How to Become a Teacher in Kansas: Licensure Requirements 2026
The short version of how to become a teacher in Kansas: earn a bachelor's degree through a Kansas-approved teacher preparation program, pass the content assessment required for your endorsement area, clear a background check, and the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) issues your Initial Teaching License. Career-changers who already hold a bachelor's degree in their subject may qualify for a Restricted Teaching License instead.
Kansas doesn't require an education degree to teach, but it does require a state board-approved path to get there: a bachelor's degree, an approved preparation program, and passing Praxis scores. The requirements track closely with neighboring states, too - how to become a teacher in Missouri and how to become a teacher in Oklahoma both run on a similar Praxis-based system, if you're weighing your options across the state line. This guide walks through how to become a teacher in Kansas step by step, from choosing a grade band through landing your first classroom job.
Choose What You Want to Teach
Before you touch an application, decide the grade band and subject you want. Elementary licensure (K-6) covers general education across multiple subjects, while middle and secondary licensure means specializing in one or two content areas, like math, English, or biology. If you're drawn to a specific subject, middle or high school is the natural fit. If you'd rather teach several subjects to the same group of kids each day, elementary is the better match. Special education is its own path with its own endorsement exams, and it's one of the areas Kansas schools consistently need filled. Kansas also issues separate School Specialist and Leadership licenses for roles like counselors, librarians, and principals. That's worth keeping in mind if classroom teaching turns out to be a stepping stone rather than the destination.
Meet Kansas's Education Requirements
How states handle certification follows roughly the same shape everywhere, and Kansas is no exception. To hold a Kansas teaching license, KSDE requires at minimum a bachelor's degree earned through, or paired with, a state board-approved teacher preparation program. If you don't have a bachelor's degree yet, most Kansas universities offer a blended program that combines the degree and licensure coursework into one timeline, so you finish both together instead of one after the other.
Complete a Teacher Preparation Program
What matters for Kansas licensure is that your preparation program is approved by the Kansas State Board of Education: that's the operative requirement, separate from any national accreditation a program might also hold. Kansas State University, Wichita State University, and Pittsburg State University run some of the state's largest board-approved programs, and dozens of smaller colleges across Kansas run their own. Programs combine coursework in teaching theory, classroom management, lesson design, and technology integration with fieldwork: classroom observations and a student-teaching placement where you plan and deliver lessons alongside a mentor teacher.
If you already hold a bachelor's degree in something other than education, you skip that step entirely. Kansas's post-baccalaureate and alternative preparation programs are built for career-changers who need the licensure coursework without a second undergraduate degree.
Alternative Licensure Routes in Kansas
If the traditional route doesn't fit your situation, Kansas runs several nontraditional pathways, depending on what and where you want to teach.
Career Change to Teaching
KSDE's Restricted Teaching License is a distinct nontraditional credential, not a substitute for full licensure. It lets you start teaching while you finish the coursework a full license requires. To qualify, your degree (or equivalent coursework) needs to be in the subject you want to teach, or you need to qualify as a heritage-language speaker. You'll also need a GPA of 2.75 or higher on your most recent 60 college credit hours, a passing score on the Praxis II content exam for that subject, and a supervised practical training placement coordinated with a hiring district. This route is limited to secondary-level subjects and a small number of all-level subjects like art, music, and PE. Aiming at elementary or special education instead? Kansas runs separate nontraditional licensure pathways for those areas, so ask a Kansas teacher-prep program which one fits your goal. Once you meet the requirements for your route, reach out to a Kansas school or university that runs it. Most can help connect you with a district willing to hire you while you finish the program.
Pass the Assessments Kansas Requires
Every Kansas teaching candidate has to pass the content assessment tied to their endorsement area: KSDE's term for the subject-specific exam that matches what you'll actually teach. Your preparation program may layer its own additional assessment requirements on top of that, including entrance or exit tests before you start or finish fieldwork, so check with your advisor for the exact list that applies to your endorsement.
Apply for Your Kansas Teaching License
Application Requirements
Once your exams are cleared, KSDE requires the following before it issues a license:
- A completed license application
- The non-refundable application fee
- A complete set of fingerprints, plus the associated fee
- Official college transcripts and any other documentation supporting your application
- Passing scores on every required assessment
- A completed teacher work sample, verified by your Kansas college or university
Contact Information
Teacher Licensure and Accreditation
Landon State Office Building
900 SW Jackson, Suite 106
Topeka, KS 66612
Phone: (785) 296-3201
Find a Teaching Job in Kansas
Once you're licensed, the job search itself is straightforward, and Kansas schools have real openings to fill.
Public Schools in Kansas
Set up an account with the Kansas Education Employment Board (KEEB), the job board run through the Kansas Department of Education. Districts across the state are actively hiring for special education, elementary, and language arts positions, along with school principals and administrators. Once you're hired, the Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) and the Kansas Association of American Educators both offer membership benefits and labor support to working teachers.
Private Schools in Kansas
Kansas's roughly 226 private schools, serving about 42,000 students, hire on their own terms. Some require a specific religious or denominational affiliation, and licensure requirements can differ from the public system, so contact individual schools directly for their hiring requirements.
Kansas Teacher Salary and Job Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Kansas elementary school teachers earned a median annual salary of $56,450 as of May 2025, while middle school teachers earned $60,580 and high school teachers earned $59,920. Kindergarten teachers earned $56,670, and special education teachers ranged from $59,780 (middle school) to $60,700 (secondary), depending on grade level.
Employment in most K-12 classroom roles is projected to hold roughly flat through the next decade. Projections Central estimates Kansas elementary teaching positions will decline about 0.7% between 2024 and 2034, with middle school down a similar amount and secondary down 0.4%. That doesn't mean the jobs dry up: Kansas still expects around 920 elementary, 420 middle school, and 670 secondary teaching openings every year, mostly from retirements and turnover. Preschool teaching is the one growth area, projected up 1.2% with about 280 openings annually.
| Grade Level | Employment | Median Annual Wage |
|---|---|---|
| Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education | 1,330 | $47,750 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | 1,300 | $56,670 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 14,350 | $56,450 |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 6,230 | $60,580 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 10,860 | $59,920 |
| Special Education Teachers, Preschool | 350 | $59,220 |
| Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School | 1,610 | $59,970 |
| Special Education Teachers, Middle School | 550 | $59,780 |
| Special Education Teachers, Secondary School | 1,650 | $60,700 |
Continue Your Education and Professional Development
Kansas treats professional development as an ongoing part of the job, not a box you check once. The Kansas State Board of Education adopted the Learning Forward Standards for Professional Development, which ties annual training to your current and future roles and tracks progress through Professional Development Points. Districts channel most of this through their own offices, so ask yours what's available before looking elsewhere.
Upgrade to a Professional License and Simplify Renewal With a Master's
You'll start on a two-year Initial Teaching License. KSDE upgrades that to a five-year Professional License through a mentoring-based pathway that combines a mentoring program with qualifying experience in your endorsement area. See the link above for the exact timeline that applies to your license type. Until you upgrade, you renew the Initial license as needed.
Renewal requirements for the Professional License scale with your degree. Teachers with a bachelor's degree need 160 professional development points every five-year cycle, with at least 80 of those earned through formal college-level coursework. Pursue a master's degree, though, and the requirement drops to 120 points. One semester hour of college credit counts as 20 points, so a master's program can cover an entire renewal cycle's coursework requirement in just two classes. See KSDE's full renewal requirements here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an education degree to teach in Kansas?
No. You need a bachelor's degree in any field, plus a KSDE-approved teacher preparation program. If your degree is already in hand, Kansas's alternative and post-baccalaureate programs are built specifically to add the licensure coursework without a second bachelor's.
How long does it take to become a licensed teacher in Kansas?
A traditional route usually runs four to five years, matching a bachelor's degree timeline with an embedded preparation program. Career-changers using the Restricted Teaching License can start teaching sooner, often within a year, since they work in the classroom while finishing coursework.
What tests do I need to pass?
Kansas requires the content assessment tied to your endorsement area. Your specific preparation program may require additional assessments on top of that, so check with your advisor for the exact list.
Can I switch careers into teaching without going back for a full degree?
Yes, through KSDE's Restricted Teaching License, if your degree (or equivalent coursework) is in the subject you want to teach. You'll need a 2.75 GPA on your most recent 60 credit hours, a passing score on the Praxis II content exam for that subject, and a supervised training placement. It's limited to secondary subjects and a few all-level subjects - Kansas has separate nontraditional pathways if you're aiming at elementary or special education instead.
How much do Kansas teachers make?
As of May 2025, BLS data puts the median annual salary at $56,450 for elementary teachers, $60,580 for middle school teachers, and $59,920 for high school teachers in Kansas.
- Bachelor's degree, plus an approved program: KSDE requires both, whether you complete them together or add the program on its own after an existing degree.
- Content assessment required: a subject-specific exam tied to your endorsement area. Your program may require additional assessments on top of that.
- Restricted License for career-changers: a matching subject degree, a 2.75 GPA on your last 60 credit hours, the Praxis II content exam, and supervised training. Limited to secondary and select all-level subjects, with separate pathways for elementary and special ed.
- License upgrades on a track: Initial License to Professional License goes through KSDE's mentoring-based upgrade pathway.
- A master's degree cuts your renewal workload: from 160 professional development points every five years down to 120.
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) figures for Kansas Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, and High School Teachers. See the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook 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.
Every path above runs through an accredited preparation program, and the options listed here include both campus-based and online formats that work with career-changers as well as first-time education majors. Comparing a few side by side is the fastest way to see which one actually fits your timeline and budget.