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

What is a high school science teacher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Maggie Beeber,

Anita Corbett Ph.D.

A high school science teacher is responsible for teaching students about a certain science, which may be one of the following: biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, or perhaps a combination of these.

The typical duties of a high school science teacher do not differ from that of any other teacher. Their responsibilities include making lesson plans, conducting research to enrich their lessons, creating teaching material, and delivering lessons in the classroom via traditional instruction or practical activity. And much like any other teacher, they are also in charge of maintaining classroom orderliness and ensuring that students are in a safe, comfortable environment.

To become a high school science teacher, a bachelor's degree in a scientific field is a common requirement, as is a teaching license. Some schools also require prior teaching training or voluntary experience in a classroom setting. Furthermore, one must have a genuine interest to teach students, patience to handle young kids, and the skills needed to perform the job duties of this role well, which includes classroom management, communication, and organization. Similar to other high school teachers, a high school science teacher makes around $42,000 to $66,000 per year.

What general advice would you give to a high school science 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 Science TeacherUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $53,404

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.4

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.45%

Asian 3.55%

Black or African American 7.79%

Hispanic or Latino 11.39%

Unknown 3.96%

White 72.87%

Gender

female 53.61%

male 46.39%

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 science teacher

Explore high school science teacher education requirements

Most common high school science teacher degrees

Bachelor's

70.5 %

Master's

22.6 %

Associate

3.4 %

Start to develop specific high school science teacher skills

Skills	Percentages
Professional Development	10.95%
Classroom Management	9.57%
Instructional Materials	6.42%
Student Learning	6.28%
Student Achievement	4.71%

Complete relevant high school science teacher training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New high school science 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 science teacher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real high school science teacher resumes.

Research high school science teacher duties and responsibilities

Coordinate training for the after-school soccer league, manage game schedules and transportation for the school team
Prepare students for higher level science courses including chemistry and anatomy and physiology.
Support the implementation of the IB continuum.
Create daily lesson plans for biology and human anatomy courses.

Get high school science teacher experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a high school science teacher. The most common roles before becoming a high school science teacher include science teacher, teacher team lead and substitute teacher.

Prepare your high school science teacher resume

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

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a high school science teacher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable high school science teacher resume templates

Build a professional high school science teacher resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your high school science teacher resume.