A math teacher job description comes down to three duties: plan and teach lessons built on your state’s math standards, grade student work, and reteach students who fall behind. Most math teachers work in middle or high school. District schools generally require a bachelor’s degree and state certification. BLS reports a $72,040 national median for high school teachers (May 2025).
If you’re weighing a math teaching career, the grade band you certify for shapes the job more than anything else. It decides what you teach each day and which content exams you take. Here’s what the work involves, how you get in, and what it pays.
Math Teacher Career Info by State
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Math Teacher Job Description
Whatever grade you teach, the core duties are the same. You’ll spend most of your week on these:
- Planning lessons and units that follow your state’s math standards and your district’s curriculum
- Teaching through a mix of direct instruction, worked examples, group problem solving and discussion
- Grading homework, quizzes and tests, and tracking each student’s progress against the standards
- Reteaching in small groups or one on one when students miss a foundational skill
- Preparing students for state assessments and, in high school, for college entrance and AP exams
- Setting and enforcing classroom expectations for behavior
- Working with parents, special education staff and counselors on students who need extra support
Outside class time, you’ll also sit in department meetings and complete the professional development hours your state requires to renew your certificate.
Middle School vs. High School Math Teachers
Middle school math teachers usually cover grades 6-8: ratios, negative numbers, early algebra and basic statistics. Many also teach Algebra I to advanced eighth graders, and a lot of your time goes to students who arrive with gaps from elementary school.
High school math teachers usually teach grades 9-12, and each teacher typically carries two or three different courses: Algebra I and II, Geometry, Precalculus, Statistics or Calculus. If you teach AP Calculus or AP Statistics, the College Board sets the course framework and the exam.
The grade band you certify for depends on your state. Kentucky, for example, certifies middle grades (5-9) and high school (8-12) as separate bands, and each band has its own content exam.
Where Math Teachers Work
Most math teachers work in public school districts, which generally require a state teaching certificate. Charter school rules vary by state and by teaching assignment. In Texas, for example, open-enrollment charter teachers must hold a bachelor’s degree, but only special education, bilingual and ESL teachers must be certified in their field. Private schools set their own hiring rules, and many still prefer certified teachers, so check the posting before you assume you can skip certification.
What Math Standards You’ll Teach To
Your state sets the math standards you teach to. Many states built theirs on the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, published in 2010, and several have since revised or renamed them under a state-specific title. Before you plan a single unit, find your state’s current math standards on its education department website (checked October 2026).
Teaching Math Concepts by Grade Level
The summaries below describe the “critical areas” in the original Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, published in 2010. Treat them as a national reference, not a substitute for the standards your state uses now.
Elementary Grades (K-5)
| Grade | Critical Areas |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten | Representing, relating and operating on whole numbers, describing shapes and space |
| Grade 1 | Addition and subtraction within 20, place value with tens and ones, measuring length, reasoning about shapes |
| Grade 2 | Base-ten notation, fluency with addition and subtraction, standard units of measure, describing and analyzing shapes |
| Grade 3 | Multiplication and division within 100, fractions (especially unit fractions), rectangular arrays and area, two-dimensional shapes |
| Grade 4 | Multi-digit multiplication and division, fraction equivalence and operations with like denominators, classifying shapes by their properties |
| Grade 5 | Adding and subtracting fractions, multiplying fractions and dividing unit fractions in limited cases, division with two-digit divisors, decimal place value and operations to hundredths, volume |
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Grade 6: You’ll work on four areas: ratio and rate, division of fractions and the move to negative numbers, writing and solving expressions and equations, and early statistical thinking.
Grade 7: The four areas are proportional relationships, operations with rational numbers and linear equations, scale drawings, informal geometric constructions, and area, surface area and volume of two- and three-dimensional shapes, and drawing conclusions about a population from a sample.
Grade 8: The three areas are expressions and equations, including modeling bivariate data with linear equations and solving linear equations and systems of linear equations, the concept of a function, and analyzing two- and three-dimensional figures with distance, angle, similarity and congruence, including the Pythagorean Theorem.
High School
High school standards are organized by conceptual category rather than by grade, and they include extra content for students heading into calculus, advanced statistics or discrete math. The six categories are:
- Number and Quantity
- Algebra
- Functions
- Modeling
- Geometry
- Statistics and Probability
How to Become a Math Teacher
Every state sets its own steps, but the sequence looks similar in most states:
- Earn a bachelor’s degree, either in math education or in math with enough education coursework for your state
- Complete an approved educator preparation program, including student teaching
- Pass the content and teaching exams your state requires
- Apply for your initial certificate through your state education department or licensing board
Expect more than that list. Many states also require fingerprinting and a criminal background check, a separate teaching (pedagogy) exam or state-specific coursework. Texas, for example, fingerprints every first-time applicant for a national background check.
States that use Praxis may require Mathematics (5165) for secondary math certification or Middle School Mathematics (5164) for middle grades. The test title doesn’t set your grade levels: your state decides which grades each certificate covers and which exams it accepts.
Not every state uses Praxis. California uses the CSET, Florida uses the FTCE and Texas uses the TExES. Some states also let you meet the subject requirement without an exam. California accepts a qualifying degree major, an approved subject matter program, coursework, or a mix of coursework and exams.
Compare math education degree options before you choose a program, and use our guide to math teacher certification requirements to see how the steps fit together. Then confirm the details with your state’s licensing office.
If you already hold a bachelor’s degree in math, engineering or another field, you may qualify for an alternative or post-baccalaureate preparation program instead of a second degree. Eligibility and timing vary. Some programs let you teach while you finish: a Texas alternative certification program may place you in a paid, supervised internship on a probationary certificate. Others require an unpaid clinical placement, similar to student teaching, before you lead a classroom.
Math Teacher Salary and Job Outlook
BLS doesn’t track math teachers as their own occupation. Its figures cover middle and high school teachers of all subjects, including math. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, high school teachers earned a median annual salary of $72,040 as of May 2025, and middle school teachers earned $64,370. The top 10% of high school teachers earned more than $107,600.
| Occupation | Median Annual Wage (May 2025) | Projected Change (2025-2035) | Average Annual Openings |
|---|---|---|---|
| High School Teachers | $72,040 | 0% (-2,500 jobs) | 63,500 |
| Middle School Teachers | $64,370 | 0% (-2,600 jobs) | 38,800 |
BLS projects little or no change in employment for either occupation from 2025 to 2035. High school teaching jobs are projected to go from 1,087,500 to 1,085,000, and middle school jobs from 630,100 to 627,400. BLS still projects about 63,500 high school and 38,800 middle school teaching openings each year, mostly to replace teachers who retire or move to other occupations. Pay varies widely by state, so check the math teacher salary figures for the state where you plan to teach.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a math teacher do on a typical day?
You’ll teach several class periods, usually of one or two courses, and spend your planning time grading and preparing lessons. Between classes you’ll handle student questions, parent emails and small-group reteaching. Many math teachers also run tutoring sessions or a math club after school.
Do you need a math degree to become a math teacher?
Not always. A math education degree is the most direct path, but most states also accept a bachelor’s degree in math or a related field plus an approved educator preparation program. Career changers can often enter through an alternative route, and some of those programs let you teach on a probationary certificate while you finish.
Does passing the Praxis decide which grades you can teach?
No. Praxis Mathematics (5165) and Middle School Mathematics (5164) are tests, not licenses. Your state decides which grades each math certificate covers and which exams it accepts, so check your state’s requirements before you register for a test.
Do you need a background check to teach math?
In many states, yes. They commonly require fingerprinting and a criminal background check before they issue a teaching certificate. Texas, for example, fingerprints every first-time applicant for a national background check.
Are math teaching jobs hard to find?
Overall employment of middle and high school teachers is projected to show little or no change from 2025 to 2035, but BLS still projects about 63,500 high school and 38,800 middle school openings a year, mostly to replace teachers who retire or leave. Many states also list math as a teacher shortage area. Check the US Department of Education’s Teacher Shortage Areas listing for your state.
- The core job: Math teachers plan lessons to state standards, grade student work and reteach students who fall behind.
- Grade band matters: Your state, not the exam, decides which grades your certificate covers, and middle and high school are often separate certifications.
- Getting in: You’ll need a bachelor’s degree, an approved preparation program and your state’s exams, plus any background check your state requires. Degree holders can often use an alternative route.
- Pay and openings: BLS reports a $72,040 median for high school teachers as of May 2025, and about 63,500 high school teaching jobs open each year (2025-2035 projections).
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Middle School Teachers and High School Teachers, which include teachers of all subjects. National job growth projections (2025-2035) are from the same BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook pages. Figures reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed October 2026.
Once you know which grade band you want, the program decides how fast you get there. The schools listed here include math education and teacher preparation programs, some built for career changers who need to keep working while they train.