
- Lesson preparation and routine administrative writing can become faster.
- Practice activities may adapt more readily to individual skill levels.
- Teachers will need to evaluate AI-generated material for accuracy and age appropriateness.
- Relationships, classroom management, motivation, observation, and child development remain central.
The future classroom may contain more AI-assisted learning tools, but that can increase rather than reduce the need for thoughtful teachers. Someone still has to decide when a child needs more practice, a different explanation, a challenge, a break, or simply encouragement from a trusted adult.
Labor-market picture
Two measures, different questions
These measures offer two different ways to understand the occupation: BLS projections show how national employment may change over time, while relative AI exposure highlights where tasks may intersect with AI-related capabilities. Read them with the work profile and your local context to decide what deserves closer investigation.
Employment
- Employment, 2025
- 630,100 jobs
- Projected employment, 2035
- 627,400 jobs
- Projected change, 2025–2035
- -2,600 jobs (-0.4%)
Relative AI exposure
BLS category: High. This is a relative task-exposure classification, not a forecast of employment change, automation, wages, or worker replacement.
Relative AI exposure · High
Work profile
Representative tasks
These task statements come from O*NET 31.0. They are source facts, not labels assigned by the AI exposure measure.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
- Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
- Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate these objectives to students.
Skills that matter
Skills in the source profile
Importance uses O*NET's 1–5 scale. Level uses its 0–7 scale. Select a skill to see its source definition and reported values.
Technology and tools
These technology records come from O*NET and show software or tools reported in the occupation profile. They describe work context, not a required checklist for every employer.
- Video creation and editing software
- Operating system software
- Computer based training software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Desktop communications software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Electronic mail software
- Web page creation and editing software
Preparation
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
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Source provenance
Labor-market and exposure facts: bls-ep-2025-35. Work profile: onet-31.0. Verify release details on the Sources page.