Indiana Teaching Certification
Indiana requires teachers to earn a bachelor’s degree through an IDOE-approved preparation program, complete supervised student teaching, and pass the Praxis pedagogy and content assessments tied to their license area. The state issues a two-year Initial Practitioner License, which can later convert to a five-year Practitioner License through IMAP or another IDOE-authorized route. Applicants must also complete CPR/AED/Heimlich, suicide prevention, and (as of July 1, 2025) human trafficking and child abuse and neglect training.
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Indiana offers several pathways into the classroom: traditional preparation, reciprocity for out-of-state teachers, transition-to-teaching for career changers, and additional routes for charter schools and career specialists. Tests, coursework, permits, and experience requirements vary by pathway and by the license area you’re pursuing. Where you go from here depends on whether this is your first Indiana license, a transfer from another state, or a return to add an endorsement or move into administration.
Choose the description that best matches your situation:
- Initial Teaching Certification, which is what this page covers
- I’m a teacher from another state…
- Teacher Certification Renewal…
- Admin./Principal Certification…
- Alternative Teaching Certification…
- Substitute Teaching Permit…
Use the links below to jump to Indiana’s salary data, education requirements, testing, application steps, and licensing contacts.
- Indiana teacher salary and job outlook
- Education requirements for Indiana certification
- Licensing exams you must pass
- Student teaching and experience requirements
- How to apply for your Indiana teaching license
- Criminal history background check requirements
- Where to get help with Indiana licensing
Indiana Teacher Salary and Job Outlook
Indiana pays its teachers close to the national median for elementary grades and further below it for secondary grades. Unlike the national trend, Indiana’s teaching workforce is projected to grow over the next decade rather than shrink. For a fuller look at pension, benefits, and take-home pay beyond the wage snapshot below, see Indiana teaching salaries and benefits.
| Indiana | Median Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten Teachers | $58,250 |
| Elementary School Teachers | $59,700 |
| Middle School Teachers | $60,700 |
| Secondary School Teachers | $61,880 |
| National | Median Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten Teachers | $62,680 |
| Elementary School Teachers | $63,970 |
| Middle School Teachers | $64,370 |
| Secondary (High) School Teachers | $72,040 |
According to BLS data, Indiana’s median annual occupational wage for elementary school teachers was $59,700 as of May 2025, compared with $63,970 nationally. Secondary teachers in the state earned a median salary of $61,880, well below the national median of $72,040. These are BLS occupational wage medians, not teacher salary schedules, starting salaries, or guaranteed earnings, so your district’s actual pay scale may differ. On the job market side, Indiana’s 2024–2034 state occupational employment projections, filed with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, show elementary and secondary teaching jobs growing 1.3% and 1.6% respectively, with roughly 1,910 and 1,360 average annual openings in those two categories. Nationally, the BLS projects a slight decline in both roles over the same period, driven mostly by enrollment trends rather than a shrinking need for teachers in Indiana specifically.
Education Requirements
Under rules from the Indiana Department of Education, every Indiana teacher must graduate from an approved online or in-state teacher education program with at least a bachelor’s degree. Indiana is now transitioning to REPA 3, its updated Rules for Educator Preparation and Accountability, which is replacing the prior REPA framework. However, some earlier components remain in place during the transition. The specific coursework and content-area requirements you’ll need depend on your IDOE-approved preparation program, your requested license area, and which REPA rules apply to your pathway.
If you graduated from an out-of-state or international teacher preparation program, you may still qualify for an Indiana license. The IDOE evaluates your credentials and notifies you of any deficiencies or additional coursework needed.
Licensing Tiers
Your first Indiana educator license is an Initial Practitioner License, valid for two years. After obtaining sufficient professional experience, you can convert that experience into a five-year Practitioner License through IMAP, the Indiana Mentor and Assessment Program, a two-year structured mentorship, or another IDOE-authorized conversion route, such as a qualifying Professional Growth Plan. Beyond that, educators may professionalize to a 10-year license once they meet the applicable professionalization requirements for their license category, as spelled out in detail in IDOE’s application instructions.
Required Trainings
Every applicant for an initial Indiana educator license must complete training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the Heimlich maneuver, and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), certified through an IDOE-approved provider. Suicide prevention training is also required for initial instructional, administrative, and school-services educator licenses. Effective July 1, 2025, human trafficking and child abuse and neglect training became additional licensing requirements, applying to initial issuance as well as various renewals, conversions, and professionalizations. A list of approved providers is available on the IDOE website.
Licensing Exams You Must Pass
Indiana’s current licensing tests are Praxis assessments. Candidates must pass the Praxis pedagogy and content assessments associated with their requested license area. Still, the specific test names, content areas, and cutoff scores vary by license area, developmental level, and sometimes by pathway. There’s no single universal test every candidate takes. For your specific requirements, check IDOE’s License Areas, Corresponding Praxis Tests, and Test Fees chart, which lists the exact assessments tied to each license area.
Some educator preparation programs also require a Praxis Core basic-skills test for admission into the program itself, with acceptable scores set by the individual program rather than by IDOE as a statewide licensing cutoff. Check with your specific preparation program to confirm its current admission testing policy.
Student Teaching and Experience Requirements
Every Indiana teacher preparation program must include field and classroom experience. During this internship, you’re placed in a classroom that matches the grade level and content area you want to teach, and you learn classroom management under the supervision of a mentor teacher.
You’ll typically prepare lesson plans, lead instruction, and handle other routine classroom duties during this placement. Your mentor teacher and the program’s faculty conduct performance assessments throughout the program. the program
How to Apply for Your Indiana Teaching License
Once you’ve completed your preparation program, bachelor’s degree, field experience, and required exams, you apply online through the Licensing Verification and Information System (LVIS360). Your program’s licensing advisor helps you through this step and can answer questions about the process. Step-by-step instructions for using LVIS are available in this manual.
Beyond the online application, current IDOE instructions center on uploading your required documentation, such as college transcripts, directly through LVIS/LVIS360 rather than mailing physical copies. Application fees are paid by credit card through the online system.
Criminal History Background Check
Indiana law requires a criminal history background check in connection with employment or placement at covered schools, rather than as a universal condition IDOE attaches to every license it issues. Legislation effective July 1, 2013, replaced Indiana’s older alternative-record-search structure and defined the expanded criminal history check (ECH) as a national criminal history background check under the current Indiana Code. If you’re pursuing a role that requires this check, your hiring school or district can confirm the current process and any fees involved.
Where to Get Help With Indiana Licensing
For questions about teacher preparation programs, whether online or at an in-state college or university, contact the Licensing Advisors at your institution.
For general questions about teacher licensure in Indiana, contact the Office of Educator Licensing assistance line at 317-232-9010, or visit the Indiana Department of Education at Indiana Government Center North, 9th Floor, 100 N—Senate Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46204, or their website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get certified to teach in Indiana?
Most traditional candidates complete their bachelor’s degree and preparation program on a four-year timeline, then apply for licensure once exams and student teaching are finished. Alternative routes can move faster since you’re already teaching under a provisional license while finishing coursework.
Can I teach in Indiana if I’m licensed in another state?
Often, yes. Indiana offers reciprocity for teachers who have completed an accredited out-of-state preparation program. Still, the specific requirements, including any content-area testing or temporary permit eligibility, depend on your existing license, your preparation, and the Indiana license area you’re requesting. Check the Indiana teacher reciprocity requirements for your specific situation before assuming a particular path applies.
What if my bachelor’s degree isn’t in education?
Indiana’s alternative certification pathway lets you start teaching under a provisional license while you complete required coursework and exams, rather than requiring a second bachelor’s degree first.
Do Indiana teaching licenses expire?
Yes. The Initial Practitioner License lasts two years, and it can be converted to a five-year Practitioner License once you meet the applicable experience requirements. From there, educators may professionalize to a 10-year license. Requirements for renewing your Indiana teaching license depend on your license tier and any completed continuing education.
What’s the difference between an Initial Practitioner License and a Practitioner License?
An Initial Practitioner License is your first two-year license after finishing your degree, program, and exams. A Practitioner License is the five-year license you convert to afterward, typically through IMAP (the Indiana Mentor and Assessment Program) or another IDOE-authorized conversion route, such as a qualifying Professional Growth Plan.
- A bachelor’s degree and an IDOE-approved program come first — exact coursework and content-area requirements depend on your program, your requested license area, and current REPA 3 transition rules.
- Testing and training requirements are non-negotiable, but they vary — Praxis pedagogy and content assessments differ by license area, and CPR/AED/Heimlich, suicide prevention, and (since July 1, 2025) training on human trafficking and child abuse and neglect are all required.
- Licenses step up in tiers — a two-year Initial Practitioner License, a five-year Practitioner License after IMAP or another IDOE-authorized route, and eventual professionalization to a 10-year license once you meet the applicable requirements.
- Indiana’s teacher job market is growing, not shrinking — state occupational employment projections show growth for elementary and secondary teachers through 2034, even as national BLS projections show a slight decline.
- LVIS/LVIS360 is the application system — your program’s licensing advisor guides you through submitting documentation, test scores, and fees once you’re ready to apply.
Ready to find an Indiana teacher preparation program that fits your certification path? Browse accredited options below.
May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics salary and job growth figures for Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, and High School Teachers, reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed July 2026.
