Updated
PERM occupation, SOC 25-2021.00, #69 of 1,410 by filings
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
- Biggest sponsor
- Dallas Independent School District · 14% of its filings
- Busiest state
- TX · 24% of its filings
- Major group
- Education and library · SOC 25
Weighing an offer for this job?
Where it falls among certified offers, and the four wage levels DOL sets for it by area.
Median wage
$59,972
all PERM $103,272
Filings
892
#69 of 1,410
Approval
99.0%
field 96.8%
Median days
477
at the field median
What it pays
Where its median offer sits among every occupation, then the whole ladder of certified offers by year and by state.
Median offered wage
$59,972above 42%
Approval rate
99.0%ahead of 83%
Median days to decision
477 daysahead of 48%
Each bar counts occupations at that value. More
- 5th to 95th
- 25th to 75th
- Median
- 10th and 90th
FY2025
$62,790 median · 415 certified cases
FY2026
$57,588 median · 414 certified cases
- 10th
- $46,676
- +6.1% since FY2025
- Median
- $57,588
- -8.3% since FY2025
- 90th
- $77,110
- +4.2% since FY2025
- 95th
- $83,909
- +5.6% since FY2025
Each row is that fiscal year's certified filings, counted on their own. A percentile is over the year, so a year with far fewer cases behind it is a thinner measurement than one with more.
| Fiscal year | Cases | 5th | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | 95th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 415 | $39,470 | $43,972 | $52,335 | $62,790 | $66,000 | $74,000 | $79,440 |
| FY2026 | 414 | $42,598 | $46,676 | $51,500 | $57,588 | $66,000 | $77,110 | $83,909 |
A median answers whether pay moved. More
Who files it
The sponsors and firms with the most PERM filings under this code, the places the work sits, and who the workers were.
Sponsors filing it
- Dallas Independent School District 126 filings · 100.0% approved
- SAVANNAH CHATHAM COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM 106 filings · 99.1% approved
- Jordan School District 22 filings
- WASHINGTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 22 filings
- Alpine School District 19 filings
- Denver Public Schools District 1 17 filings
How this is counted
The employers with the most applications under this code. 312 of 892 filings, 35% of the total.
Firms filing it
- Ramirez & Associates, .PC. 127 filings · 100.0% approved
- Watts and Watts 109 filings · 99.1% approved
- Dentons Durham Jones Pinegar P.C. 71 filings · 100.0% approved
- Law Office of Wesley Mathis PLLC 34 filings · 100.0% approved
- Sivaraman Immigration Law 34 filings · 97.1% approved
- Jennifer Chun, PLLC 29 filings
How this is counted
The law firms named on the most applications under this code. 404 of 892 filings, 45% of the total.
Where the jobs are
- Texas 215
- Georgia 110
- North Carolina 104
- Utah 75
- California 51
- South Carolina 35
How this is counted
The worksite state on the application, which is where the job is and not where the company is headquartered. Volume by state across everyone is on the state map. These 6 states cover 590 of 892 filings.
Where the work is
- Dallas, TX 127
- Savannah, GA 106
- West Jordan, UT 22
- Washington, DC 21
- American Fork, UT 19
- Denver, CO 19
How this is counted
The worksite city on the application, which is where the job is. These 6 cities cover 314 of 892 filings.
- Every sponsor that files it, by state, approval rate, offered wage and time to a decision
- Every filing for it, PERM, wage requests and H-1B, case by case
Newspapers it advertised in
- 136 cases
The Dallas Morning News
- 106 cases
Savannah Morning News
- 64 cases
The Salt Lake Tribune
- 37 cases
Houston Chronicle
- 27 cases
The Washington Post
- 22 cases
The Arizona Republic
How this is counted
The newspaper or professional journal named for each case's two print ads, one count per paper per case, however the filer spelled it.
Additional steps it used
- 619 cases
The employer's website
- 593 cases
Job search websites
- 393 cases
Local or ethnic newspapers
- 378 cases
Campus placement offices
- 269 cases
Job fairs
- 149 cases
Employee referral programs
How this is counted
The steps a professional job needs beyond the job order and the ads, by the number of cases that name each.
How long before filing it began
- 0.0%
Under 30 days
- 0.0%
30 to 59 days
- 21%
60 to 89 days
- 31%
90 to 119 days
- 16%
120 to 149 days
- 31%
150 to 180 days
- 0.9%
Over 180 days
How this is counted
Days from the first recruitment step to the filing. 20 C.F.R. § 656.17(e) puts the job order and ads 30 to 180 days before filing.
Who filled these jobs, FY2016 to FY2023
From DOL's old form; the form in use since mid-2023 doesn't carry them. Top six of each.
Country of citizenship
- Mexico 22
- Philippines 4
- China 3
- Colombia 2
- Mali 2
- Ecuador 1
Worker's education
- Bachelor's 26
- Master's 13
Visa held when filed
- H-1B 33
- H-1B1 2
- B-1 1
- J-1 1
- TPS 1
Schools
- INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO Y DE ESTUDIOS SUPERIORES DE MONTERREY 2
- PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY 2
- UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE NUEVO LEON 2
- UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON 2
- DE LA SALLE ANDRES SORIANO MEMORIAL COLLEGE 1
- GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY 1
Fields of study
- BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 4
- EDUCATION 2
- EDUCATION CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION 2
- AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING 1
- AQUACULTURE & FISHERICS MANAGEMENT 1
- ARCHITECTURE 1
The job itself
What O*NET says the work is, what the market pays it by BLS's survey, its outlook, and DOL's wage levels year by year.
- United States1,388,390 jobs
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXDallas
- Savannah, GASavannah
- Salt Lake City-Murray, UTWest Jordan
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVWashington
- Provo-Orem-Lehi, UTAmerican Fork
- middle half of pay (BLS)
- median
- 10th to 90th percentile
- DOL's Levels I to IV, left to right
- median PERM offer
| Area | BLS median | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $63,970 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $65,070 | $56,330 | $60,843 | $65,357 | $69,870 |
| Savannah, GA | $63,710 | $53,260 | $60,147 | $67,033 | $73,920 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $77,920 | $54,040 | $66,213 | $78,387 | $90,560 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $79,470 | $59,870 | $72,060 | $84,250 | $96,440 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | $62,930 | $48,890 | $59,700 | $70,510 | $81,320 |
How these figures fit together
BLS surveys employers on what they pay everyone in a job; DOL builds its four levels from the same survey a year later (the July 2026 wage year uses BLS's May 2025 estimates). DOL publishes levels by area, not nationally, so the United States line has none. Levels are hourly in DOL's tables; here they're shown a year at 2,080 hours, as DOL computes them. The metros are the ones holding the most of this job's PERM filings, placed by Census's county files.
The block is the middle half of what employers report paying everyone in this job, citizen or not; the ticks under it are DOL's four prevailing wage levels for that metro, the floors a PERM or H-1B offer is held to. More
DOL's levels for this job in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, year by year
Each July DOL resets the four levels from BLS's newest survey. A determination keeps the figures of the year it was issued in.
| Wage year | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | $56,330 | $60,843 | $65,357 | $69,870 |
| 2025-26 | $55,220 | $59,520 | $63,820 | $68,120 |
| 2024-25 | $57,760 | $61,237 | $64,713 | $68,190 |
| 2023-24 | $53,800 | $57,517 | $61,233 | $64,950 |
| 2022-23 | $54,880 | $57,990 | $61,100 | $64,210 |
| 2021-22 | $52,900 | $55,457 | $58,013 | $60,570 |
What the job is
Teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level.
- Preparation
- Considerable Preparation Needed
- O*NET Job Zone 4
- DOL's education basis
- Bachelor's degree
- Wage year 2026-27, on DOL's Appendix A list
- Jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -0.4%
- About 87,500 openings a year (BLS)
- Typical entry
- Bachelor's degree
- BLS
Bright Outlook O*NET OnLine lists this job for numerous job openings.
The work, most important first
- Instruct students individually and in groups, using teaching methods such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among the students.
- Guide and counsel students with adjustment or academic problems or with special academic interests.
- Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
- Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
The education workers in it report
- 78%
Bachelor's Degree
- 22%
Master's Degree
Titles people use for it
Classroom Teacher, Elementary School Teacher, Elementary Teacher, Teacher, Art Teacher, Elementary Classroom Teacher, Math Teacher (Mathematics Teacher), Music Teacher.
Related jobs: Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education, Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education, Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors, Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education, Tutors, Special Education Teachers, Elementary School.
This section includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database and O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. PERM Tracker has modified some of this information (the shares are rounded and only the top tasks are shown); what changed. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Against other jobs
Where this sits in the ranking
Ranked 69 of 1,410 by volume: 68 filed at least as many filings, and 1,341 filed no more.
- Just above
- Materials Engineers 895 filings
- Just below
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 871 filings
Other education and library roles
Occupations sharing this one's SOC major group, which is carried in the first two digits of the code. More
Occupations sharing this one's SOC major group, which is carried in the first two digits of the code. Wages inside a group still swing hard, because the group holds every seniority level and every metro.
- #78 Business Teachers, Postsecondary 819 filings · 7 denied
- #93 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 680 filings · 28 denied
- #110 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary 490 filings · 5 denied
- #123 Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary 422 filings · 5 denied
- #147 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 334 filings · 6 denied
- #148 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary 329 filings · 4 denied
The same job on H-1B
12,115 certified H-1B labor condition applications for this occupation since FY2020, offering a median of $57,400 a year; the middle half ran $49,778 to $65,545. By state and year in the salary explorer.
Notes on these numbers
Reading the wage
A floor, not a salary survey: every level and metro mixed. DOL's four wage levels for this job, by area.
What the median is
The median wage employers committed to in federal filings for this occupation. It mixes every experience level and every metro, and it's a floor: the employer must offer at least the prevailing wage DOL determines for the occupation, level and county. Across all PERM filings the middle half of offered wages runs $45,178 to $141,357, so a figure inside that band is unremarkable whichever occupation it belongs to. The levels page reads DOL's OFLC wage search live.
What these numbers don't say
4 notes
- The code is the identity
- This one is SOC 25-2021.00. Two SOC codes can carry the same job title, so a title that looks duplicated on the ranking is two different occupations. Match on the code when you're checking a specific filing.
- A median isn’t an offer
- It's the middle of all 892 wages committed to for this occupation across the country, entry level and principal alike. The same role's medians swing hard by worksite, which the state map shows directly.
- Approval isn’t about the occupation
- The denial rate moves with what happened in the filing rather than with the job title, so nothing here is a property of Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education. The measured factors are on the denial risk page, published as separate rates.
- Nothing here is pending
- All 892 counted here carry a decision date, because every case in DOL's disclosure files does, so a case still waiting is in none of them. The largest filer of this occupation is Dallas Independent School District. Where the queue stands today is on the processing times page.
The window these figures cover: DOL's PERM disclosure files for fiscal years 2024 to 2026, through the third quarter of 2026, 373,939 decided cases. Nothing pending is counted here. How each figure is built
Weighing an offer?
Compare it against this median, then check the state map, where the same occupation's medians swing hard by worksite.
Setting one?
All 1,410 occupations sort together on the wages page, and denial rates show how outcome moves with the offered wage.
Filings newer than DOL's last published file can't be attributed to this occupation until DOL publishes them. The live list on the case search page carries them by employer.
Case data: DOL quarterly disclosure files (flag.dol.gov) · data through Jun 30, 2026 · quarterly
Employers and firms: Derived from DOL's disclosure files · data through Jun 30, 2026 · rebuilt with each quarterly load
O*NET occupation data: O*NET Database, USDOL/ETA (onetcenter.org) · data through Aug 16, 2026 · twice a year
BLS market pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (bls.gov) · data through May 31, 2025 · yearly, each spring
BLS employment projections: BLS Employment Projections (bls.gov) · data through Dec 31, 2025 · yearly, each autumn
DOL wage tables: DOL OFLC wage data downloads (flag.dol.gov) · data through Jul 1, 2026 · yearly, each july
What each source includes
Case data: Decided PERM cases only. A case still waiting isn't in here, so counts and durations describe finished cases.
Employers and firms: Employers, law firms and occupations ranked from decided cases only.
O*NET occupation data: What O*NET says each occupation is and takes: its description, tasks, Job Zone and the education workers report. A description of the job everywhere, not of any one employer's opening.
BLS market pay: What employers report paying everyone in each job, nationally, by state and by metro, from BLS's yearly survey (May of the year named). Citizens and immigrants alike; not PERM offers.
BLS employment projections: BLS's ten-year projection of each job's employment and yearly openings, and the entry education it calls typical. A projection, not a count.
DOL wage tables: The four prevailing wage levels DOL publishes for every job in every area, each wage year from 2021-22, as DOL's own tables print them. The floors an offer is held to, not what anyone was paid.
Cite this page
Waiting on a PERM case?
- When it'll likely be decided
- An email when DOL moves it