How to Become a Teacher in California 2026
California requires a bachelor's degree, a CTC-approved educator preparation program, and meeting California's applicable basic-skills, subject-matter, and other credential requirements before you can teach in a public school. You'll also need a background check through LiveScan fingerprinting. The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) reviews every application and decides which programs and requirements apply to your credential.
California runs certification through one state body, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, but the steps to certification follow a familiar shape nationwide: a degree, an approved program, and a set of state-specific requirements. If you're also weighing how to become a teacher in Nevada or how to become a teacher in Oregon, the general shape is similar, but California's own testing and literacy requirements are its own. Elementary teachers, subject-area teachers, and special education teachers each go through a different credential track here, and knowing which one applies to you early on saves a lot of backtracking later.
Choose Your Credential Track: Elementary, Secondary, or Special Education
Before anything else, decide what you want to teach. There are three major classroom-teaching credential categories in California: Multiple Subject, Single Subject, and Education Specialist. Mixing them up is one of the most common mistakes first-time applicants make.
The Multiple Subject Teaching Credential authorizes you to teach all subjects in a self-contained classroom, covering transitional kindergarten through sixth grade. This is the credential for elementary teachers. The Single Subject Teaching Credential authorizes you to teach one specific subject, usually in middle or high school, where students rotate between subject-area classrooms. The Education Specialist Instruction Credential covers special education and runs through its own set of requirements, generally completed through a college, university, or a designated internship program.
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) maintains the specific requirements for each track, and they diverge enough on preparation and credentialing requirements that it's worth confirming yours before you enroll in a program built around the wrong one.
Earn a Bachelor's Degree and Complete a CTC-Approved Preparation Program
For the California credentials discussed here, a bachelor's or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution is generally required before you can hold a teaching credential. The degree itself doesn't have to be in education. Plenty of secondary teachers major in the subject they plan to teach instead, but you'll still need to complete a CTC-approved educator preparation program on top of it.
If you haven't finished your bachelor's yet, look for a "blended" or "joint" program that combines the degree and the preparation program into one track. It moves faster than doing them separately, but it also runs more intensely, since you're carrying both course loads at once.
Complete a Teacher Preparation Program
Every public school teacher in California needs a Teaching Credential, and that credential comes out of a CTC-approved educator preparation program built around two pieces: curricula and fieldwork.
- Curricula covers pedagogy, subject-specific teaching methods, classroom management, differentiated instruction, and technology integration.
- Fieldwork means classroom observation, student teaching, or interning: building lesson plans, teaching them, writing reflections, working with a mentor, and putting together a portfolio of the work.
The CTC keeps a running list of commission-approved teacher preparation programs, and it's worth checking before you enroll anywhere. If you're in a blended bachelor's-plus-credential program, this step happens alongside your degree. If not, it comes after.
Alternative Routes to Certification
If a blended program isn't the right fit, California offers a few other ways to pursue an alternative route to certification.
Credential-only program: Often called the "fifth year" approach, this is a state-approved preparation program taken on its own, without being tied to a bachelor's degree. It typically runs two to four semesters.
Teacher internship program: You can satisfy the preparation requirement through a college, university, or school district internship instead of a traditional program.
Private school teaching experience: Prior private-school teaching or Peace Corps teaching experience can count toward your credential requirement. This route doesn't apply to special education. Those credentials require a college, university, or designated internship program, with no exception.
Meet California's Basic-Skills, Subject-Matter, and Literacy Requirements
What you need to demonstrate before earning a credential depends on which credential you're pursuing and which option you use to show it. Requirements have shifted in the last few years, so it's worth confirming the current list with your program rather than assuming an older exam sequence still applies.
Basic Skills Requirement
California permits several ways to satisfy the basic-skills requirement, including qualifying college coursework, specified examinations such as the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST), or a combination of coursework and exams. Which option applies to you depends on your program and your credential.
Subject-Matter Competency Requirement
Subject-matter competency for a Single Subject credential (and for the subject-matter portion of other credentials) can be established through the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET), but CSET is one option among several. An appropriate academic major, a CTC-approved subject-matter program, qualifying coursework, or a combination the CTC permits can also satisfy this requirement. Check with your preparation program to confirm which path fits your background.
Literacy Requirement for Multiple Subject and Education Specialist Candidates
California replaced its older reading-instruction exam with a Literacy Performance Assessment (LPA) requirement, embedded in the CalTPA's literacy cycle. Candidates in Preliminary Multiple Subject, Education Specialist, and PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist programs need to pass this literacy-focused performance assessment, which has candidates design and film lesson segments rather than sit a multiple-choice test.
Requirements depend on the credential you're seeking and how you demonstrate basic skills, subject-matter competency, and literacy competence, so confirm the current checklist with your program before assuming any single test applies to you.
Apply for Your California Teaching Credential
Once your degree, preparation program, and exams are behind you, the application itself is mostly paperwork, but the state is strict about what has to be in it.
What the Application Requires
- A completed application form
- Supporting documentation: college transcripts and exam scores
- A non-refundable application fee (current fee schedule here)
- A completed Request for LiveScan Service form, proving fingerprint clearance
California requires both state (Department of Justice) and federal (FBI) fingerprint clearance for every prospective educator, processed through LiveScan. Out-of-state candidates can generally submit fingerprint cards from their home state instead. The California Department of Justice has the full process.
Some credentials carry additional coursework requirements, such as a U.S. Constitution course or a computer technology course, but these have changed over time and vary by credential. Check the CTC's current credential-specific checklist for your track rather than assuming a fixed set applies.
Where to Send Questions
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
651 Bannon Street, Sacramento, CA 95811
Phone: (916) 322-4974
www.ctc.ca.gov
California Department of Education
1430 North Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-0800
www.cde.ca.gov
Find a Teaching Job in California
Once you're credentialed, the job search looks different depending on whether you're aiming for a public district, a private school, or a subject with a documented shortage.
Public School Teaching Jobs
The state Department of Education's affiliated site, TEACH California, is the best starting point for job listings, and tools like DataQuest and EdJoin help match certified teachers to open positions. Special education and STEM continue to show the most consistent demand statewide, alongside rural and hard-to-staff urban districts.
Once you're hired, the California Teachers Association (CTA) and the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) both offer legal support and professional development to members. Upon retirement, public school teachers draw a pension through CalSTRS, which covers retirement, disability, and survivor benefits.
Teaching in a Private School
California's private school directory currently lists more than 3,190 active or pending private schools statewide. Private schools aren't legally required to hire only credentialed teachers, but most do anyway, and candidates often cite smaller class sizes and higher parental involvement as the trade-off for typically lower pay than public districts.
Salary and Job Outlook by Occupation
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, California's teacher salaries run well above the national median for nearly every grade band: elementary school teachers here earned a median $99,650 as of May 2025, against a national median of $63,970. That gap holds across most K-12 roles, though it narrows for kindergarten and preschool teachers.
| Occupation | Median Annual Wage (CA) | Job Growth (2024-2034) |
|---|---|---|
| Preschool Teachers | $47,400 | +13.1% |
| Kindergarten Teachers | $82,550 | -2.8% |
| Elementary School Teachers | $99,650 | -1.7% |
| Middle School Teachers | $98,950 | -1.7% |
| Secondary (High) School Teachers | $101,370 | -1.5% |
| Special Education Teachers, K-Elementary | $97,170 | -1.8% |
| Special Education Teachers, Secondary | $101,060 | -1.7% |
| Substitute Teachers, Short-Term | $60,300 | +2.2% |
Most classroom teaching roles in California are projected to shrink slightly through 2034, the same pattern showing up nationally, but that doesn't mean the jobs dry up. Projections Central still counts nearly 9,700 elementary-teaching openings a year in California alone, mostly from retirements and turnover, not growth. Preschool and substitute teaching are the exceptions, both growing. Special education, especially at the secondary level, remains one of the state's most consistently listed shortage areas alongside math, science, and bilingual education.
Keep Building Your Credential After You Start Teaching
Getting hired isn't the finish line. California issues your first credential as a Preliminary Credential, and you'll need to clear it to a Clear Credential within a set window after you start teaching.
Clear Your Preliminary Credential
For California-prepared Multiple Subject, Single Subject, and Education Specialist teachers, clearing the credential generally means completing a CTC-approved Teacher Induction Program, co-sponsored by the CTC and CDE. It's the same program many educators still call BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment), its former name, and it pairs new Preliminary-credential holders with a mentor through a structured, two-year, job-embedded support system.
If you were prepared out of state, the CTC evaluates your application under separate credential-specific requirements, which can include professional-level credentials and verified teaching experience rather than the induction pathway. Confirm the current requirements for your specific credential with the CTC directly, since they vary by case.
Ongoing Professional Development
California ties ongoing professional development for teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators to the state's Common Core standards, with resources delivered through the Digital Chalkboard platform at no cost. The state updated its own Standards for the Teaching Profession in 2024, so it's worth checking the current version rather than relying on what a program covered a few years back.
Considering a Master's Degree
A master's degree isn't the general substitute for induction that it's sometimes made out to be, but earning one still tends to pay off. Most California districts run on a step-and-lane salary schedule, where pay increases with both years of experience and credential level, so a master's degree can move you up a lane even without changing your credential status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a specific major to become a teacher in California?
No. Elementary candidates usually pursue a Multiple Subject credential and often major in Liberal Studies, but middle and high school teachers pursuing a Single Subject credential can major in whatever subject they plan to teach: English, math, history, or science, for example.
Can I teach in California without a teaching degree?
Yes, through alternative routes. A credential-only program, a teacher internship, or qualifying private-school teaching experience can substitute for a traditional bachelor's-plus-credential path, though special education credentials require a college, university, or designated internship program specifically.
What's the difference between a Preliminary and a Clear credential?
The Preliminary credential is what you earn first and start teaching on. The Clear credential is the follow-up requirement, generally completed through a CTC-approved Teacher Induction Program (formerly known as BTSA) for California-prepared teachers. If your Preliminary credential came from an out-of-state program, the CTC evaluates you under separate, credential-specific requirements instead.
Does California have a teacher shortage?
Yes, in specific areas. Special education, math, science, and bilingual education have run as persistent shortage subjects in California for years, even though overall K-12 teaching employment is projected to hold roughly flat or decline slightly through 2034.
How much do California teachers get paid compared to the rest of the country?
Meaningfully more in most grade bands. California's median elementary teacher salary was $99,650 as of May 2025, compared to a $63,970 national median, though cost of living varies sharply by region within the state.
- Three credential tracks, not one. Multiple Subject covers elementary self-contained classrooms. Single Subject covers middle and high school subject teaching. Special education runs on its own Education Specialist credential.
- The CTC decides everything. Programs, exams, and the credential itself all run through the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing - not the district, not the school.
- Requirements depend on your credential and your path. Basic skills, subject-matter competency, and (for Multiple Subject and Education Specialist candidates) literacy competence can each be met through more than one option, including coursework, exams, or an approved major.
- Preliminary isn't the finish line. California-prepared teachers generally clear their credential through a CTC-approved Teacher Induction Program. Out-of-state candidates go through separate CTC requirements instead.
- Pay runs high, growth runs flat. California's teacher salaries beat the national median in nearly every category, even as most classroom roles show slight projected declines through 2034.
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Preschool Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers, Special Education Teachers. Job growth projections (2024-2034) are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, Projections Central. Figures reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2026.
Choosing a preparation program matters as much as choosing to teach at all, especially with different credential tracks to sort between. The sponsored programs listed here include options built around California's own CTC-approved pathways, including several that accept applicants who already hold a degree in another field.