North Carolina Educ. Statistics
Avg. Elem. Teacher Salary* | $48,560 |
Avg. Sec. Teacher Salary* | $49,930 |
Avg. Admin. Salary* | $74,410 |
Teacher Retention (?) | 92% |
Vacation Wks/Yr | 15 |
Learn how to become a teacher in North Carolina (or administrator). Choose the description of certification you are most interested in or situation that best describes you:
Avg. Elem. Teacher Salary* | $48,560 |
Avg. Sec. Teacher Salary* | $49,930 |
Avg. Admin. Salary* | $74,410 |
Teacher Retention (?) | 92% |
Vacation Wks/Yr | 15 |
Investing in our future is vitally important and strangely difficult. In order to fight oppression from the greedy and power-hungry elite, to better our ways of life with advancing technology, and to increase our country's overall views toward the concept of acceptance, we need education to be a priority. Learn how you can be a spoke in this terribly important wheel. See how North Carolina measures up to the rest of the country by viewing the percentage of state revenue going toward education in each state. (see State Education Spending vs. Overall State Revenue).
During the past ten years, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has hired about 10,000 new teachers considered “highly qualified” under newly implemented federal standards. This indicates that they have achieved full certification, earned a bachelor’s degree at minimum, and have demonstrated competency in all academic subject areas they’ll be teaching.
Those who wish to become licensed professional educators in North Carolina should be heartened by the news that the state places such importance on the quality of education that students in its public school system receive. In an environment where students are respected, teachers also receive the support and respect they deserve. Find schools offering teaching certification programs in North Carolina.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Licensure Section (919-807-3310 in state and 800-577-7994 out of state) has established qualifications for becoming a licensed educator in the state, requiring that you either:
OR
A list of regional accreditation agencies may be found here.
If you completed your teacher education in a foreign country, your transcript must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency by an international education evaluation service, which will send the report to the NC Department of Public Instruction.
Licensure OptionsYou can visit the Praxis website for a brief description of testing requirements for North Carolina teacher licensure.
Basic skills testing:
All teachers must pass the Praxis I Basic Skills Exam in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics prior to licensure. Qualifying scores are 176 for Reading, 173 for Writing, and 173 for Mathematics.
Your teacher preparation program in North Carolina will contain two experiential components:
The practicum is a component of college courses on education. The practicum will involve observing a teacher in the classroom specific to the grade level and/or content area you’ll be teaching. At the teacher’s discretion, you and may get a chance to lead the class from time to time.
The student teaching portion of the experience part of your teacher preparation program is when you really get to hone your teaching skills. You are placed into a classroom corresponding to the grade level and content area in which you seek licensure. You will be given opportunities to take over daily classroom teacher duties. Officials from your college’s teacher preparation program will also observe your progress and performance from time to time. Valuable classroom management skills, teaching strategies, and more will be learned during this time.
Send all of the above information to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Licensure Section, 6365 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-6365.
You do not need to undergo a criminal history background check prior to North Carolina teaching licensure. However, before any North Carolina public school will hire you, a statewide check will be run. More information on this process will be given to you at the time of application for a teaching position.
For a directory to colleges in North Carolina with approved teacher preparation programs, click here.
To contact the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Licensure Section, call 919-807-3310 in state and 800-577-7994 out of state.
* 2019 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data - Conditions in your area may vary.
**Teacher Retention Sources - U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education, Statistics Schools and Staffing Survey, 1999–2000 (“Public School Teacher Questionnaire,” “Private School Teacher Questionnaire,” and “Public Charter School Teacher Questionnaire”), and 2000–01 Teacher Follow-up Survey (“Questionnaire for Current Teachers” and “Questionnaire for Former Teachers,” Table 1.01). Washington, DC.
State estimations based on analysis by Richard Ingersoll, Professor of Education and Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, from the National Center for Education Statistics Student and Staffing Survey, and therefore include a slight margin of error.