The Wyoming Teaching and Certification Resource

In order to work in the Wyoming public education system, aspiring teachers must earn teacher certification from the state. The Professional Teaching Standards Board within the Wyoming Department of Education oversees the certification process, which is outlined below to help you learn how to become a teacher in Wyoming.

How to Become a Teacher in Wyoming

Applicants who are seeking teaching certification in Wyoming must earn a bachelor’s degree, complete an approved teacher preparation program, and pass the required content exams. The teacher preparation program completed must include student teaching and be appropriately accredited. In Wyoming, appropriate accreditation is, at a minimum, regional accreditation or a national equivalent recognized by the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board. The program completed must also provide an institutional recommendation for licensure for the applicant.

There are also alternative teacher certification pathways in Wyoming for those who have completed a bachelor’s degree but did not complete a teacher preparation program.

Finding Approved Teacher Education Programs in Wyoming

Perhaps the most important step towards obtaining teaching certification in Wyoming is completing an approved teacher preparation program. Wyoming will only accept teacher preparation programs accredited by one of the 12 accrediting bodies recognized by the Professional Teaching Standards Board. When evaluating bachelor’s degree and teacher preparation programs, applicants should be sure to confirm that the schools offering these programs are appropriately accredited. You can compare key metrics for Wyoming-approved teacher preparation programs by using the sortable table on our Wyoming schools page.

The Professional Teaching Standards Board recognizes select regional and national accreditations as well as accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). CAEP accreditation is held as a marker of high standards in teacher preparation.

Wyoming Teacher Education Requirements

Candidates for Wyoming teacher certification must earn a bachelor’s degree and complete a teacher education program from a university accredited by one of the agencies recognized by the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board. Like most states, Wyoming requires that these programs contain a student teaching component. Graduates must be recommended for teacher licensure by the certification officer at the university. Candidates must also demonstrate completion of courses in the US and Wyoming Constitutions. Those who did not complete appropriate coursework may be required to take the Professional Teaching Standards Board exam covering these subjects.

Wyoming Teacher Testing Requirements

Unlike most other states, Wyoming does not require all teaching candidates to pass the Praxis series of exams. However, all teaching candidates must either have appropriate coursework in the US and Wyoming Constitutions or pass the Professional Teaching Standards Board exam for these subjects. Otherwise, the testing requirements are as follows by grade level:

• Candidates seeking endorsements in the secondary grades (6 to 12) may do so by earning an Institutional Recommendation for those subject(s) from the teacher preparation program completed instead of by testing.
• Candidates seeking subject-specific endorsements in the middle grades (6-8) must first earn a secondary grades license, and then take the appropriate Praxis subject assessment(s) to add a specific subject endorsement to their license.
• Candidates seeking endorsement in Elementary Education or Social Studies must take the appropriate Praxis subject assessments.
• World language endorsements for all grade levels require taking an Oral Proficiency Interview exam administered by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

For additional information on these requirements, consult the Professional Teaching Standards Board.

Additional Wyoming Teacher Certification Requirements

Wyoming law requires anyone applying for Wyoming educator certification to complete a state and federal background check. Applicants must request a fingerprint card from the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board in order to begin the process. Most local law enforcement offices offer fingerprinting services.

Wyoming Teachers Licensing Application Process

Once all of the steps towards Wyoming teacher certification have been completed, applicants should send the following documentation to the state’s Department of Education:

• Transcripts verifying a bachelor’s degree.
• Verification of completion of approved teacher preparation program including student teaching and Institutional Recommendation for a teaching license.
• Completed background check fingerprint cards.
• Passing scores on the required exams for the endorsement(s) sought.
• A completed application for Wyoming teacher certification.
• Payment of the non-refundable processing fee.

Applications should be sent to:

Professional Teaching Standards Board
1920 Thomes Ave, Ste 100
Cheyenne, WY 82002

Visit the Professional Teaching Standards Board for further details on Wyoming teacher certification.

Wyoming Teacher Outlook, Salary, and Jobs

During the 2016-2017 school year, there were 371 K-12 public schools in Wyoming, with an estimated 94,170 students.³ With approximately 7,506 teachers, this gave the state a student-to-teacher ratio of about 12:1.³

Projections call for 210 average annual job openings for elementary school teachers, 70 average annual job openings for middle school teachers, and 130 average annual job openings for secondary school teachers in Wyoming through 2026.² Elementary school teachers in Wyoming earn an average annual salary of $58,940, middle school teachers earn an average annual salary of $60,750, and secondary school teachers earn an average annual salary of $60,620.⁴ The Wyoming Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association, provides state policy updates and local employment opportunities.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2018.⁴

Teacher Shortages in Wyoming

According to the US Department of Education Teacher Shortage Area report for 2021-2022, Wyoming broadly has the following shortages⁵:

• Academic Intervention (Remedial Reading), K-12
• Art and Music Education (Art, Music), K-12
• Career and Technical Education (Vocational Technology), 8-12
• Core Subjects (Elementary Education), K-6
• English as a Second Language (English as a Second Language), K-12
• Health and Physical Fitness (Physical Education), K-12
• Language Arts (English), 6-12
• Mathematics (Basic and Advanced Mathematics), K-12
• Science (Biological Sciences; Earth and Space Science), 6-12
• Science (Chemistry, Physical Science, Physics), 9-12
• Science (General Science), 6-8
• Social Studies (Geography), 7-12
• Social Studies (U.S. History), 6-12
• Special Education (All Exceptionalities), K-12
• World Languages (Spanish), 6-12

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How do I become a high school teacher in Wyoming?

Answer: You must earn an educator license through the state to become a Wyoming high school teacher. To qualify for the license, you must first have a bachelor’s degree in the subject you will be teaching. You must also complete a teacher preparation program with a student teaching component in a high school setting and pass a background check.

Question: How much do teachers in Wyoming make?

Answer: Teachers in Wyoming from elementary through high school earn average salaries of over $60,000 per year.⁴

Question: Is there a teacher shortage in Wyoming?

Answer: Wyoming reports teacher shortages for the 2021-22 school year in many areas including special education, math, English as a second language (ESL), science, core subjects, and more.⁵ Teachers specializing in these areas of need may find jobs more easily.

References:
1. Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board: https://wyomingptsb.com/
2. Projections Central, Long Term Occupational Projections: https://projectionscentral.org/Projections/LongTerm
3. National Center for Education Statistics, State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey Data, 2016-2017: https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/stnfis.asp
4. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Wyoming: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_wy.htm
5. US Department of Education, Teacher Shortage Areas: https://tsa.ed.gov/