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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 Does a High School Science Teacher Do

There are certain skills that many high school science teachers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, patience and physical stamina.

Learn more about what a High School Science Teacher does

How To Become a High School Science Teacher

If you're interested in becoming a high school science teacher, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 70.5% of high school science teachers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 22.6% of high school science teachers have master's degrees. Even though most high school science 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 Science Teacher

Career Path For a High School Science 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 science teacher can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as instructor, progress to a title such as lead teacher and then eventually end up with the title center director.

High School Science Teacher

Average Salary for a High School Science Teacher

High School Science Teachers in America make an average salary of $53,404 per year or $26 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $72,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $39,000 per year.
Average High School Science Teacher Salary
$53,404 Yearly
$25.68 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of High School Science Teacher

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

Technology Teacher

Role:

The Technology Teacher is responsible for creating a project-based classroom that introduces students to technologies like robotics, coding, engineering, digital media, etc. He/She plans and executes educational in-class and outdoor activities and events. He/She also develops and implements lesson plans as indicated in the curriculum. A technology teacher uses the appropriate instructional and learning strategies and tools that suit the learning styles and needs of the students. Also, he/she assists in selecting books, equipment, and other materials required for the subject.

The minimum educational requirement is a bachelor's degree in a related field. Candidates must have at least one year of relevant work experience. They must possess strong communication, organization, and interpersonal skills, and general knowledge of curriculum and instruction. Also, they must be conversant with the subject matter. As a technology teacher, you would earn an average salary of $46,118. The salary ranges from $34,000 to $62,689.

  • Average Salary: $48,545
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most High School Science Teacher Jobs

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

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of High School Science Teacher Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California2,838$54,175
2Illinois2,471$57,692
3Texas2,256$49,924
4Florida1,633$56,395
5New York1,595$76,988
6New Jersey1,455$68,525
7Pennsylvania1,438$62,987
8North Carolina1,121$47,393
9Massachusetts1,079$67,304
10Michigan1,073$53,326
11Maryland1,004$69,943
12Virginia965$57,238
13Georgia945$59,679
14Ohio914$55,467
15Colorado885$44,067
16Minnesota867$57,127
17Washington718$56,636
18Indiana708$52,274
19Missouri678$44,407
20Arizona648$41,430
21Oregon570$51,762
22South Carolina522$52,299
23Tennessee511$44,322
24Wisconsin493$60,043
25Connecticut458$65,924
26Oklahoma385$39,019
27Kansas357$46,046
28Nevada348$50,776
29Iowa339$48,273
30New Hampshire317$56,068
31New Mexico302$42,855
32Louisiana300$45,248
33Kentucky252$52,583
34Nebraska248$54,826
35Utah219$48,681
36Alabama218$47,912
37Montana216$40,997
38Idaho200$49,798
39Arkansas198$45,214
40Delaware168$66,116
41Rhode Island155$73,250
42Mississippi154$43,867
43Maine120$57,854
44Vermont95$72,522
45Wyoming80$61,276
46Alaska79$63,194
47West Virginia67$51,160
48South Dakota58$37,532
49North Dakota53$55,467
50Hawaii42$55,639

High School Science Teacher Education

High School Science Teacher Majors

31.1 %

High School Science Teacher Degrees

Bachelors

70.5 %

Masters

22.6 %

Associate

3.4 %

Top Colleges for High School Science 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

7. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

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 Science 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, 11.0% of high school science teachers listed professional development on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and patience are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable High School Science Teacher Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use High School Science Teacher templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your High School Science 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 Science Teacher diversity

High School Science Teacher Gender Distribution

Female
Female
54%
Male
Male
46%

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

  • Among high school science teachers, 53.6% of them are women, while 46.4% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among high school science teachers is White, which makes up 72.9% of all high school science teachers.

  • The most common foreign language among high school science teachers is Spanish at 43.5%.

Online Courses For High School Science Teacher That You May Like

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1. Introduction to High-Throughput Materials Development

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This course is an introduction to high-throughput experimental methods that accelerate the discovery and development of new materials. It is well recognized that the discovery of new materials is the key to solving many technological problems faced by industry and society. These problems include energy production and utilization, carbon capture, tissue engineering, and sustainable materials production, among many others. This course will introduce the learner to a remarkable new approach to...

2. Teaching in University Science Laboratories (Developing Best Practice)

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This course is developed to improve the effectiveness of laboratory classes in higher education. It aims to support teachers to improve their teaching skills for active learning in university science laboratory courses. It will show you how laboratory sessions can differ with respect to their aim and expected learning outcomes, how to engage students for learning and how to cope with their different levels of pre-knowledge and experience and probe their understanding. Last but not least it will...

3. Algebra 2 & Trigonometry: A Complete High School Curriculum

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Includes videos and over 300 pages of quizzes/worksheets (answer keys provided!)...

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Best States For a High School Science Teacher

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a high school science teacher. The best states for people in this position are New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maryland. High school science teachers make the most in New York with an average salary of $76,988. Whereas in Rhode Island and Vermont, they would average $73,250 and $72,522, respectively. While high school science teachers would only make an average of $69,943 in Maryland, 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. Rhode Island

Total High School Science Teacher Jobs: 155
Highest 10% Earn:
$99,000
Location Quotient:
1.1

2. New York

Total High School Science Teacher Jobs: 1,595
Highest 10% Earn:
$105,000
Location Quotient:
1.08

3. New Jersey

Total High School Science Teacher Jobs: 1,455
Highest 10% Earn:
$93,000
Location Quotient:
1.59
Full List Of Best States For High School Science Teachers

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Top High School Science Teacher Employers

Most Common Employers For High School Science Teacher

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Baltimore City Public Schools$73,997$35.5827
2Prince George's County Memorial Library System$65,265$31.3812
3Newark Public Schools$63,403$30.485
4Savannah-Chatham County Public School System$61,612$29.625
5Denver Public Schools$59,727$28.716
6LREI$58,263$28.015
7Clark County School District$58,092$27.939
8Guilford County Schools$58,075$27.9210
9Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools$58,054$27.916
10Duval County Public Schools$57,348$27.578

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