Can you teach in Texas without a teaching degree?

Yes. TEA says anyone with a bachelor's degree from an accredited school can enroll in an alternative certification program. Many of these programs take about a year, and some let you teach as a paid intern with a mentor while you finish the requirements.

How much does Texas teacher certification cost?

For an elementary teacher, the three state exams cost $368, the certificate application is $78, and fingerprinting is $52, for about $498. That figure leaves out tuition for the preparation program, which is usually the largest cost and varies by program.

Can Texas schools still hire uncertified teachers?

Less often. Under House Bill 2, K-5 reading and math teachers must be certified in 2026-27, and all reading, math, science, and social studies teachers in 2027-28. Districts with an approved delay plan have until the start of 2029-30.

How to become a teacher in Texas now that K-5 reading and math teachers must be certified

Starting this school year, Texas public schools must staff K-5 reading and math classes with certified teachers. "2026-2027 school year: K-5 reading and mathematics teachers must be appropriately certified," the Texas Education Agency (TEA) says in its guide to House Bill 2, the school finance law the Legislature passed in 2025. In 2027-28, the rule expands to every teacher of reading and English language arts, math, science, and social studies in all grades.

The change narrows a path many new Texas teachers have taken. In a presentation to the State Board for Educator Certification in April 2026, TEA reported that 11.9% of the state's teachers were uncertified in 2025-26, the same share as 2024-25 and up from 3.2% in 2018-19.

Texas had 369,150 public school teachers in 2024-25, counted as full-time equivalents, at 9,624 operating schools, according to allk12's analysis of federal data. That is more than any other state and about 11.7% of the national total of 3,150,438. Texas schools averaged 14.9 students per teacher, compared with 15.2 nationally. Because 658 Texas schools reported no teacher count, the ratio uses only schools that reported both. You can browse every district on the Texas schools page or see how Texas compares in our state-by-state teacher count.

The five requirements and the two main routes

TEA lists five requirements to become a certified teacher: earn a bachelor's degree from an accredited college, complete an approved educator preparation program, pass the certification exams, apply to the state, and get fingerprinted for a national criminal background check. The agency also exempts some career and technical certificates, including Trades and Industrial Education, from the degree requirement.

If you don't have a degree yet, TEA says you must complete a university program. If you already have a degree, you can enroll in an alternative certification program (ACP) or a post-baccalaureate program. ACPs are run by universities, school districts, regional education service centers, community colleges, and private entities, and only programs on TEA's approved list can recommend you for a certificate.

TEA says many ACPs can be finished in one year and that you may be able to teach as a paid intern with a mentor during that time. Once a district hires you, you apply for an intern or probationary certificate that is valid for one calendar year, and it can sometimes be extended for up to two years. TEA also sets a limit: you may not teach more than three school years in Texas public schools on temporary credentials before earning a standard certificate.

The new certification rule has a release valve. TEA lists 572 districts with approved plans to delay it, and those districts may keep using their District of Innovation flexibility, a state exemption program, until the start of the 2029-30 school year. Under HB 2, TEA also pays a one-time $1,000 incentive to the district for each eligible uncertified teacher who earns a standard certificate by the end of 2026-27.

Your preparation program approves you for each exam, one attempt at a time. A college graduate who hasn't yet entered a program can take a Pre-Admission Content Test to show subject knowledge. For a teacher who wants to teach early childhood through grade 6, the state fees look like this:

Step	Fee
TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391)	$116
Science of Teaching Reading (293)	$136
Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities EC-12 (160)	$116
Certification application	$78
Fingerprinting ($42 to TEA plus $10 to IdentoGO)	$52
Total	$498

Source: Texas Educator Certification Examination Program exam pages and TEA certification and fingerprinting pages, accessed October 2026. Excludes program tuition, retakes, and probationary certificate fees. Pearson notes additional fees may apply.

The math: $116 + $136 + $116 = $368 in exams, plus $78 and $52, equals $498. The reading exam applies to candidates who will teach prekindergarten through grade 6, a requirement that took effect January 1, 2021. TEA says a new performance-based test, the Texas Test of Educator Proficiency, is scheduled to launch in September 2027 and, pending board action, would replace the current pedagogy exam. Its price hasn't been set. Candidates in special education and bilingual education get a break: HB 2 waives the fee for the first attempt at those exams, for tests taken June 4, 2025, or later, plus the $78 application fee for those certificates.

What Texas teachers earn in 2026-27

TEA's most recent posted minimum salary schedule, for 2025-26, sets $33,960 for a teacher with no experience on a 10-month contract, up $300 from $33,660 in 2024-25.

District	2026-27 starting pay	Teachers, 2024-25	Students per teacher
Houston ISD	$70,000	10,960	16.1
Dallas ISD	$68,000	9,240	15.1
Northside ISD	$61,000	7,021	14.3
Austin ISD	$58,069	5,130	14.0

Source: Starting pay from each district's published 2026-27 salary documents. Teacher counts (full-time equivalents) and students per teacher from allk12's analysis of NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.

The fine print differs by district. Houston ISD hires new teachers with fewer than three years of certified experience, including uncertified teachers, at $70,000 and those with more than three years at $74,000. In their second year, or after they earn certification, their pay is set by their evaluation rating under the district's pay-for-performance model. Dallas ISD set $68,000 as its minimum salary for certified teachers in the budget its board approved in May 2026. Northside ISD in San Antonio lists $61,000 for a teacher with no experience, though the district says its 2026-27 compensation plan depends on voters passing a tax rate election in November 2026. Austin ISD pays $58,069 to teachers with up to two years of experience and $57,969 to uncertified teachers with no experience, for a 187-day year.

Houston's $70,000 is $36,040 more than the state minimum of $33,960, or about 2.1 times as much. Austin's starting salary is $11,931 below Houston's.

HB 2 added raises for experience through the Teacher Retention Allotment. In districts with 5,000 or fewer students, the state funds $4,000 for each teacher with three or four years of experience and $8,000 for those with five or more. In larger districts, the amounts are $2,500 and $5,000. TEA says the money attaches after a teacher completes the third year, and it counts uncertified teachers who otherwise meet the classroom-teacher definition. Teachers who haven't finished three years don't generate it.

Stipends can add more. Austin ISD lists up to $7,000 a year for bilingual and special education classroom teachers in 2026-27, and Dallas ISD's 2026-27 budget proposal raised its bilingual teacher stipend to $5,000. For a look at how another state handles the same steps, see our guide on how to become a teacher in North Carolina.

How to become a teacher in Texas now that K-5 reading and math teachers must be certified

The five requirements and the two main routes

What Texas teachers earn in 2026-27

Frequently asked questions

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