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The differences between high school teachers and early childhood teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a high school teacher and an early childhood teacher. Additionally, a high school teacher has an average salary of $52,441, which is higher than the $33,205 average annual salary of an early childhood teacher.
The top three skills for a high school teacher include classroom management, professional development and culinary. The most important skills for an early childhood teacher are CPR, child development, and professional development.
| High School Teacher | Early Childhood Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $52,441 | $33,205 |
| Hourly rate | $25.21 | $15.96 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 83,554 | 56,821 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
High school teachers play an essential role in preparing students for college or life following graduation. They typically teach students from the ninth to 12th grades. They plan and develop lessons, evaluate their students' strengths, weaknesses and abilities, and grade their exams and assignments. Other duties include working with individual students to challenge and improve their abilities, developing and implementing classroom rules, and overseeing students outside the classroom. Some of them also take on additional tasks, such as advising academic clubs or coaching sports teams.
An early childhood teacher specializes in handling and teaching young learners as they prepare for their formal schooling stage. Their responsibilities revolve around addressing and meeting the needs of students, organizing recreational activities for learning processes, and devising strategies to help the learners with their interpersonal and emotional growth. Furthermore, as an early childhood teacher, it is essential to monitor the children's progress and provide updates to their parents, all while maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for everyone.
High school teachers and early childhood teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| High School Teacher | Early Childhood Teacher | |
| Average salary | $52,441 | $33,205 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $72,000 | Between $22,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Boston Public Schools | Governors State University |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a high school teacher and an early childhood teacher in terms of educational background:
| High School Teacher | Early Childhood Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Education | Early Childhood Education |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between high school teachers' and early childhood teachers' demographics:
| High School Teacher | Early Childhood Teacher | |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.5% Female, 53.5% | Male, 7.6% Female, 92.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 3.6% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 5.4% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 5% |