# Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

US SOC code 25-2012. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/25-2012

Also called: Kindergarten teacher, K teacher, KG teacher, Kindergarten educator, Kindergarten instructor.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **108,870** US kindergarten teachers (except special education), with median pay of **$62,680** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **181,810**, in May 2009. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/bulletins/demographic/23-statistics-of-teachers.pdf) of **7,500** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for kindergarten teachers: ClassDojo, Seesaw, and digital school-home communication platforms, 2015 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects little or no change in employment from 2025 to 2035 (-0.3%). Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-2012&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **29.5%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1856
- Latest US employment: 108,870 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $62,680 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [9]
- Outlook: -0.3% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [25]

### All 30 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 7,500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., US Census Bureau [1] |
| 1930 | 30,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NCES [2] |
| 1960 | 60,000 (estimate) | $4,995 (estimate) | Est., NCES (employment) [3]; Est., NCES (pay) [6] |
| 1970 | n/a | $8,840 (estimate) | Est., NCES [7] |
| 1980 | n/a | $16,715 (estimate) | Est., NCES [6] |
| 1990 | 135,000 (estimate) | $31,278 (estimate) | Est., NCES (employment) [4]; Est., NCES (pay) [6] |
| 2000 | n/a | $42,898 (estimate) | Est., NCES [8] |
| 2003 | 162,660 | $40,160 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 164,530 | $41,400 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 171,290 | $42,230 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 165,780 | $43,580 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 170,880 | $45,120 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 174,530 | $47,100 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 181,810 | $47,830 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 173,330 | $48,800 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 164,910 | $49,520 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 157,370 | $50,120 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 157,800 | $50,230 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 158,240 | $50,600 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 158,150 | $51,640 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 151,290 | $52,620 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 140,660 | $54,230 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 131,160 | $55,470 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 124,290 | $56,850 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 120,080 | $57,860 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 120,730 | $60,900 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 119,250 | $60,490 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 118,580 | $62,690 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 114,410 | $61,430 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 108,870 | $62,680 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (92)

### Employment series

1. [US Census Bureau — Bulletin 23: Census Statistics of Teachers (1900); kindergarten enrollment basis for teacher-count estimate](https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/bulletins/demographic/23-statistics-of-teachers.pdf), US Census Bureau
2. [NCES — Digest of Education Statistics: retrospective enrollment and teacher tables; NCES historical series (elementary-secondary teachers 1930)](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/), National Center for Education Statistics
3. [NCES — Digest of Education Statistics: number of teachers in elementary and secondary schools, fall 1970 through fall 2021 (historical context for 1960 estimate)](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_004.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
4. [NCES — Digest of Education Statistics: enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools by level and grade, fall 1980 through fall 2023](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d24/tables/dt24_203.10.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. [NCES — Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools: selected years 1959-60 through 2008-09](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d09/tables/dt09_078.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
7. [NCES — Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools: selected years 1969-70 through 2016-17](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d17/tables/dt17_211.60.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
8. [NCES — Average annual salary for public elementary and secondary school teachers, 1970-71 to 2000-01](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d01/fig10.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
9. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
10. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

11. [Smithsonian Magazine — "A Little History of American Kindergartens" (Froebel gifts, Peabody, Schurz, public kindergarten expansion)](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/little-history-american-kindergartens-180963263/), Smithsonian Magazine
12. [New America Foundation — "Women Brought Kindergarten to America" (Peabody, Schurz, Blow, and kindergarten teacher training)](https://www.newamerica.org/insights/women-brought-kindergarten-to-america/), New America Foundation
13. [NAEYC — "Remembering the Life and Work of Susan Blow" (kindergarten professionalization through the early 20th century; developmental frameworks replacing Froebel method)](https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2018/remembering-life-work-susan-blow), National Association for the Education of Young Children
14. [Center for the Study of Child Care Employment — "The Kindergarten Lessons We Never Learned" (historical arc of kindergarten professionalization and labor conditions)](https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/report/the-kindergarten-lessons-we-never-learned/), Center for the Study of Child Care Employment
15. [NPR — "How Sesame Street got its start" (November 10, 1969 premiere; research-backed curriculum; impact on kindergarten readiness)](https://www.npr.org/2025/09/03/nx-s1-5509957/how-sesame-street-got-its-start), NPR
16. [Britannica — Educational television (history of classroom AV and the educational television movement 1950s-1990s)](https://www.britannica.com/topic/educational-television), Encyclopaedia Britannica
17. [Wikipedia — History of education in the United States (technology in schools; E-rate program; classroom computer access 1980s-2000s)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_education_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia
18. [Tandfonline — "Kindergarten Teachers Making Street-Level Education Policy in the Wake of No Child Left Behind" (Early Education and Development, 2008)](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10409280802065387), Taylor and Francis
19. [No Child Left Behind Act — Wikipedia (2001; assessment requirements; impact on elementary curriculum)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act), Wikipedia
20. [ClassDojo — About: 51M+ students globally; school-home communication and behavior management platform widely used in K-2 classrooms (2024)](https://www.classdojo.com/), ClassDojo
21. [BLS MLR — "Early educators and public school teachers: a comparison of labor market outcomes" (2025; post-pandemic educator workforce trends)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2025/article/early-educators-and-public-school-teachers-a-comparison-of-labor-market-outcomes.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
22. [ESGI — K-2 digital assessment platform: 400,000+ teacher accounts; individual phonics and sight-word assessment in under 2 minutes (2025)](https://www.esgi.net/), ESGI
23. [MagicSchool AI — Product overview: 5M+ teacher users; kindergarten lesson plan, IEP goal, and parent newsletter templates (2025)](https://www.magicschool.ai/), MagicSchool AI
24. [NAEYC — Technology and Young Children: updated guidance on developmentally appropriate AI and screen use for ages 5-6 (2025)](https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/technology-and-media), National Association for the Education of Young Children

### Forecasts and exposure studies

25. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 25-2012 Kindergarten teachers, except special education (2025: 111.2 thousand; 2035: 110.9 thousand; -0.3%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-2012&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
26. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 25-2012.00, human-rated β 0.295)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

27. [Wisconsin Historical Society — Margarethe Schurz (first US kindergarten, Watertown, Wisconsin, 1856)](https://wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS14782), Wisconsin Historical Society
28. [Missouri Historical Society — "Susan Blow: Bringing Public Kindergarten to the US" (first public kindergarten, St. Louis, 1873)](https://mohistory.org/blog/susan-blow-bringing-public-kindergarten-to-the-u-s), Missouri Historical Society
29. [Social Welfare History Project — "Place of the Kindergarten in Child-Saving" (Bureau of Education data on 7,557 kindergartens, 1900)](https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/child-welfarechild-labor/place-kindergarten-child-saving-1900/), Social Welfare History Project / VCU Libraries
30. [Center for the Study of Child Care Employment — "The Kindergarten Lessons We Never Learned" (ESEA, Title I, kindergarten funding expansion)](https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/report/the-kindergarten-lessons-we-never-learned/), Center for the Study of Child Care Employment
31. [NPR — "How Sesame Street got its start" (November 10, 1969; research-based curriculum designed to close readiness gap)](https://www.npr.org/2025/09/03/nx-s1-5509957/how-sesame-street-got-its-start), NPR
32. [Wikipedia — No Child Left Behind Act (historical context: A Nation at Risk 1983, teacher certification standards)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act), Wikipedia
33. [Tandfonline — "Kindergarten Teachers Making Street-Level Education Policy in the Wake of No Child Left Behind" (NCLB's impact on kindergarten curriculum, 2008)](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10409280802065387), Taylor and Francis / Early Education and Development
34. [BLS MLR — "Early educators and public school teachers: a comparison of labor market outcomes" (2025; COVID-19 disruption; teacher attrition; post-pandemic workforce)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2025/article/early-educators-and-public-school-teachers-a-comparison-of-labor-market-outcomes.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

35. [New America Foundation — "Women Brought Kindergarten to America" (Peabody, Schurz, normal schools, and early kindergarten teacher training)](https://www.newamerica.org/insights/women-brought-kindergarten-to-america/), New America Foundation

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education (25-2012.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-2012.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OES May 2023 — Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education (25-2012): median annual wage $60,900](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes252012.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NAEYC — Technology and Young Children: updated guidance on developmentally appropriate AI and screen use for ages 5-6 (2025)](https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/technology-and-media), accessed 2026-05-24
- [RAND — Teachers and AI: A Survey of Teacher Perspectives on AI Tools in K-12 Education (2024)](https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA956-21.html), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Stanford HAI — Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and Recommendations (2025)](https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-k-12-education), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NAEP 2024 Reading Report Card — 33% of 4th-grade students read below the Basic achievement level nationally; kindergarten early-literacy foundations implicated](https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/nation/achievement/?grade=4), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ESGI — K-2 digital assessment platform: 400K+ teacher accounts; eliminates paper-based individual phonics assessments (2025)](https://www.esgi.net/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ClassDojo — AI Tutor for early learners: launched 2024, 51M+ student accounts globally; reading and math practice with parent-facing progress reports (2025)](https://www.classdojo.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [MagicSchool AI — Product overview: 5M+ teachers; kindergarten-specific lesson plan, IEP goal, and parent newsletter templates (2025)](https://www.magicschool.ai/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Amira Learning — AI reading tutor: IES What Works Clearinghouse ESSA Tier II evidence for K-2 oral reading fluency and phonics (2025)](https://amiralearning.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ISTE — AI in Education: early childhood guidance on human-mediated technology use for K-2 learners (2025)](https://iste-ascd.org/ai), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Microsoft Reading Coach — AI fluency tutor embedded free in Teams for Education and Edge; supports 100+ languages for ELL families (2025)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/education), accessed 2026-05-24
- [EdSurge — AI reading tutors in K-2 classrooms: teacher oversight and targeted small-group intervention remain essential (2025)](https://www.edsurge.com/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.