How to Become a Teacher in Delaware
How to become a teacher in Delaware starts with a bachelor's degree, a state-approved teacher preparation program, and the assessment scores required for your specific Standard Certificate. The Delaware Department of Education then issues an Initial License alongside that certificate. Career-changers and CTE candidates have alternative-program and specialized pathways that don't always follow this exact sequence.
Every state runs the certification process a little differently, and how to become a teacher in Delaware hinges on one early decision: whether you're coming in with an education degree or switching careers into teaching. Both paths lead to the same Standard Certificate, just on different timelines.
Here's how the process breaks down, start to finish.
Choose What You Want to Teach
Before anything else, decide on a grade band and subject. Delaware certifies teachers for elementary, middle, secondary, and special education, and each track has its own assessment requirements tied to that specific Standard Certificate. If you already gravitate toward a subject, a middle or high school track makes sense. If you'd rather teach a range of subjects to younger students, elementary is the more common entry point.
Earn a Bachelor's Degree and Complete a Teacher Preparation Program
For the conventional classroom teaching pathway, Delaware requires at least a bachelor's degree that includes a state-approved teacher preparation program. Most colleges combine the two into a single "blended" program, so you're not doing a degree and a certification program back to back. This degree-plus-program sequence is the standard route, but it isn't universal: Delaware's Career and Technical Education and Skilled and Technical Sciences credentials follow their own pathway, and some STS educators enter without a college degree at all, based instead on trade experience and industry credentials.
Complete a Teacher Preparation Program
Delaware's teacher prep programs are typically accredited by CAEP (the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation) or an equivalent recognized body. Confirm current accreditation status with the Delaware Department of Education before enrolling, since accreditation requirements can change. These programs combine coursework with fieldwork: classroom management, differentiated instruction, assessment, and a supervised student teaching placement with a mentor teacher.
If you already hold a bachelor's degree in a different field, you don't have to start over. You can complete a post-baccalaureate program instead, which is Delaware's version of alternative teacher certification, and it lets you keep the degree you already earned.
Alternative Routes to Certification in Delaware
If a traditional four-year program doesn't fit your situation, Delaware maintains a list of approved alternative-route programs, including options through the University of Delaware. This isn't a single fixed path: check DDOE's current educator-preparation listings for the full set of approved programs, since options change over time.
Alternative Routes to Certification (ARTC)
ARTC-style programs are built for people who already have a degree but haven't completed a teacher prep program. They're typically aimed at Delaware's "critical needs" subject areas, often specific secondary subjects plus K-12 music and art. Schools can hire you to teach in your degree field while you complete certification requirements through an approved program provider such as the University of Delaware.
Substitute Teaching Experience
Delaware allows candidates with more than a year of substitute teaching experience to use "91 Days in Lieu of Student Teaching" as a substitute for a formal student teaching placement. This option doesn't apply to Early Childhood, Elementary, or Special Education certification, nor to specialist or administrator credentials, and it doesn't guarantee licensure. Confirm current availability and restrictions directly with the Delaware Department of Education.
Teacher Certification Reciprocity
If you already hold a full, current teaching license or certificate from another U.S. state, Delaware will consider it for reciprocity, provided the certification area is comparable and you meet Delaware's other requirements. If your background doesn't qualify for reciprocity, or you're seeking a new certificate area, testing typically becomes relevant at that point. Contact the Delaware Department of Education to find out where you stand.
If you're weighing Delaware against a neighboring state, the certification steps differ enough to matter: see How to Become a Teacher in Maryland, How to Become a Teacher in New Jersey, or How to Become a Teacher in Pennsylvania for the same walkthrough in each state.
Complete the Assessment Requirements for Your Certificate
Delaware doesn't run one fixed testing sequence for every candidate. Instead, complete the assessment requirements for your specific Standard Certificate: Delaware's official guidance points some certificate areas toward Praxis exams and others toward different assessments entirely, such as ACTFL for world language certification.
Ask your program advisor or the Delaware Department of Education which assessments apply to your certification area before you register for anything, since the required test varies by certificate and the wrong one wastes both time and the registration fee.
Apply for Your Delaware Teacher Certification
The Delaware Department of Education administers the licensure and certification application process, but it doesn't set certification standards alone. Delaware's Professional Standards Board promulgates the certification regulations DDOE applies, so requirements can shift when the Board updates them.
Application Requirements
When you apply to the Delaware Department of Education, expect to submit:
- Completed application form
- Official college transcripts
- Required assessment scores, if applicable to your certificate or pathway
- Copies of any teaching certificates you already hold
- Official statement of eligibility from your program
- Employment records, if applying through an experience-based route
Delaware doesn't require fingerprinting as part of the certification application itself, but you'll still need to clear a state and federal background check once a district hires you: that happens at the employment stage, not the licensure stage.
Contact Information
Delaware Department of Education
401 Federal Street
Dover, Delaware 19901
Phone: (302) 735-4000
Find a Teaching Job in Delaware
Public School Teaching Jobs in Delaware
The state Department of Education runs a subsidiary site, joindelawareschools.org, specifically to help candidates find public school openings. Delaware teachers also participate in the state's pension system through the Office of Pensions once hired.
Delaware State Education Association (DSEA)
DSEA is Delaware's teachers' union and the state affiliate of the National Education Association. It represents teachers on pay, working conditions, and contract negotiations across the state's districts.
Private School Teaching Jobs in Delaware
Delaware had about 137 private schools serving roughly 23,000 students as of 2021, and just over half carry a religious affiliation. Private school certification requirements, pay, and benefits vary by school and aren't governed by the same state licensure rules as public schools, so check directly with the school you're applying to.
Teacher Shortage Areas in Delaware
The U.S. Department of Education's most recent published Teacher Shortage Area list for Delaware (2021-2022) flagged these areas as critical need:
- Special Education, Early Childhood (PreK-2)
- Special Education, Generic (K-12)
- Special Education, Autism Spectrum Disorder (PreK-12)
- Career and Technical Education, Business (6-12)
- Career and Technical Education, Agricultural Science and Technology (6-12)
- Career and Technical Education, Drafting and Design Technology (6-12)
- Career and Technical Education, Family and Consumer Sciences (6-12)
- English (6-12)
This list is several years old and worth confirming against the current DDOE shortage list before making a decision based on it. Special education, in particular, tends to stay on shortage lists year after year.
Continue Your Education After Certification
Professional Development in Delaware
The Delaware Teacher Center, an offshoot of the Department of Education operating since 1981, manages most professional development for licensed teachers. Workshops are mostly in-person and earn either clock-hours or PIP credits, which count toward renewing your license.
Advanced Licensure
Delaware runs a three-tier licensure system: Initial License, then Continuing License, then an Advanced credential, which requires National Board Certification. Graduate coursework can also count toward the 90 clock hours of professional development Delaware requires to renew a Continuing License every five years, provided the coursework is relevant to your teaching assignment and comes from a regionally accredited institution.
Teacher Salary and Job Outlook in Delaware
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Delaware's classroom teachers earned the following median annual wages as of May 2025:
| Occupation | Median Annual Wage | Job Growth (2024-2034) |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten Teachers | $74,030 | +10.1% |
| Elementary School Teachers | $75,920 | +10% |
| Middle School Teachers | $67,780 | +10.1% |
| Secondary (High) School Teachers | $77,960 | +10.3% |
That job growth is worth noticing: nationally, most K-12 classroom teaching roles are projected to see flat or slightly declining employment through 2034, but the Delaware Department of Labor's own occupational projections show growth across every core teaching role in the state, with an average of roughly 470 secondary teaching openings and 230 elementary teaching openings every year between 2024 and 2034.
Special education pays comparably in Delaware: the median for special education teachers at the kindergarten and elementary level was $65,990 as of May 2025, and $78,490 at the secondary level, according to the BLS.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a teaching license and a teaching certificate in Delaware?
Delaware treats these as two separate things. Your license authorizes you to practice as a teacher, and you can only hold one at a time (Initial, Continuing, or Advanced). Your certificate confirms you're qualified in a specific subject or grade band, and you can hold more than one certificate at once, for example an elementary certificate and a special education certificate together.
What degree do I need to teach in Delaware?
For the conventional classroom pathway, at minimum a bachelor's degree that includes a state-approved teacher preparation program. If your bachelor's degree is in an unrelated field, you can complete a post-baccalaureate program or an approved alternative-route program instead of a second bachelor's degree. Career and Technical Education and Skilled and Technical Sciences credentials follow a different pathway and don't always require a bachelor's degree.
Can I become a teacher in Delaware without an education degree?
Yes. Delaware's approved alternative-route programs, including options through the University of Delaware, are built for people with a bachelor's degree in another field. You'll typically teach under a temporary certificate while completing certification coursework, usually in a subject area with a documented shortage. Check DDOE's current list of approved programs, since the specific options available change over time.
Does substitute teaching experience count toward certification in Delaware?
It can, under the "91 Days in Lieu of Student Teaching" option, which lets substitute experience stand in for part of student teaching. It doesn't apply to Early Childhood, Elementary, or Special Education certification, or to specialist and administrator credentials, and it isn't a guarantee of licensure. Confirm current eligibility with the Delaware Department of Education before counting on this path.
Can I transfer my out-of-state teaching license to Delaware?
If you hold a full, current teaching license or certificate from another U.S. state, Delaware will consider it for reciprocity as long as the certification area is comparable and you meet Delaware's other requirements. If your certification doesn't line up closely enough, or you want a certificate area you didn't hold before, you may still need to test. Contact the Delaware Department of Education directly to find out where you stand.
- Multiple paths, one certificate - the traditional bachelor's-plus-prep-program route and DDOE's approved alternative-route programs both lead to the same Standard Certificate.
- Testing is certificate-specific - the required assessment depends on which Standard Certificate you're pursuing; some use Praxis, others use different assessments like ACTFL.
- Background checks happen at hiring, not licensure - Delaware doesn't require fingerprinting to apply for certification, but districts require it before you start.
- Delaware's teaching job outlook beats the national trend - state projections show growth in every core K-12 teaching role through 2034, unlike the national average.
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, and High School 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.
Delaware's alternative routes are built around teaching while you finish certification, which changes what to look for in a program: ask whether it fits around a full-time classroom schedule. The sponsored programs listed here include options built for exactly that.