Middle School Teacher Career Assessment

2What is a Middle School Teacher?

A middle school teacher usually teaches one subject to five or six different classes a day. You teach the same lesson several times, which sounds easy and is not, because fourth period is nothing like first period. Across the day you see roughly 120 different students, and you are expected to know all of their names, all of their grades, and which ones are struggling. You plan one subject deeply instead of five subjects shallowly. You grade a lot, because 120 students times one assignment is 120 papers. You also have an advisory or homeroom group, hall duty, and probably a coaching or club assignment after school. In North Dakota this job sits in an overlap: the elementary license covers grades 1 through 8 and the secondary license covers grades 5 through 12, so middle school teachers come from both directions.

The Reality: Say this part out loud: at this age, they will push back at you. A thirteen-year-old will roll their eyes, test a rule, say something rude, and then come to your room at lunch because they trust you. Both of those are the same kid on the same day. If you need to be liked, or if you take that first behavior personally, this age group will wear you down fast. The teachers who love middle school are the ones who find it funny instead of insulting. Be honest with yourself about which one you are.

Your Responsibilities:

• Teach one subject to five or six different classes a day
• Plan lessons deeply in your subject and keep up with what changed in it
• Grade about 120 students’ worth of work per assignment
• Learn and use 120 students’ names, grades, and needs
• Run an advisory or homeroom group and check on those students all year
• Handle behavior, phones, and social drama without making it personal
• Contact parents about grades, missing work, and behavior
• Cover hall duty, lunch duty, and usually coach a sport or run a club

You catch them right when they start thinking for themselves — and you get to argue with them about it.

3A Day in the Life

7:30 AM — In early. Set up the lab for today’s experiment and print the warm-up. Answer an email from a parent about a missing assignment.

8:00 AM — Advisory. Fifteen minutes with your group. You check grades with two students who are failing something and need a plan, not a lecture.

8:20 AM — First period. Best class of the day. The lesson goes exactly the way you planned it and you feel like a genius.

10:00 AM — Third period. Same lesson, different planet. Two students will not stop talking, one is on a phone, and you change the plan on the spot.

11:15 AM — Lunch duty in the commons, then twenty minutes to eat and reset the room.

12:15 PM — Prep period. Grade thirty lab sheets, call one parent, and copy tomorrow’s handout. It goes fast.

1:00 PM — Fifth and sixth period, same lesson, two more times. By the last one you can teach it in your sleep, but they cannot tell.

3:30 PM — Students leave. You coach volleyball until 5:30, then take the rest of the grading home.

Same lesson, five very different rooms. Your voice and your patience are the two things that run out first.

4Training in North Dakota

A four-year degree and a North Dakota teaching license — and there are two ways in. North Dakota does not have one single middle school license. It has an overlap. The elementary license covers grades 1 through 8. The secondary license covers grades 5 through 12. Both of those reach middle school, and middle school teachers in this state come from both. Which one you pick should depend on what you want to teach. If you want to teach one subject deeply — math, science, English, social studies — the secondary degree in that subject is the straighter road. If you want flexibility to teach elementary too, the elementary degree with a middle level concentration keeps both doors open.

Training Pathways:

• Secondary education degree in your subject (4 years): Major in something like Mathematics Education, English Education, Biological Sciences Education, or Social Studies Education. This licenses you for grades 5 through 12 in that subject, which covers middle school and high school. NDSU offers a long list of these.
• Elementary education degree with a middle level focus (4 years): An elementary degree licenses you for grades 1 through 8, which includes middle school. Several ND schools let you add a middle level concentration or certificate on top — Dickinson State has a Middle School Education concentration, VCSU has a Middle School Certificate, and UND has a Middle Level Education minor.
• Already have a bachelor’s in your subject: This is the group with the shortest road into middle school teaching. If your degree is in math, English, science, or history, the ESPB Alternate Access License can put you in a classroom in a documented shortage area for up to three years while you finish coursework. There are also master’s licensure programs — NDSU’s M.Ed. Teacher Licensure Option is one.

Where to Train in North Dakota:

• North Dakota State University (Fargo) — secondary education majors for grades 5 to 12 in Mathematics Education, English Education, Biological Sciences Education, Chemistry Education, Physics Education, Comprehensive Science Education, Social Studies Education, Spanish Education, Business Education, Agricultural Education, Family and Consumer Sciences Education, and Health Education, plus K-12 licensure in Art, Music, and Physical Education — ndsu.edu/education/teacher-education
• North Dakota State University (Fargo) — M.Ed. Teacher Licensure Option, for people who already hold a bachelor’s degree — ndsu.edu/education/academic-areas/k-12-teacher-preparation/med-teacher-licensure-option
• Dickinson State University (Dickinson) — Middle School Education is offered as a concentration in the teacher education program. DSU says secondary licensure entitles the holder to teach in the major area for grades five through twelve, and elementary licensure covers grades one through eight — dickinsonstate.edu/academics/fields-of-study/soe/education/teacher-education-program/concentrations-licensures
• Valley City State University (Valley City) — Elementary Education, B.S., grades 1 to 8, with a Middle School Certificate listed as one of the content options students add. VCSU requires over 150 hours of field experience before twelve weeks of student teaching — catalog.vcsu.edu/undergraduate-catalog/programs/majors/elementary-education
• University of North Dakota (Grand Forks) — Elementary Education, B.S.Ed., 125 credits, on campus or 100% online, licensing you for grades 1 to 8 in ND, with a Middle Level Education minor available alongside it — und.edu/programs/elementary-education-bsed
• University of Mary (Bismarck) — Elementary Education, B.A. or B.S., grades 1 to 8, and separate secondary education programs. Accredited by the ND Education Standards and Practices Board — umary.edu/academics/schools/liffrig-family-school-education-and-behavioral-sciences/secondary-education
• Minot State University (Minot) — Elementary Education, B.S.Ed., plus secondary teacher licensure programs — minotstateu.edu/teu/programs.shtml
• Mayville State University (Mayville) — Elementary Education, B.S.Ed., designed for working adults with evening and online coursework, though not entirely online — mayvillestate.edu/msu-online/programs/bsed-elementary-education
• Turtle Mountain College (Belcourt) — Elementary Education, B.S.; Secondary English, B.S.; Secondary Math Education, B.S.; Secondary Science Education with Biology or Chemistry emphasis, B.S.; and a Master of Education — tm.edu/academics
• United Tribes Technical College (Bismarck) — Elementary Education, A.S. and Elementary Education, B.S. — ted.uttc.edu/degrees
• North Dakota State College of Science (Wahpeton) — Liberal Arts (Elementary Education Transfer), Associate in Arts, 61 credits, then transfer to take education courses and student teach — catalog.ndscs.edu/liberal-arts/associate-in-arts/liberal-arts-elementary-education-transfer
• Dickinson State University (Dickinson) — Master of Education in Elementary Education, for people who already hold a bachelor’s degree — dickinsonstate.edu/academics/fields-of-study/graduate-studies/master-of-education-in-elementary-education

Before You Start: A high school diploma or GED to start. If you go the secondary route you need real strength in your subject — a math education major takes college math, a science education major takes college science. Teacher preparation programs also have a GPA gate partway through. You need a fingerprint background check before you can be licensed or placed in a classroom.

Tip: Start with financial aid and scholarships. Fill out the FAFSA, ask the school’s financial aid office what you qualify for, and ask an employer whether they help pay for school. That is where the money starts. After that, a career counselor or Job Service North Dakota may be able to help with what is left over, like tuition, books, a laptop, or exam fees. What can be paid for depends on the program and on your own situation, so ask before you enroll rather than after. Worth asking about specifically: two-year degrees that train you for a job, like civil engineering technology, land surveying, mechatronics, electronics, or instrumentation. North Dakota two-year colleges also cost far less than a university. Ask about paid summer internships too — engineering firms, plants, and survey crews hire students while they are still in school.

5Certification & Licensing

North Dakota licenses you personally, through the Education Standards and Practices Board. There is no stand-alone middle school license in North Dakota. You reach middle school through the elementary license (grades 1 to 8) or the secondary license in your subject (grades 5 to 12). Check which one a job posting is asking for before you apply.

The License Ladder in North Dakota:

• Initial In-State License (two years) — ESPB says it is issued to first-time applicants who have met all of the ND requirements for licensure: a bachelor’s degree from an approved teacher education program, the required Praxis tests, and a background check (nd.gov/espb)
• Two-Year Renewal License — for an educator with less than 18 months of contracted teaching in North Dakota, or who has completed probationary requirements (nd.gov/espb)
• First Five-Year License — granted after 18 months of successful full-time equivalent teaching in North Dakota (nd.gov/espb)
• Five-Year Renewal License — requires at least 30 days under contract and six semester hours of continuing education (nd.gov/espb)
• Endorsements ($80 each) — added through your ND Teach account. ESPB lists English Learner, Kindergarten, Out-of-Field, and Major Equivalency Praxis endorsements. The Out-of-Field one matters in middle school, because small ND schools often need a teacher to cover a subject outside their license (nd.gov/espb)
• Alternate Access License (one year at a time, up to three years) — the fastest real door for a career changer who already holds a bachelor’s degree, in a documented shortage area. ESPB asks for a degree in the content area or at least 30 credits in that area or a closely related one, plus a plan to finish. It renews only if you show progress and the school asks in writing. If you use the American Board route instead of college coursework, ESPB says it must be done in your first year on the license (nd.gov/espb)
• Initial Interim Substitute License (two years) — ESPB issues this with a minimum of 48 semester hours of college coursework. Subbing in a middle school for a few weeks is the cheapest way to learn whether this age group is yours (nd.gov/espb)
• 25-Year Life License — for teachers who have held a North Dakota license for 25 years (nd.gov/espb)

The Exams: North Dakota requires all three Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests: Reading (5713, qualifying score 156, minimum 149), Writing (5723, qualifying score 160, minimum 153), and Math (5733, qualifying score 150, minimum 143). ESPB also accepts a composite of 466 as long as no single score falls below that test’s minimum. You also take a subject test for your licensure area. ESPB does not list those subject codes and cut scores on its testing page, and the middle school subject tests differ by subject, so confirm the exact test and score for your area with ESPB before you register (nd.gov/espb/licensure/testing-information).

Cost: From the ESPB fee list: initial application $30, fingerprinting $44.50, Initial In-State two-year license $85, two-year renewal $65, five-year license $140, endorsements $80 each, Alternate Access License $165, Interim Substitute License $95, transcript review $175, and a $100 late fee if a license lapses. A $5 maintenance charge is added to new applications. The degree is the real cost.

Keeping It Current: ESPB renews the five-year license when you have at least 30 days under contract and six semester hours of continuing education. Districts pay more for graduate credits and a master’s degree, so summer classes usually do double duty — renewal and a raise.

6Salary & Job Outlook

North Dakota Middle School Teacher Pay (May 2025) — yearly contract pay:

• Starting out (bottom 10–25%): $47,090–$50,420 a year
• Middle (median — half earn more, half earn less): $60,100 a year
• Experienced (top 25–10%): $62,750–$79,760 a year

What that means: Teachers are paid on a yearly contract, not by the hour, so the numbers above are yearly pay. Your district’s salary schedule is what tells you exactly what each step and each year of experience pays. The middle North Dakota middle school teacher earns about $60,100 a year, below the national middle of $64,370. The gap grows as you go up: the ND 75th percentile is about $62,750 while the national 75th is about $80,490, and the ND top tenth is about $79,760 against a national top tenth of $102,540. Read that carefully, because it says something important about this state. ND starting pay is respectable, but the ND pay range is squeezed — the distance between a new teacher and a twenty-year veteran here is much smaller than it is nationally. Pay rises with years taught and graduate credits, district scales are public, and coaching or club stipends add on top.

Jobs in North Dakota: About 1,500 people do this work in ND today. By 2034, that should be about 1,590 (about 6% growth). Expect about 110 job openings every year in ND from growth and people retiring or changing jobs. Across the U.S., the change is about 2% decline.

Outlook: Fair to good. O*NET shows North Dakota going from about 1,500 middle school teachers in 2024 to about 1,590 in 2034, roughly 6% growth, with about 110 openings a year. Nationally the job is shrinking about 2%, so ND is going the other way. One hundred and ten openings a year is workable but not generous, and it is a third of what elementary teaching offers. Two things improve your odds a lot. First, math and science are the hardest subjects for ND schools to fill — if you can teach those, you will be wanted. Second, if you hold the elementary license instead of a single-subject secondary license, you can apply to both middle school and elementary jobs, which roughly quadruples the postings you are eligible for.

Who Hires in ND: Public school districts across North Dakota, tribal and Bureau of Indian Education schools, and Catholic and other private schools. Many smaller ND districts run one building for grades 7 through 12 rather than a separate middle school, so a middle school job there often comes with high school classes attached.

Work Setting: Your own classroom, but a different group in it every period, plus advisory, hall duty, and lunch duty. School calendar, roughly late August through late May, summers off unless you work. Most middle school teachers also coach a sport or run a club, which adds evenings and weekends in season and comes with a stipend. Expect noise, movement, and six bell-driven transitions a day.

Physical Demands: Moderate. You are standing and moving all day but you are not lifting children or sitting on the floor. What actually wears out is your voice, from talking over a room five or six times a day, and your energy, from resetting between periods. Hall and lunch duty put you on your feet during what would otherwise be your break. If you coach, add evenings, weekends, and bus rides across North Dakota.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, North Dakota, May 2025 (SOC 25-2022); North Dakota and U.S. long-term employment projections 2024–2034, via O*NET OnLine. Numbers are rounded.

7Where This Leads

Path 1: Subject Teacher — Teach your subject and get genuinely good at it.

Path 2: High School Teacher — A 5-12 license already covers high school.

Path 3: Department Lead — Lead the math or science team in your building.

Path 4: Coach or Activities Director — Turn coaching into a bigger role.

Path 5: Instructional Coach — Help other teachers improve their teaching.

Path 6: Middle School Principal — Add a master’s degree and lead a building.

8The Real Talk

What's Great:

• You go deep in one subject instead of teaching all five
• They can argue, joke, and think abstractly — real conversations happen
• A new group every period, so a bad hour is over in fifty minutes
• Coaching and clubs let you know students outside the classroom
• Math and science teachers are in real demand in ND
• A school calendar, real benefits, and a pension

What's Hard:

• About 120 students means about 120 papers per assignment
• Eye-rolling, phones, and social drama are a daily part of the job
• You teach the same lesson five times and have to keep it alive every time
• Only about 110 ND openings a year — a third of elementary
• ND pay is squeezed: the 75th percentile here is about $62,750 against $80,490 nationally
• Coaching and club duties eat evenings and weekends in season

Be Honest: When a thirteen-year-old rolls their eyes at you in front of the whole class, do you find it funny or does it sting? That one question decides more than anything else on this page. Can you grade 120 papers without falling behind? Can you teach the same lesson for the fifth time at two in the afternoon and still sound like you mean it? And are you willing to be steady and boring about rules with a group of kids whose moods change by the hour?

9Part 1: What Attracts You?

10Part 2: Are You Ready?

11Part 3: Your Next Move

Your Middle School Teacher Assessment Results