Become a Teacher
in Colorado

All states require that certified teachers at a minimum have a Bachelor’s degree. Additionally, some states have undergraduate credit hour requirements for certification in specialty areas. Colorado, however, does not have any undergraduate credit hour requirements.

Colorado requires prospective teachers to complete an approved teacher education program. Typically teacher education programs consist of a combination of curricula and fieldwork. The curricula often includes instruction on foundational knowledge and skills, pedagogy (or the art and science of teaching), and preparing students to research, design and implement learning experiences in their field of study. The fieldwork component can include field observations, student teaching, and an internship. While the involvement in an education program may seem financially daunting, a number of financial resources specifically for teachers exist around the country. For more information on this, visit our page on scholarships for teachers. For more scholarships for teachers specific to the State of Colorado  visit our Colorado Teacher Scholarships page.

Colorado will accept some teaching credentials from the following states. Contact the Colorado Department of Education to inquire about your specific situation. Please see our interstate reciprocity disclaimer for more information.

Alabama	Arizona	Arkansas	California
Connecticut	Delaware	Florida	Georgia
Hawaii	Idaho	Illinois	Indiana
Kansas	Louisiana	Maine	Maryland
Massachusetts	Michigan	Mississippi	Missouri
Montana	Nebraska	Nevada	New Hampshire
New Jersey	New Mexico	New York	North Carolina
North Dakota	Ohio	Oklahoma	Oregon
Pennsylvania	Rhode Island	South Carolina	South Dakota
Tennessee	Texas	Utah	Vermont
Virginia	Washington	West Virginia	Wisconsin
Wyoming

• Incentives to teach in high-needs schools or shortage subject areas: Colorado provides differential pay and loan forgiveness for teachers teaching in high needs schools but provides no support for teachers teaching in shortage subject areas
• Policies in place that articulate elements of effective induction: Colorado has strong induction policies in place
• Average Elementary Teacher Salary: The average elementary school teacher in Colorado makes $49,150
• Average Secondary Teacher Salary: The average secondary teacher in Colorado makes $50,920
• Teacher Salary vs. State Average Salary: The average teacher in Colorado makes 114% of the salary of the average worker in Colorado
• Number of Vacation Weeks Per Year: The average teacher in Colorado receives 15 weeks of vacation per year

In order to become a certified teacher, you must satisfactorily complete the Basic Skill Test requirement and any Subject Area Competence assessments needed for your desired area of instruction.

• Colorado Department of Education
• Colorado Teacher Tenure
• Troops to Teachers Colorado: In Colorado, Troops to Teachers is managed by the Mountain Pacific Region Office

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