How to hire an elementary classroom teacher

How to hire an elementary classroom teacher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step elementary classroom teacher hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an elementary classroom teacher job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new elementary classroom teacher
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an elementary classroom teacher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an elementary classroom teacher, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An elementary classroom teacher's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, elementary classroom teachers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of elementary classroom teacher salaries for various roles:

   Type of Elementary Classroom Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Elementary Classroom Teacher	Kindergarten and elementary school teachers prepare younger students for future schooling by teaching them basic subjects such as math and reading.	$17-29
   Teacher	Being a teacher is one of the most passionate professions, among others. Teachers educate, motivate, and guide every generation of learners to prepare them for the real world... Show more	$15-33
   2nd Grade Teacher	A 2nd-grade teacher specializes in educating young children, providing them with a safe and efficient classroom environment. One of their primary responsibilities is to devise strategies to improve the students' academic knowledge and interpersonal skills, craft effective lesson plans, and enhance their reading and writing skills... Show more	$15-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Instructional Materials
   • Student Learning
   • Data Analysis
   • English Language
   • Classroom Environment
   • Math
   • Mathematics
   • Classroom Management
   • Kindergarten
   • Curriculum Guidelines
   • Language Arts
   • Learning Process
   • Public Schools
   • Social Studies

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Analyze student achievement data to make decisions regarding early childhood literacy and math goals.
   • Collaborate with special education teacher for students in full-inclusive setting to meet IEP goals.
   • Deliver lessons on elementary reading, writing and mathematics and also introduce basic science concepts to students.
   • Serve on district committees to develop science, math, computer, writing, spelling and handwriting curricula.
   • Provide one-on-one instruction with students advance in mathematics.
   • Excel at developing lessons utilizing non-fiction guide reading books and literature circles to challenge students.

   More elementary classroom teacher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the elementary classroom teacher job description is a good way to get more applicants. An elementary classroom teacher salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an elementary classroom teacher in Mississippi may be lower than in Maryland, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level elementary classroom teacher. Additionally, an elementary classroom teacher with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average elementary classroom teacher salary

   $48,105yearly

   $23.13 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level elementary classroom teacher salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average elementary classroom teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$62,804	$30
   2	California	$62,478	$30
   3	District of Columbia	$59,315	$29
   4	New York	$58,054	$28
   5	Oregon	$57,110	$27
   6	Texas	$53,324	$26
   7	Connecticut	$53,248	$26
   8	Pennsylvania	$52,461	$25
   9	Virginia	$51,655	$25
   10	Michigan	$49,511	$24
   11	Illinois	$48,037	$23
   12	Ohio	$47,456	$23
   13	Minnesota	$47,417	$23
   14	Tennessee	$46,916	$23
   15	Missouri	$43,877	$21
   16	Iowa	$43,410	$21
   17	North Carolina	$42,858	$21

   Average elementary classroom teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Shelby County Board Of Education	$53,815	$25.87	3
   2	PSEA	$52,567	$25.27	5
   3	Buena Vista University	$52,489	$25.24	8
   4	Seneca Companies	$52,248	$25.12	2
   5	Biddeford Middle School	$52,208	$25.10	2
   6	Sharyland ISD	$51,484	$24.75	5
   7	Hopkins School	$51,085	$24.56	10
   8	Fayette County Public Schools	$50,874	$24.46	19
   9	University of North Carolina	$50,218	$24.14	12
   10	Lee Montessori Public Charter School	$50,188	$24.13	2
   11	Friendship Public Charter School	$49,823	$23.95
   12	Sam Houston State University	$49,627	$23.86	5
   13	Crossroads Charter Schools	$49,418	$23.76	9
   14	Mount Carmel High School	$48,416	$23.28
   15	Zeeland Christian School	$48,383	$23.26	13
   16	Alisal Union SD	$48,236	$23.19
   17	Excellence Community Schools	$47,520	$22.85	19
   18	Union County Public Schools	$47,315	$22.75	54
   19	Forest Hills Public Schools	$47,307	$22.74
   20	Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES	$46,911	$22.55	8

4. Writing an elementary classroom teacher job description

   A good elementary classroom teacher job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an elementary classroom teacher job description:

   Elementary classroom teacher job description example

   Who We Are:
   
   Excellence Community Schools is a charter management, non-profit organization. The mission of the Excellence Community Schools is to prepare young people to compete for admission to and succeed in top public, private, and parochial high schools by cultivating their intellectual, artistic, social, and emotional, and ethical development through the Bronx Charter School for Excellence (Bronx Excellence) and the Stamford Charter School for Excellence (Stamford Excellence). Our network of schools accomplishes this by offering a challenging and rigorous academic curriculum - which at the earliest of grades has an eye towards college preparation. We achieve this in a supportive and caring environment that at all times has high expectations of our students.
   
   Who We Need:
   
   We are seeking individuals who are dedicated, ambitious, and committed to student success and education reform. Qualified candidates must demonstrate records of achievement, high degrees of personal responsibility, and the drive to do whatever it takes to ensure that every child achieves academic success. This individual must be committed to excellence, lead by example, and see collaboration as a key component of success.
   
   Qualifications:
   
   NYS Teacher Certification or reciprocity from another state in the equivalent area required.
   
   We also consider:
   
   Candidates with three years of elementary, middle or secondary classroom lead teaching experience; tenured or tenure track college faculty; or an individual with two (2) years of satisfactory experience through the Teach for America program.
   
   Also considered: individuals who possess exceptional and verifiable business, professional, artistic, athletic or military experience.
   
   All candidates must complete NYS workshop requirements.
   
   Teaching experience at elementary school level or experience with school age children preferred.
   
   Bachelor's Degree Required.
   
   Master's Degree Preferred.
   
   THIS POSITION REQUIRES YOU TO BE FULLY VACCINATED AND YOU MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF VACCINATION.
   
   Note: Candidates who do not meet the above requirements will not be considered.
   
   Requirements
   
   Responsibilities:
   
   Plans and teaches with grade level team to implement best practices for the success of all learners within the classroom.
   
   Plans purposefully in order to provide students with opportunities for constructing meaning and developing understanding of new concepts.
   
   Utilizes developmentally appropriate and rigorous curricula and instructional materials that are tightly aligned to benchmarks and the Common Core standards.
   
   Presents students with new ideas and concepts through a variety of strategies, and inspires and guides them to explore, express and uncover new ideas of their own.
   
   Administers, collects, and analyzes both qualitative and quantitative data gathered from a variety of assessments on each student.
   
   Builds relationships with his or her students' families through regular communication about students' progress and provides ways in which families can support their children's learning.
   
   Participates in school-wide student assessments in order to diagnose students' needs.
   
   Supervises lunch and/ or recess.
   
   Provides coverage for classroom teachers.
   
   Provides other support as needed by the school community.
   
   Must be FULLY VACCINATED
   
   Benefits
   
   Compensation:
   
   Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications.
   
   Health, dental, vision, & 403b Retirement Plan benefits available.
   
   Performance-based compensation for staff.
   
   To learn more about our schools, please visit .
   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find elementary classroom teachers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your elementary classroom teacher job on Zippia to find and recruit elementary classroom teacher candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit elementary classroom teachers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new elementary classroom teacher

   Once you've found the elementary classroom teacher candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new elementary classroom teacher first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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