K–12 School Teachers in the U.S. From the National Teacher and Principal Survey

The National Center for Education Statistics released a new report, Characteristics of Public and Private Elementary and Secondary School Teachers in the United States: Results From the 2017–18 National Teacher and Principal Survey First Look. The report introduces new information about public and private K–12 school teachers.

• During the 2017–18 school year, public school teachers were predominantly White (79 percent), with 7 percent identifying as non-Hispanic Black or African American and 9 percent identifying as Hispanic. Among private school teachers, 85 percent were non-Hispanic White, 3 percent were non-Hispanic Black or African American, and 7 percent were Hispanic.
• Forty nine percent of public school teachers had a master’s degree, 39 percent had a bachelor’s degree, 9 percent had higher than a master’s degree, and 3 percent had less than a bachelor’s as their highest degree earned. Among private school teachers, 40 percent had a master’s degree, 42 percent had a bachelor’s degree, 8 percent had higher than a master’s degree, and 10 percent had less than a bachelor’s as their highest degree earned.
• The average base salary for regular full-time teachers in public schools was $57,900, and the average base salary of regular full-time teachers in private schools was $45,300. About 18 percent of public school teachers and 21 percent of private school teachers had jobs outside their school system during the school year.

The report also provides information on years of experience, class organization, professional development, teacher certifications, and teacher evaluations in public and private schools.