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CIP 13.1202 Education

Elementary Education and Teaching

IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education · 2025

中文

Total graduates

41,540

2025 · 1,117 schools

International share

1.4%

573 international students

Bachelor's degrees

29,888

0.6% international

Master's degrees

9,652

3.8% international

Overview

Elementary Education and Teaching is a vital field dedicated to the education and development of young learners, typically ranging from kindergarten through sixth grade. This major prepares students to become skilled educators who can create engaging and effective learning environments for children.

In this program, students will learn foundational theories of child development, educational psychology, and instructional strategies tailored to the needs of elementary-aged students. Coursework often includes subjects such as literacy development, mathematics instruction, science education, and social studies teaching methods. Additionally, aspiring teachers will gain practical experience through student teaching placements, where they can apply their knowledge in real classroom settings under the guidance of experienced educators.

A significant focus of this major is on developing effective communication skills and understanding diverse learning styles. Future teachers are trained to accommodate different needs, including those of students with disabilities or those who are English language learners. This emphasis on inclusivity ensures that all students receive a quality education.

Graduates of Elementary Education and Teaching programs are equipped to pursue teaching positions in public and private schools, and they may also find opportunities in educational administration, curriculum development, or educational consulting. The demand for qualified elementary educators remains strong, as they play a crucial role in shaping the foundational skills and knowledge of children, setting the stage for their lifelong learning journey. Overall, this major is not just about teaching subjects; it’s about inspiring and nurturing the next generation of learners.

Graduates by year

Graduates by degree level (first and second majors)

AssociateBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral

From 2002 to 2025, graduates fell 36% and the international share went from 1.2% to 1.4%.

International share (%)
Graduates by group, 2025
White
68.7%
Asian
2.1%
Hispanic
13.1%
Black
6.7%
Other
8.0%
Intl.
1.4%

Colleges that award this degree

In 2025, 1,117 schools awarded this degree as a first major. The table lists those in the 2027 U.S. News National or Liberal Arts rankings, plus the unranked schools with the most graduates.

RankSchoolStateGraduatesInternational
#7 University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 10 2
#9 Northwestern University Illinois 5 2
#16 Washington University in St Louis Missouri 2 0
#16 Vanderbilt University Tennessee 11 1
#25 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Michigan 20 0
#26 University of Virginia-Main Campus Virginia 22 1
#31 Boston College Massachusetts 34 12
#31 New York University New York 47 5
#34 University of Florida Florida 59 0
#34 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Illinois 84 0
#34 Boston University Massachusetts 12 1
#34 Wake Forest University North Carolina 11 0
#34 University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin 107 3
#44 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Jersey 35 0
#44 Ohio State University-Main Campus Ohio 24 1
#44 Lehigh University Pennsylvania 7 0
#49 University of Maryland-College Park Maryland 45 0
#49 University of Rochester New York 5 1
#49 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Washington 87 2
#52 University of Georgia Georgia 9 3
#52 College of William and Mary Virginia 15 0
#52 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia 23 1
#55 University of Miami Florida 17 0
#55 Purdue University-Main Campus Indiana 105 0
#59 George Washington University D.C. 7 0
#59 Florida State University Florida 73 1
#59 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minnesota 84 2
#72 Syracuse University New York 4 0
#73 University of Connecticut Connecticut 38 0
#73 Howard University D.C. 11 0
#73 Indiana University-Bloomington Indiana 110 0
#73 North Carolina State University at Raleigh North Carolina 72 0
#80 Drexel University Pennsylvania 28 1
#80 Clemson University South Carolina 115 1
#85 University of Delaware Delaware 194 0
#85 Fordham University New York 10 0
#85 University at Buffalo New York 87 0
#90 Yeshiva University New York 5 0
#90 Baylor University Texas 55 1
#90 Marquette University Wisconsin 14 0
#95 American University D.C. 93 1
#95 University of Illinois at Chicago Illinois 93 0
#95 University of Missouri-Columbia Missouri 106 0
#100 Auburn University Alabama 48 0
#100 Chapman University California 14 0
#100 Florida International University Florida 49 1
#100 University of South Florida-Main Campus Florida 94 2
#100 University of Iowa Iowa 128 0
#100 Creighton University Nebraska 20 0
#100 Elon University North Carolina 46 0
#109 University of Colorado Boulder Colorado 58 0
#109 Fairfield University Connecticut 25 0
#109 University of New Hampshire-Main Campus New Hampshire 12 0
#109 Temple University Pennsylvania 70 0
#116 Iowa State University Iowa 173 1
#116 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Oklahoma 37 0
#116 Brigham Young University-Provo Utah 133 2
#121 Arizona State University-Tempe Arizona 365 3
#121 University of Arizona Arizona 125 0
#121 University of the Pacific California 16 0
#121 University of Central Florida Florida 315 7
#121 Loyola University Chicago Illinois 26 0
#121 SUNY at Albany New York 35 0
#121 University of South Carolina-Columbia South Carolina 69 1
#121 George Mason University Virginia 35 0
#133 University of Vermont Vermont 52 1
#137 University of Alabama at Birmingham Alabama 30 0
#137 St John's University (NY) New York 75 0
#137 Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Pennsylvania 75 28
#137 James Madison University Virginia 163 0
#148 Catholic University of America D.C. 11 0
#148 Mercer University Georgia 142 0
#148 University of Kansas Kansas 60 1
#148 University of Kentucky Kentucky 89 0
#148 University of Massachusetts-Lowell Massachusetts 31 0
#148 University of Tulsa Oklahoma 2 0
#148 University of Rhode Island Rhode Island 78 0
#156 The University of Alabama Alabama 107 1
#156 California State University-Fullerton California 74 0
#156 Quinnipiac University Connecticut 48 0
#156 Florida A&M University Florida 24 0
#156 Kansas State University Kansas 244 1
#156 University of St Thomas (MN) Minnesota 28 0
#156 Montclair State University New Jersey 151 2
#156 Seton Hall University New Jersey 27 0
#156 CUNY--City College New York 38 3
#156 Oregon State University Oregon 60 0
#156 University of Portland Oregon 21 0
#156 Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia 41 1
#169 Bradley University Illinois 25 0
#169 DePaul University Illinois 45 0
#169 Butler University Indiana 23 0
#169 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska 100 1
#169 Monmouth University New Jersey 32 0
#169 University of North Carolina at Charlotte North Carolina 111 1
#179 University of Louisville Kentucky 65 2
#179 University of Mississippi Mississippi 122 0
#179 CUNY Hunter College New York 61 3
#179 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Ohio 65 1
#179 University of Utah Utah 39 1
#186 University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii 60 0
#186 Wayne State University Michigan 62 0
#191 Samford University Alabama 8 0
#191 University of Arkansas Arkansas 118 0
#191 Florida Atlantic University Florida 100 2
#191 Georgia State University Georgia 72 1
#191 Drake University Iowa 17 1
#191 Missouri University of Science and Technology Missouri 8 0
#191 Rowan University New Jersey 81 0
#191 Adelphi University New York 7 0
#191 Hofstra University New York 2 0
#191 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Oklahoma 108 0
#191 Washington State University Washington 167 0
#202 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Louisiana 41 0
#202 East Carolina University North Carolina 131 0
#208 University of La Verne California 79 0
#208 University of Idaho Idaho 28 0
#208 Mississippi State University Mississippi 181 1
#208 University of North Carolina at Greensboro North Carolina 40 0
#208 Xavier University Ohio 5 0
#208 Belmont University Tennessee 26 0
#219 Illinois State University Illinois 278 1
#219 Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis Indiana 97 0
#219 University of Nevada-Reno Nevada 66 0
#219 New York Institute of Technology New York 6 0
#219 North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina 18 0
#219 University of North Carolina--Wilmington North Carolina 114 0
#227 Ball State University Indiana 158 0
#227 University of Michigan-Dearborn Michigan 7 0
#227 Russell Sage College New York 28 2
#227 University of North Dakota North Dakota 51 1
#227 University of Texas-San Antonio Texas 7 0
#227 West Virginia University West Virginia 74 1
#236 University of North Florida Florida 50 0
#236 Stetson University Florida 10 0
#236 Bethel University Minnesota 27 0
#236 University of Nevada--Las Vegas Nevada 314 1
#236 University of New Mexico-Main Campus New Mexico 66 1
#236 Portland State University Oregon 15 0
#236 Chatham University Pennsylvania 10 0
#250 Nova Southeastern University Florida 18 0
#250 Oakland City University Indiana 11 0
#250 University of Missouri--Kansas City Missouri 29 0
#250 New Mexico State University-Main Campus New Mexico 49 0
#250 Pace University-New York New York 25 1
#250 South Dakota State University South Dakota 11 0
#250 Lipscomb University Tennessee 9 0
#250 University of Wyoming Wyoming 78 0
#262 University of Alabama--Huntsville Alabama 9 0
#262 Aurora University Illinois 58 0
#262 University of Maine Maine 42 0
#262 University of New England Maine 8 0
#262 Western New England University Massachusetts 6 0
#262 Andrews University Michigan 8 1
#262 Central Michigan University Michigan 1 0
#262 George Fox University Oregon 27 0
#262 University of South Dakota South Dakota 80 0
#276 Northern Arizona University Arizona 293 0
#276 Harding University Arkansas 58 0
#276 California Baptist University California 45 0
#276 Regis University Colorado 17 0
#276 University of St. Francis Illinois 13 0
#276 Marian University (IN) Indiana 25 0
#276 Western Michigan University Michigan 75 0
#276 University of Missouri--St. Louis Missouri 75 0
#276 Marymount University Virginia 5 0
#288 Biola University California 19 1
#288 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Illinois 39 0
#288 University of Indianapolis Indiana 23 0
#288 Wichita State University Kansas 224 0
#288 Texas State University Texas 30 2
#288 Utah State University Utah 126 1
#288 Shenandoah University Virginia 6 0
#299 Azusa Pacific University California 72 1
#299 Southern Connecticut State University Connecticut 62 1
#299 Boise State University Idaho 99 0
#299 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Minnesota 4 0
#299 University of Nebraska--Omaha Nebraska 109 1
#299 Utica University New York 3 0
#299 Tennessee Technological University Tennessee 80 0
#299 Concordia University Wisconsin Wisconsin 61 1
#308 Northern Illinois University Illinois 101 0
#308 Oakland University Michigan 168 0
#308 University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi 172 0
#308 Maryville University of Saint Louis Missouri 7 0
#308 Montana State University Montana 43 0
#308 North Carolina Central University North Carolina 16 0
#308 Wilkes University Pennsylvania 28 0
#308 Abilene Christian University Texas 19 0
#308 University of the Incarnate Word Texas 20 1
#317 Xavier University of Louisiana Louisiana 1 0
#317 Morgan State University Maryland 22 0
#317 Ferris State University Michigan 51 0
#317 Kean University New Jersey 118 2
#317 University of Mary North Dakota 48 0
#317 Marshall University West Virginia 70 0
#317 Augusta University Georgia 26 0
#328 Georgia Southern University Georgia 234 0
#328 Old Dominion University Virginia 112 0
#332 University of South Alabama Alabama 65 0
#332 Clark Atlanta University Georgia 24 0
#332 Mercy University New York 55 0
#332 University of Findlay Ohio 13 0
#332 Point Park University Pennsylvania 7 0
#332 University of Lynchburg Virginia 5 0
#342 Concordia University -- Irvine California 12 0
#342 University of Northern Colorado Colorado 88 1
#342 Mississippi College Mississippi 31 0
#342 Missouri State University Missouri 148 0
#342 Daemen University New York 2 0
#342 Campbell University North Carolina 11 0
#342 Lincoln Memorial University Tennessee 7 0
#342 Kennesaw State University Georgia 237 0
#353 Jacksonville State University Alabama 118 0
#353 University of West Georgia Georgia 407 0
#353 Southern Illinois University--Edwardsville Illinois 60 0
#353 University of Louisiana--Lafayette Louisiana 44 0
#353 University of Michigan--Flint Michigan 30 0
#353 Plymouth State University New Hampshire 53 0
#353 Youngstown State University Ohio 60 1
#353 Trevecca Nazarene University Tennessee 22 0
#353 University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Puerto Rico 22 0
#365 Troy University Alabama 100 0
#365 University of Central Arkansas Arkansas 65 0
#365 Indiana State University Indiana 58 0
#365 Northern Kentucky University Kentucky 99 0
#365 University of Louisiana--Monroe Louisiana 44 0
#365 Jackson State University Mississippi 37 0
#365 William Carey University Mississippi 110 1
#365 The University of Montana Montana 40 0
#365 Gardner-Webb University North Carolina 45 0
#365 Liberty University Virginia 622 11
#365 Eastern Washington University Washington 28 0
#376 University of Arkansas--Little Rock Arkansas 25 0
#376 University of Bridgeport Connecticut 40 0
#376 Concordia University-Saint Paul Minnesota 49 0
#376 Belhaven University Mississippi 5 0
#376 Tennessee State University Tennessee 9 1
#382 University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska 17 0
#382 Grand Canyon University Arizona 1,487 1
#382 National University California 1 0
#382 University of Colorado--Colorado Springs Colorado 47 0
#382 Wilmington University Delaware 56 0
#382 Palm Beach Atlantic University Florida 6 0
#382 Saint Leo University Florida 60 0
#382 St. Thomas University (FL) Florida 2 1
#382 Southeastern University Florida 28 0
#382 Columbus State University Georgia 91 0
#382 Valdosta State University Georgia 135 0
#382 Idaho State University Idaho 34 1
#382 Chicago State University Illinois 15 0
#382 Concordia University-Chicago Illinois 20 0
#382 Governors State University Illinois 20 0
#382 National Louis University Illinois 148 0
#382 Roosevelt University Illinois 30 0
#382 University of New Orleans Louisiana 28 0
#382 Southern University and A&M College Louisiana 7 0
#382 University of Southern Maine Maine 25 0
#382 Wright State University-Main Campus Ohio 62 0
#382 Northeastern State University Oklahoma 51 0
#382 Southwestern Oklahoma State University Oklahoma 54 0
#382 Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi Texas 78 0
#382 Dallas Baptist University Texas 18 1
#382 East Texas A&M University Texas 4 0
#382 Houston Christian University Texas 6 0
#382 Tarleton State University Texas 84 0
#382 Texas Wesleyan University Texas 8 0
#382 Regent University Virginia 1 0
#382 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce Puerto Rico 2 0
#382 Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus Puerto Rico 4 0
#382 Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus Puerto Rico 10 0
LAC #19 Middlebury College Vermont 1 0
LAC #21 University of Richmond Virginia 14 0
LAC #22 Smith College Massachusetts 6 1
LAC #34 Colorado College Colorado 3 0
LAC #34 Spelman College Georgia 11 0
LAC #38 Trinity University Texas 5 1
LAC #41 Skidmore College New York 15 1
LAC #57 Wheaton College (IL) Illinois 19 1
LAC #57 Furman University South Carolina 7 0
LAC #60 Hobart and William Smith Colleges New York 1 0
LAC #62 Berea College Kentucky 8 0
LAC #68 College of St. Benedict Minnesota 27 0
LAC #72 Saint Anselm College New Hampshire 12 0
LAC #74 Rollins College Florida 26 0
LAC #78 Saint Mary's College Indiana 18 0
LAC #78 Hope College Michigan 32 1
LAC #81 Wheaton College (MA) Massachusetts 4 0
LAC #85 Knox College Illinois 14 0
LAC #85 Stonehill College Massachusetts 23 1
LAC #85 Drew University New Jersey 4 0
LAC #85 Randolph-Macon College Virginia 6 0
LAC #91 Augustana College Illinois 10 0
LAC #97 Lewis & Clark College Oregon 9 0
LAC #100 SUNY College at Geneseo New York 86 0
LAC #106 Transylvania University Kentucky 8 0
LAC #106 Pacific Lutheran University Washington 18 0
LAC #109 Hanover College Indiana 5 0
LAC #111 Luther College Iowa 10 0
LAC #111 Whitworth University Washington 37 0
LAC #116 Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio 2 0
LAC #116 Saint Michael's College Vermont 6 0
LAC #116 Roanoke College Virginia 9 0
LAC #119 Coe College Iowa 14 1
LAC #119 Meredith College North Carolina 7 2
LAC #119 Ripon College Wisconsin 11 0
LAC #125 Emmanuel College Massachusetts 14 0
LAC #125 Sarah Lawrence College New York 13 1
LAC #128 Cornell College Iowa 8 0
LAC #128 University of Minnesota-Morris Minnesota 9 0
LAC #128 University of Mary Washington Virginia 41 0
LAC #132 Centenary College of Louisiana Louisiana 2 0
LAC #132 Saint Norbert College Wisconsin 3 0
LAC #138 Truman State University Missouri 13 1
LAC #140 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Massachusetts 1 0
LAC #140 Alcorn State University Mississippi 2 0
LAC #142 Eastern Connecticut State University Connecticut 29 1
LAC #142 Covenant College Georgia 14 0
LAC #142 The College of Idaho Idaho 7 1
LAC #142 Houghton University New York 15 1
LAC #146 Gordon College Massachusetts 9 4
LAC #146 Claflin University South Carolina 1 0
LAC #150 Sweet Briar College Virginia 4 0
LAC #154 SUNY Old Westbury New York 54 1
LAC #157 Randolph College Virginia 6 0
LAC #158 Bryn Athyn College of the New Church Pennsylvania 1 0
LAC #160 Salem College North Carolina 5 0
LAC #160 Wittenberg University Ohio 26 0
LAC #166 Fort Valley State University Georgia 14 0
LAC #166 Gods Bible School and College Ohio 2 0
LAC #168 Lyon College Arkansas 2 0
LAC #168 Cottey College Missouri 7 1
LAC #172 Brigham Young University-Idaho Idaho 136 2
LAC #175 Mitchell College Connecticut 4 0
LAC #176 Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia 2 0
LAC #177 Grambling State University Louisiana 22 0
LAC #178 Tougaloo College Mississippi 11 0
LAC #178 University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Oklahoma 5 1
LAC #180 Alabama State University Alabama 8 0
LAC #181 Bethune-Cookman University Florida 2 0
LAC #181 Bethany College West Virginia 3 0
LAC #184 Williams Baptist University Arkansas 6 0
LAC #184 Fort Lewis College Colorado 9 0
LAC #184 College of Coastal Georgia Georgia 32 0
LAC #184 Young Harris College Georgia 18 0
LAC #184 Holy Cross College Indiana 4 0
LAC #184 Indiana University-Southeast Indiana 76 0
LAC #184 Louisiana State University at Alexandria Louisiana 7 0
LAC #184 Harris-Stowe State University Missouri 6 0
LAC #184 CUNY Medgar Evers College New York 8 0
LAC #184 Allen University South Carolina 3 0
LAC #184 Texas A&M University-Texarkana Texas 17 0
LAC #184 Utah Tech University Utah 22 1
LAC #184 West Virginia State University West Virginia 14 1
— Western Governors University Utah 3,028 3
— University of the Cumberlands Kentucky 394 0
— University of Phoenix Arizona 370 0
— University of Northern Iowa Iowa 321 0
— Alder Graduate School of Education California 266 0
— University of the People California 243 0
— Georgia Southwestern State University Georgia 230 2
— SUNY College at Potsdam New York 221 90
— University of Massachusetts Global California 220 0
— University of West Alabama Alabama 216 0
— Niagara University New York 213 171
— State University of New York at Cortland New York 213 0
— Walden University Minnesota 170 0
— University of North Georgia Georgia 159 1
— CUNY Queens College New York 153 4
— State University of New York at New Paltz New York 152 0
— Western Kentucky University Kentucky 151 0
— Central Washington University Washington 145 0
— Utah Valley University Utah 144 0
— Delaware Technical Community College-Terry Delaware 139 0
— Appalachian State University North Carolina 139 1
— CUNY Brooklyn College New York 129 1
— SUNY Oneonta New York 129 0
— State University of New York at Plattsburgh New York 129 1
— Fort Hays State University Kansas 124 1
— University of Nebraska at Kearney Nebraska 123 1
— Weber State University Utah 119 9
— Central Methodist University-College of Graduate and Extended Studies Missouri 119 0
— Fresno Pacific University California 118 0
— SUNY Buffalo State University New York 115 0

Purple: international students are 25% or more of the school's graduates.

Related jobs and pay

OccupationUS employmentMean hourly wageMean annual wage
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 1,388,390 — $72,650
Education Teachers, Postsecondary 60,830 — $79,350

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Graduate counts: IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education, 2002–2025. Rankings: 2027 U.S. News.