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How to hire a grade school teacher

Grade school teacher hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring grade school teachers in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire a grade school teacher is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per grade school teacher on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 1,493,057 grade school teachers in the US, and there are currently 72,229 job openings in this field.
  • Las Vegas, NV, has the highest demand for grade school teachers, with 13 job openings.

How to hire a grade school teacher, step by step

To hire a grade school teacher, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a grade school teacher, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step grade school teacher hiring guide:

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

    First, determine the employments status of the grade school teacher you need to hire. Certain grade school teacher roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A grade school teacher's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, grade school 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.

    This list presents grade school teacher salaries for various positions.

    Type of Grade School TeacherDescriptionHourly rate
    Grade School TeacherKindergarten and elementary school teachers prepare younger students for future schooling by teaching them basic subjects such as math and reading.$17-32
    Student TeacherA student-teacher is responsible for assisting their supervising instructors in maintaining the class orderliness during lectures and class activities. Student teachers' duties include helping with lesson plans, organizing learning activities, managing student behaviors, observing classroom procedures, preparing visual materials and other educational equipment, providing feedback for students, and keeping students' records for evaluation... Show more$22-35
    Reading TeacherReactor Engineers are responsible for designing and developing nuclear reactor programs. Their duties include presenting design reviews, overseeing operations of the reactor core, conducting nuclear material tracking and new fuel receipt, facilitating control room, and producing document safety analysis... Show more$18-37
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Classroom Management
    • Classroom Environment
    • Learning Environment
    • Mathematics
    • Student Performance
    • Math
    • Professional Development
    • Student Learning
    • Learning Process
    • State Standards
    • English Language
    • Student Achievement
    • Language Arts
    • IEP
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Attend IEP meetings when schedule.
    • Develop, implement fun, hands-on math lessons that successfully increase math understanding at its core level.
    • Collect academic and social-emotional data relate to IEP goals.
    • Enrich mathematics curriculum by creating authentic assessments and projects as well as using the curriculum assessment.
    • Assess students reading levels quarterly using DRA @ and oversee standardized tests, develop weekly lesson plans and create progress reports.
    • Provide one-on-one instruction for students requiring assistance in reading using DRA.
    More grade school teacher duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your grade school teacher job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A grade school teacher salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, grade school teachers' average salary in maine is 48% less than in maryland.
    • Seniority. Entry-level grade school teachers earn 45% less than senior-level grade school teachers.
    • Certifications. A grade school teacher with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a grade school teacher's salary.

    Average grade school teacher salary

    $50,289yearly

    $24.18 hourly rate

    Entry-level grade school teacher salary
    $37,000 yearly salary
    Updated February 1, 2026

    Average grade school teacher salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Maryland$61,295$29
    2California$58,140$28
    3Connecticut$50,783$24
    4Florida$50,306$24
    5Washington$49,771$24
    6Utah$49,012$24
    7Oregon$48,811$23
    8New Jersey$48,786$23
    9Tennessee$46,275$22
    10Wisconsin$46,071$22
    11New Mexico$44,946$22
    12Colorado$41,379$20
    13Arizona$39,690$19
    14Nevada$39,583$19

    Average grade school teacher salary by company

  4. Writing a grade school teacher job description

    A good grade school 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 a grade school teacher job description:

    Grade school teacher job description example

    Lower School Teacher: Grades 3-5


    REPORTS TO: 3-5 Grade Band Director / Director of School


    JOB GOALS:


    • Design and implement rigorous lessons and classroom instruction with a focus on student achievement determined by demonstration of mastery.
    • Create a classroom climate of high expectations that is focused and rewards perseverance through academically challenging materials. Holds all students accountable to themselves and collaboratively to classmates, while enthusiastically encouraging natural exploration and a love of learning.
    • Communicate and build strong partnerships with families through phone calls, conferences and home visits when appropriate.
    • Use current student data to drive instruction, planning and decision-making.
    • Work collaboratively utilizing all Emerald Academy team members to ensure students achieve at high levels.
    • Develop processes that encourage student self-assessment and self-monitoring.
    • Document, analyze, and summarize student progress based on both formal and informal assessment measures, in order to communicate with students, parents and other stakeholders.
    • Utilize technology to maintain student data and enhance student learning.


    QUALIFICATIONS:


    • Must hold a Tennessee Teacher License and any needed endorsements.
    • Must have an active TDOE Teaching License or completed the TDOE Application process for current and active out-of-state license transfer prior to application.
    • Must meet highly qualified status for area(s) will be teaching. Teaching experience preferred, but not required.
    • Must possess a passion for the work itself.
    • Must thrive in an innovative environment.
    • Must work collaboratively to form creative solutions.
    • Must have record of demonstrated expertise in their domain –grade-level, and in teaching literacy.
    • Must demonstrate a growth mindset-Flexibility to learn new methods and present ideas to improve learning and the school.
    • Must believe all kids can learn and achieve at high academic levels.
    • Must commit to being an active part of a staff that will never tire in its efforts to have all our scholars succeed academically.


    START DATE: TBD


    THE ORGANIZATION:


    Emerald Academy is Knoxville’s first college preparatory charter school. We are committed to the singular focus of growing all our scholars into leaders. We are a K-8 School of high expectations that creates the right learning culture for city students to thrive through our innovative use of time, personalized focus on each scholar and strong partnerships with scholar’s families and the community.


    We believe that all students should read at or above grade level by third grade. We are committed to have our students perform in the top 5% of the state within our first decade of existence. We will develop in our scholars the skills, habits and values for them to graduate from high school, enroll in college and succeed in life.


    Emerald Academy values its staff for their professional knowledge and abilities to foster student achievement. We will create an environment where teachers are empowered to make instructional decisions using the most current student evidence (data) and the team’s instructional expertise.


    THE OPPORTUNITY:


    Emerald Academy is looking for an innovative, highly-motivated, and values-aligned leader to help grow scholars into leaders in urban Knoxville. EA is seeking individuals who are goal orientated and dedicated to the school’s mission, vision, and values. These leaders will have the unique opportunity to mold the next chapter of Emerald Academy by embracing the student-centered learning environment that every child will be college-bound and career ready. Emerald Academy believes that it is possible to change the trajectory for our city’s young people and that it can be done at scale. Faculty endeavor to work each day to help accomplish the school’s three goals. Every scholar will read at or above grade level, every scholar will be well prepared to attend a four-year college, and EA will be ranked in the top 5% of all schools in the state of Tennessee.

  5. Post your job

    To find the right grade school teacher for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with grade school teachers they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit grade school teachers who meet your education requirements.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your grade school teacher job on Zippia to find and recruit grade school 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

    To successfully recruit grade school teachers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to 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 grade school teacher

    Once you have selected a candidate for the grade school teacher position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

    It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new grade school teacher. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

  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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How much does it cost to hire a grade school teacher?

Hiring a grade school teacher comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting grade school teachers involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of grade school teacher recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

You can expect to pay around $50,289 per year for a grade school teacher, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for grade school teachers in the US typically range between $17 and $32 an hour.

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