How To Become A High School Physical Education Teacher: What It Is and Career Path

What is a high school physical education teacher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Maggie Beeber

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a high school physical education teacher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.41 an hour? That's $44,529 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 48,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a high school physical education teacher?

Maggie Beeber

Undergraduate Advising Coordinator & Teacher Certification Officer, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Be flexible when searching for that first job. Spread your wings and be willing to live in a new community. You may find that it changes your whole life and is the perfect fit. Remember how hard you have worked to earn this degree. You are strong and can succeed in anything you put work into. We also want you to remember we are here if you need us.

ScoreHigh School Physical Education TeacherUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $44,529

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.4

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 3.16%

Black or African American 5.40%

Hispanic or Latino 8.35%

Unknown 3.85%

White 78.80%

Gender

female 44.19%

male 55.81%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a high school physical education teacher

Explore high school physical education teacher education requirements

Most common high school physical education teacher degrees

Bachelor's

68.9 %

Master's

22.2 %

Doctorate

4.4 %

Start to develop specific high school physical education teacher skills

Skills	Percentages
Volleyball	55.07%
Softball	44.93%

Complete relevant high school physical education teacher training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New high school physical education teachers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a high school physical education teacher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real high school physical education teacher resumes.

Research high school physical education teacher duties and responsibilities

Plan English conversation and writing classes, grade assignments, design and lead an English summer camp course for freshmen.
Determine the appropriate levels of language and math skills of individual students by administering achievement appropriate assessments and interpreting/evaluating results.
Develop, implement and monitor the progress of Pre-K students, both academically and social emotionally.

Prepare your high school physical education teacher resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your high school physical education teacher resume.

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