Here’s how to become a math teacher in Hawaii: earn a bachelor’s degree, finish a teacher education program approved by the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board (HTSB), and show content knowledge, usually Praxis Mathematics (5165) for grades 6-12 or Middle School Mathematics (5164) for grades 6-8. New completers start on a three-year Provisional License, and HTSB charges no licensing fee.
Hawaii licenses math teachers through one agency, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board. Every Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE) and public charter school teacher needs an HTSB license or permit before starting work. You’ll choose between two main fields, Middle Level Mathematics (6-8) and Mathematics (6-12), and that choice decides which Praxis test you take. Below grade 6, math is taught by teachers licensed in Elementary Education (K-6), and HTSB has also adopted an Elementary Education: Math Specialist (K-6) field. Here’s how to become a math teacher in Hawaii in five steps, current as of October 2026.
- Complete a State-Approved Math Teacher Education Program
- Pass the Praxis Exams Hawaii Requires
- Apply for Your Hawaii Teaching License
- Renew Your License and Upgrade to Advanced
- Professional Development Opportunities
Step 1. Complete a State-Approved Math Teacher Education Program
Hawaii follows the same pattern as math teaching credential requirements in other states: a bachelor’s degree, an approved preparation program, and proof that you know the math. HTSB calls an approved program a State-Approved Teacher Education Program (SATEP). It combines teaching methods coursework with student teaching in a Hawaii classroom.
HTSB publishes the list of Hawaii SATEPs, with the license fields and grade levels each program can recommend you for. As of October 2026, HTSB lists 14 Hawaii SATEPs. Math programs come in three formats:
- Bachelor’s degree with licensure: for students who haven’t finished a degree yet.
- Licensure only: for career changers who already hold a bachelor’s degree in any field.
- Master’s degree with licensure: a graduate degree and an initial license in one program.
While you student teach, HTSB issues a Student Teacher Permit to candidates their Hawaii SATEP recommends. Your program decides which tests you must pass before student teaching starts, so ask in your first semester.
How Hawaii Programs Verify Basic Skills and Content Knowledge
HTSB’s New Business Item (NBI) 12-29 Revised was approved March 24, 2023 and is listed on HTSB’s Hawaii SATEP Resources page. Under it, a Hawaii SATEP can accept your bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution as proof of basic skills. You can show math content knowledge in any one of these ways:
- A passing score on the HTSB-approved Praxis math test for your field
- A math major of at least 30 semester hours
- At least 30 semester hours in math, with 15 or more at the upper-division level
- A master’s, specialist or doctoral degree in math
- National Board certification in math
Alternative Routes for Career Changers
If you already hold a bachelor’s degree, a licensure-only SATEP is the standard route. You skip a second degree and complete only the teaching coursework and student teaching. Formats differ, so check how each program handles student teaching before you apply. The SATEP list also shows which programs offer Mathematics (6-12), Middle Level Mathematics (6-8), and the narrower Algebra 1 and Geometry fields.
If a HIDOE or charter school hires you for a hard-to-fill position and no licensed teacher is available, HTSB can issue an Emergency Hire Permit. As of June 2026, it’s valid for one year and can be reissued for up to five years while you actively work toward a license. It’s a bridge, not a license, so you’ll still finish a SATEP.
Check HTSB Approval Before You Enroll Online
An online program based in another state isn’t a Hawaii SATEP unless HTSB approved it, even if you complete every course from Hawaii. Under NBI 25-04, approved August 8, 2025, HTSB advises a different path for anyone who finished an unapproved program after July 1, 2024. You’d earn full licensure in that program’s home state first. You’d then apply in Hawaii as an out-of-state teacher. Get written confirmation that a program meets HTSB requirements before you enroll.
Step 2. Pass the Praxis Exams Hawaii Requires
Hawaii uses Praxis tests from Educational Testing Service (ETS), and HTSB accepts only the tests on the ETS Hawaii requirements page. Your math content test depends on the grade band you want to teach, and each one costs $130 at ETS as of October 2026:
| License Field | Praxis Test | Test Code | Qualifying Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Level Mathematics (6-8) | Middle School Mathematics | 5164 | 157 |
| Mathematics (6-12) | Mathematics | 5165 | 159 |
These two tests replaced Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) and Middle School Mathematics (5169), which ETS listed as accepted in Hawaii only through August 31, 2022. If you passed one of the older tests, ask HTSB whether your score still counts.
Is Praxis Core Still Required?
It depends on where you trained. The ETS Hawaii page lists Praxis Core under tests for all licensure areas, but HTSB lets a Hawaii SATEP count your bachelor’s degree as basic skills. Many Hawaii completers never take Praxis Core.
If you finished an out-of-state program but never got licensed in that state, HTSB’s Forms page points you to NBI 21-13, its board-adopted requirements for your situation. As posted, NBI 21-13 lists these tests:
- Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading (5713), Writing (5723) and Mathematics (5733)
- Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) for your grade band: Grades 5-9 (5623) or Grades 7-12 (5624)
- The Praxis math content test for your license field
Ask your HTSB licensing specialist which of these apply to you before you register. Teachers who already hold a valid license from another state can use their home state’s licensure tests to verify basic skills and content knowledge. HTSB also exempts National Board Certified Teachers who hold a current, valid license from another state from all exams.
Sending Your Scores to HTSB
When you register, list the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board as a score recipient with code 8620 and include your Social Security number. HTSB’s Praxis Tests page warns that scores without both won’t transmit. Each math test includes four free score recipients at registration. Since January 1, 2023, HTSB accepts passing scores from tests taken within five years of your application, and older scores only case by case (NBI 22-28).
Step 3. Apply for Your Hawaii Teaching License
You apply through your HTSB online account. There’s no HTSB fee: Act 116, signed in 2019, has the state cover licensing, applications and renewals for public school teachers. If you finished a Hawaii SATEP, HTSB processes your application once your program sends its completer list. Reviews can take six weeks or more.
Plan your paperwork early. Under HTSB’s official records policy, effective July 1, 2026, required documents count only when they arrive one of three ways. They can come through a secure clearinghouse such as Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse, by sealed mail from the issuing institution, or by email straight from the institution’s official address. You can upload only your Social Security card and government-issued photo ID yourself.
Which license you receive depends on your full-time teaching experience:
| License | Who Qualifies | Valid For |
|---|---|---|
| Provisional | SATEP completers with less than three years of full-time teaching in the last five | 3 years, not renewable |
| Standard | Teachers with three or more years of full-time, contracted P-12 teaching in the last five | 5 years, renewable |
| Advanced | Five years of full-time teaching in the last eight, plus one of the qualifications in Step 4 | 10 years, renewable |
Every Hawaii license expires on June 30. Every applicant also clears HTSB’s professional fitness check. The checklist for each license is on HTSB’s License and Permit Information page. Before you apply for jobs, check what Hawaii math teachers earn.
Applying With a License From Another State
A valid out-of-state license can’t be used to teach in a Hawaii public or charter school. HTSB reviews it, decides the Hawaii equivalent, and states plainly that reciprocity isn’t guaranteed. A license first issued on or after July 1, 2006 can satisfy the program and testing requirements. One issued earlier also needs basic skills and content knowledge verification. With three of the last five years in full-time teaching, you qualify for a Standard License. With fewer, you start on a Provisional License. The July 1, 2026 records rule applies to you too, so ask your college and your current licensing agency to send official records to HTSB directly.
Step 4. Renew Your License and Upgrade to Advanced
Provisional Licenses and Emergency Hire Permits aren’t renewable. When one expires, HTSB lets you apply for a new one beginning July 1. An Emergency Hire Permit can be reissued for up to five years while you actively work toward a license. Most teachers move up to a Standard License once they reach three years of full-time teaching within five. Standard and Advanced Licenses renew, and you can apply as early as January 1 of the year yours expires. To renew, you’ll verify both of these:
- Experience: at least one full year of full-time, contracted P-12 teaching in the last five years.
- Performance: that you meet HTSB’s Teacher Performance Standards. HTSB receives final evaluations for HIDOE teachers from HIDOE. Other teachers verify experience on Form RA4010. For the standards, they submit Form RA5010 T with each piece of evidence labeled by standard, or Form RA6010 T, a worksheet their administrator completes with their latest evaluation.
HTSB can audit a renewal for up to one year after you renew, so keep your evidence. The current renewal checklists, revised March 2026, are on the License Renewal page.
Upgrading to an Advanced License
After five years of full-time teaching within the last eight, you can move to the 10-year Advanced License through one of three options:
- A master’s, specialist or doctoral degree, or 30 semester hours of coursework, that you didn’t use for your initial license
- A valid National Board Certification
- Designation as a teacher leader or master teacher by HIDOE
Step 5. Professional Development Opportunities
National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) pays off twice in Hawaii. It’s one route to the Advanced License, and certification in math also counts as content knowledge if you add a field later. NBPTS offers two math certificates: Mathematics/Early Adolescence and Mathematics/Adolescence and Young Adulthood. These groups are a good place to start:
- HTSB National Board Collective: HTSB’s support network for Hawaii teachers working toward National Board certification
- Hawaii Council of Teachers of Mathematics (HCTM): the state’s affiliate of the national council, which runs workshops for Hawaii math teachers
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM): the national organization, with journals, conferences and online learning
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need Praxis Core to teach math in Hawaii?
Not always. A Hawaii SATEP can count your bachelor’s degree as basic skills under NBI 12-29 Revised. If you finished an out-of-state program and never got licensed there, HTSB’s posted NBI 21-13 lists Praxis Core, PLT and the math content test. Confirm with HTSB which ones apply to you.
How much does a Hawaii teaching license cost?
HTSB charges nothing. Since Act 116 in 2019, the state funds licensing, applications and renewals for Hawaii public school teachers. You still pay ETS for your tests, and as of October 2026 Mathematics (5165) and Middle School Mathematics (5164) cost $130 each.
Can you teach math in Hawaii without an education degree?
Yes. If you hold a bachelor’s degree in any field, a licensure-only SATEP covers the teaching coursework and student teaching. A math major of at least 30 semester hours or a passing Praxis score covers content knowledge.
How long is a Hawaii Provisional License valid?
Three years, and it can’t be renewed. When it expires, you can apply for a new license beginning July 1. Most teachers apply for the five-year Standard License once they have three years of full-time teaching within the last five.
Does an out-of-state teaching license transfer to Hawaii?
Not automatically. HTSB reviews your license and issues the Hawaii equivalent. Three of the last five years in full-time teaching qualifies you for a Standard License, and fewer years means a Provisional License.
- Two main math fields: Middle Level Mathematics (6-8) uses Praxis Middle School Mathematics (5164), score 157, and Mathematics (6-12) uses Praxis Mathematics (5165), score 159.
- Costs: HTSB charges no license fee under Act 116, and each math Praxis test costs $130 at ETS.
- Usual progression: new completers typically start on a three-year, non-renewable Provisional License, then move to a Standard License after three years of teaching.
- Official records: since July 1, 2026, HTSB accepts required documents only directly from the issuing institution or a secure clearinghouse.
- Check approval: an online program HTSB hasn’t approved counts as out-of-state, even if you study from Hawaii (NBI 25-04).
The costliest mistake on this route is finishing a program HTSB hasn’t approved. When you compare the schools listed here, ask each one in writing whether its math program meets HTSB requirements. If you already have a degree, ask whether it offers a licensure-only format.