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A high school English teacher teaches teenagers about literature, writing, and the English language. Like any other teacher, a high school English teacher needs to prepare lesson plans, grade assignments, and design a curriculum that follows state and school guidelines. They lecture on relevant topics and assign essays and tests. A good high school English teacher goes the extra mile to make literature come alive for their students by leading discussion sections, choosing works of literature that are engaging, and designing fun activities to engage students. Some high school English teachers specialize in helping students that need a little extra help, such as English language learners.


High school English teachers usually need a master's degree in their subject, although some make do with only a bachelor's. They need to have a teaching license from their state, especially if they are working in a public school. It usually helps if they have some experience working with teenagers, for example as a student teacher.


High school English teachers earn an average annual salary of $49,550. This varies depending on their school or district.

What Does a High School English Teacher Do

When it comes to the most important skills required to be a high school english teacher, we found that a lot of resumes listed 13.2% of high school english teachers included classroom management, while 7.9% of resumes included professional development, and 7.1% of resumes included curriculum development. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.

Learn more about what a High School English Teacher does

How To Become a High School English Teacher

If you're interested in becoming a high school english teacher, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 72.9% of high school english teachers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 21.1% of high school english teachers have master's degrees. Even though most high school english teachers have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a High School English Teacher

Career Path For a High School English Teacher

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a high school english teacher can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as english instructor, progress to a title such as instructor and then eventually end up with the title assistant principal.

High School English Teacher

Average Salary for a High School English Teacher

High School English Teachers in America make an average salary of $50,369 per year or $24 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $67,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $37,000 per year.
Average High School English Teacher Salary
$50,369 Yearly
$24.22 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of High School English Teacher

There are several types of high school english teacher, including:

Student Teacher

Role:

Any teacher that has a student teacher is relieved they have them. As a student teacher, you get to go through school again, but this time you get to help others with the assignment rather than actually complete the assignment yourself.


Most student teachers are learning to become teachers themselves and generally shadow a classroom in an elementary or secondary school. But don't limit yourself. While much more rare, there are student teachers that work at universities or colleges. So it comes down to whether you'd rather assist dependent or independent students.


Generally, your student teaching experience will only last a semester or two. So make sure you're writing down good notes! At the end of being a student teacher, you'll have the opportunity to take over the class on your own. From preparing the lesson to correcting homework, you'll be doing it all by yourself in no time.

  • Average Salary: $59,035
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Math Teacher

Role:

Lots of people know that 1+1=2. You know why they know that? Because of math teachers. From kindergarten to senior year of high school, math teachers prepare important lessons for students to get them ready for the next phase in their life. Whether their dream career takes them to college or straight to work after receiving that diploma.


Math teachers work in schools with their students and generally work during school hours. But sometimes grading assignments and tests can make them work in the evenings and weekends. They also devote certain times to prepare lessons for each day. The best thing about being a math teacher is that there is no school during the summer, which means math teachers get a summer break as well.

  • Average Salary: $51,088
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Science Teacher

Role:

Do you want to dedicate your life to science education by becoming a science teacher? If you love science and want to transfer your knowledge to a new generation, then becoming a science teacher could be your dream job. A science teacher is one of the most exciting, rewarding, and valuable professions. Teaching is a job that comes with inspiration, competitive salaries, flexible hours, diversified days, job security, fun, and much more! Becoming a teacher, you'll get an ideal opportunity to help children become self-aware individuals and instill them with a lifelong love of science. Using your knowledge and skills, you'll inspire, motivate, and prepare children to embrace science and potentially pursue it as a career choice. As a science teacher, you'll have an opportunity to encourage students to explore the natural world around them and help them demonstrate how science works in reality. In short, you'll play a crucial role in shaping the lives of young people and encouraging the new generation of learners to make a positive impact on the world around them. As a science teacher, your prime objective is to pass on your love of science to your students by creating an inquiry-based classroom and developing scientific reasoning in them. Teaching science, you may need to explain technical and complex scientific terms and concepts to your students and help them build a practical connection between abstract concepts and real-world applications.


If you're thinking of becoming a science teacher, then it's good to know that there are many options available to you that can put you on the road to becoming a science teacher. If you want to teach science at the elementary or middle school level, you may need to get a bachelor's degree, focused on general science education. However, if you wish to teach at the secondary level, then getting a bachelor's degree in a specific field of science such as biology, physics, or chemistry may help you become a potential candidate for this position. Alternatively, if you already have a science degree, you may decide to take a year of educational courses to earn your teaching certificate. Earning a master's degree in science, Ph.D., or alternative certification programs, teaching courses, and internships may pump your resume for teaching science. Whatever the degree option, before working as a science teacher, you'll need to get a state-issued teaching certificate or license to teach. Mostly, employers prefer a dedicated professional, an analytical thinker, who has a passion and enthusiasm for teaching, and a solid background in science education for the role of science teacher. He/she must be hands-on with experiments and science projects.


Working as a science teacher, you won't necessarily have a base classroom. You may spend most of your time in a science laboratory, handling apparatus, demonstrating experiments, or carrying equipment and books from room to room between your lessons. Usually, you'll work for 39 weeks of the year. Your day will start before the school day starts and end when school is finished. Sure, you'll have some long days, parent-teacher conferences, grading homework, and attending after-school activities but, mostly, your duties sync with the school calendar. One of the most exciting parts of teaching is that you'll get designated school holidays, such as spring break, summer holidays, and winter vacations. Teaching science, your salary may vary depending on what level you're teaching, your education, years of experience, state, and school district. Generally, as a high school teacher, you can expect to earn $53,116, along with additional benefits of health insurance, sick days, tuition reimbursement, generous vacation allowance, and a pension. On top of all that, teaching science offers opportunities for advancement and increased pay over time. By acquiring increased subject knowledge, learning innovative teaching techniques, and honing your leadership skills, you can genuinely make a difference in the lives of the next generation.

  • Average Salary: $59,788
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most High School English Teacher Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active high school english teacher jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where high school english teachers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of High School English Teacher Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California2,298$55,225
2Illinois2,147$56,885
3Texas2,016$44,497
4Florida1,478$47,559
5New York1,382$70,520
6New Jersey1,305$67,309
7Pennsylvania1,270$57,223
8Michigan1,004$52,248
9North Carolina963$43,165
10Maryland925$71,900
11Massachusetts865$65,360
12Virginia841$45,433
13Ohio832$51,019
14Georgia831$48,805
15Colorado827$41,819
16Minnesota797$43,966
17Indiana653$43,199
18Arizona643$39,682
19Missouri631$40,612
20Washington597$55,025
21Nevada539$50,244
22Oregon474$52,015
23Connecticut468$62,359
24Tennessee463$41,750
25South Carolina459$44,490
26Wisconsin425$46,254
27Oklahoma360$37,580
28Kansas329$42,531
29New Hampshire301$50,824
30Iowa300$44,816
31New Mexico276$42,973
32Louisiana272$40,092
33Nebraska206$50,906
34Alabama179$42,063
35Montana174$39,273
36Kentucky171$45,709
37Arkansas167$40,404
38Idaho161$48,737
39Utah153$47,120
40Delaware141$60,951
41Rhode Island123$67,100
42Mississippi123$38,882
43Maine86$51,859
44Vermont66$65,219
45Alaska60$63,756
46Wyoming53$57,915
47West Virginia40$46,407
48North Dakota30$51,902
49South Dakota30$35,271
50Hawaii19$49,158

High School English Teacher Education

High School English Teacher Majors

35.4 %
10.6 %

High School English Teacher Degrees

Bachelors

72.9 %

Masters

21.1 %

Associate

2.6 %

Top Colleges for High School English Teachers

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

10. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

Top Skills For a High School English Teacher

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, 13.2% of high school english teachers listed classroom management on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and physical stamina are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable High School English Teacher Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use High School English Teacher templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your High School English Teacher resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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High School English Teacher diversity

High School English Teacher Gender Distribution

Female
Female
68%
Male
Male
32%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among high school english teachers, 68.3% of them are women, while 31.7% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among high school english teachers is White, which makes up 72.0% of all high school english teachers.

  • The most common foreign language among high school english teachers is Spanish at 43.8%.

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Best States For a High School English Teacher

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a high school english teacher. The best states for people in this position are Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. High school english teachers make the most in Maryland with an average salary of $71,900. Whereas in New York and New Jersey, they would average $70,520 and $67,309, respectively. While high school english teachers would only make an average of $67,100 in Rhode Island, 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. Maryland

Total High School English Teacher Jobs: 925
Highest 10% Earn:
$98,000
Location Quotient:
1.43

2. New Jersey

Total High School English Teacher Jobs: 1,305
Highest 10% Earn:
$91,000
Location Quotient:
1.61

3. New York

Total High School English Teacher Jobs: 1,382
Highest 10% Earn:
$95,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Full List Of Best States For High School English Teachers

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