Health education teacher vs physical education teacher

The differences between health education teachers and physical education teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a health education teacher, becoming a physical education teacher takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a physical education teacher has an average salary of $49,652, which is higher than the $47,420 average annual salary of a health education teacher.

The top three skills for a health education teacher include physical education, classroom management and student learning. The most important skills for a physical education teacher are classroom management, professional development, and student learning.

Health education teacher vs physical education teacher overview

	Health Education Teacher	Physical Education Teacher
Yearly salary	$47,420	$49,652
Hourly rate	$22.80	$23.87
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	105,702	109,956
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	2

Health education teacher vs physical education teacher salary

Health education teachers and physical education teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Education Teacher	Physical Education Teacher
Average salary	$47,420	$49,652
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $67,000	Between $35,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	Clinton, MD
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	California State University
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between health education teacher and physical education teacher education

There are a few differences between a health education teacher and a physical education teacher in terms of educational background:

	Health Education Teacher	Physical Education Teacher
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Health Education	Health Education
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Health education teacher vs physical education teacher demographics

Here are the differences between health education teachers' and physical education teachers' demographics:

	Health Education Teacher	Physical Education Teacher
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 41.8% Female, 58.2%	Male, 60.6% Female, 39.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between health education teacher and physical education teacher duties and responsibilities

Health education teacher example responsibilities.

Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
Coach the following: basketball, baseball, softball and golf
Remain up-to-date with developments in field through participation in professional conferences and reading of periodicals and other literature.
Help students in learning fundamentals of algebra, geometry and trigonometry.

Physical education teacher example responsibilities.

Prepare and maintain an adaptive physical education program for students with I.E.P.
Full time physical education teacher (grades k-12) in charge of students with a wide range of disabilities.
Set up community inter school/divisional sports tournaments including basketball, volleyball and softball events.
Design and implement developmentally appropriate, motivating lessons as warranted through IEP goals for adaptive physical education class.
Maintain NYS OASAS records weekly.
Maintain control of children from Pre-K through 5th grade.

Health education teacher vs physical education teacher skills

Common health education teacher skills

Physical Education, 26%
Classroom Management, 17%
Student Learning, 6%
Public Schools, 6%
Adaptive, 6%
Curriculum Guidelines, 5%

Common physical education teacher skills

Classroom Management, 23%
Professional Development, 6%
Student Learning, 5%
Public Schools, 4%
K-12, 4%
Physical Education Curriculum, 4%

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Health Education Teacher vs Physical Education Teacher

Updated January 8, 2025

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