Classroom aides help teachers by working with students to ensure that their content is understood and that students are given individual attention in class. They identify students who are struggling in class and develop teaching aids for use in the classroom, including activity sheets, drawings, and similar handouts. They also present subject matter to children or adults, under the guidance of a teacher, utilizing a variety of methods, including stories, discussions, and role-playing.
Classroom aides lead classroom activities and may confer with parents on children's progress in the absence of the teacher. They assist children or adults, individually or in groups, with lesson assignments to present or reinforce learning concepts. They also lead, guide, and train staff/student employees, interns, and volunteers performing related work. A great classroom aide needs to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Classroom aides typically hold a bachelor's degree in psychology, elementary education, early childhood education, or other related fields. They are expected to have some years of experience in a similar role. Some employers prefer candidates with a solid understanding of classroom activities and teaching best practices.
What is a Classroom Aide?
What Does a Classroom Aide Do
There are certain skills that many classroom aides have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed resourcefulness, communication skills and interpersonal skills.
How To Become a Classroom Aide
If you're interested in becoming a classroom aide, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 54.7% of classroom aides have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 6.8% of classroom aides have master's degrees. Even though most classroom aides have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Classroom Aide Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of teacher you might progress to a role such as consultant eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title principal.
Average Salary for a Classroom Aide
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Classroom Aide Jobs
Number Of Classroom Aide Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 2,695 | $32,143 |
| 2 | Texas | 2,549 | $26,778 |
| 3 | Illinois | 2,257 | $28,912 |
| 4 | New York | 2,191 | $31,070 |
| 5 | Florida | 1,822 | $22,438 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 1,629 | $29,921 |
| 7 | Michigan | 1,612 | $24,877 |
| 8 | New Jersey | 1,606 | $25,988 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 1,376 | $26,428 |
| 10 | Indiana | 1,323 | $23,537 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 1,317 | $27,715 |
| 12 | Arizona | 1,259 | $29,564 |
| 13 | Georgia | 1,232 | $24,554 |
| 14 | Ohio | 1,184 | $27,976 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 1,088 | $34,998 |
| 16 | Maryland | 1,053 | $25,036 |
| 17 | Virginia | 971 | $25,522 |
| 18 | Colorado | 935 | $31,202 |
| 19 | Washington | 788 | $32,383 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 739 | $25,341 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 738 | $24,066 |
| 22 | Missouri | 721 | $27,351 |
| 23 | Connecticut | 714 | $31,449 |
| 24 | Kansas | 602 | $23,312 |
| 25 | Iowa | 567 | $23,635 |
| 26 | Nevada | 549 | $27,446 |
| 27 | South Carolina | 538 | $22,447 |
| 28 | Oregon | 471 | $29,972 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | 461 | $25,055 |
| 30 | Kentucky | 460 | $24,936 |
| 31 | Alabama | 425 | $25,012 |
| 32 | Nebraska | 402 | $28,699 |
| 33 | New Hampshire | 349 | $29,674 |
| 34 | New Mexico | 335 | $24,307 |
| 35 | Louisiana | 329 | $23,999 |
| 36 | Montana | 283 | $27,353 |
| 37 | Mississippi | 270 | $28,982 |
| 38 | Idaho | 270 | $27,204 |
| 39 | Arkansas | 268 | $23,180 |
| 40 | Utah | 263 | $28,886 |
| 41 | Maine | 224 | $29,818 |
| 42 | Delaware | 205 | $33,013 |
| 43 | West Virginia | 184 | $28,994 |
| 44 | Rhode Island | 157 | $35,030 |
| 45 | Vermont | 149 | $30,913 |
| 46 | Alaska | 148 | $32,227 |
| 47 | South Dakota | 116 | $26,317 |
| 48 | North Dakota | 111 | $29,257 |
| 49 | Wyoming | 102 | $24,535 |
| 50 | Hawaii | 93 | $29,984 |
Top Colleges for Classroom Aides
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
9. University of California - San Diego
La Jolla, CA • Private
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Top Skills For a Classroom Aide
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 14.8% of classroom aides listed autism on their resume, but soft skills such as resourcefulness and communication skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Classroom Aide Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Classroom Aide templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Classroom Aide resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Classroom Aide Demographics
Classroom Aide Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among classroom aides, 83.9% of them are women, while 16.1% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among classroom aides is White, which makes up 64.6% of all classroom aides.
- The most common foreign language among classroom aides is Spanish at 63.8%.
Work Experience Programs For Classroom Aides
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: Teach for Australia
Cost: Free
Duration: 2 hours
Company: Ashurst UK
Cost: Free
Duration: 4.5-6 hours
Online Courses For Classroom Aide That You May Like
Art can be a powerful catalyst for building skills and understanding a range of subjects. Intended for primary and secondary teachers of all disciplines, Art & Activity builds upon the inquiry-based approaches of Art and Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom, while delving into activity-based strategies that will make your students empowered participants...
Practical Strategies to Address Behaviour Issues in any Classroom...
Master Google Classroom: Discover How to Successfully Setup and Start Teaching With Google Classroom in Minutes!...
Best States For a Classroom Aide
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a classroom aide. The best states for people in this position are Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware, and Washington. Classroom aides make the most in Rhode Island with an average salary of $35,030. Whereas in Massachusetts and Delaware, they would average $34,998 and $33,013, respectively. While classroom aides would only make an average of $32,383 in Washington, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Rhode Island
$35,030
Avg. Salary
2. Delaware
$33,013
Avg. Salary
3. Vermont
$30,913
Avg. Salary
How Do Classroom Aide Rate Their Jobs?
Top Classroom Aide Employers
Most Common Employers For Classroom Aide
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plymouth State University | $35,923 | $17.27 | 8 |
| 2 | Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County | $32,203 | $15.48 | 11 |
| 3 | Educational Opportunities for Children and Families | $31,475 | $15.13 | 5 |
| 4 | West Contra Costa Unified School District | $30,044 | $14.44 | 12 |
| 5 | Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency | $29,199 | $14.04 | 20 |
| 6 | Heartland Head Start | $28,973 | $13.93 | 7 |
| 7 | NEMCSA | $28,706 | $13.80 | 18 |
| 8 | United Rehabilitation Services | $28,697 | $13.80 | 6 |
| 9 | Accel | $28,695 | $13.80 | 5 |
| 10 | Pace Community Action Agency | $28,684 | $13.79 | 6 |
Classroom Aide Videos
