How to Become a Teacher in Delaware: Tests, Fees and Routes

By the Transforming Education editorial team. Every fact on this page was checked against the source linked beside it on November 7, 2026.

Note: The Delaware Department of Education (licensure and certification through the Delaware Educator Data System, DEEDS) website could not be reached from our network on November 7, 2026, so the routes, license, renewal and background-check details on this page come from Delaware's administrative rules, 14 DE Admin. Code 1500 series, Professional Standards Board. Rules set the requirements but not always the current procedures or fees, so confirm both with the agency before you apply.

No degree yet: the traditional route

For high school students, college students and anyone without a bachelor's degree. You earn the degree and the teacher preparation in one program.

Traditional Educator Preparation Program

Delaware issues an Initial License to applicants who hold at least a bachelor's degree from a 4-year regionally accredited college or university, complete a student teaching program (or one of the rule's alternatives, such as 91 days of long-term substitute teaching in the same content area in a Delaware public school), and at the same time apply for and meet the requirements of at least one content area Standard Certificate. For the Elementary Teacher Standard Certificate (grades K to 6), that means completing an approved elementary education preparation program, or 30 semester hours of elementary education coursework in a CAEP- or state-approved program, and passing the Praxis content tests named in the rule. An Initial License earned this way is valid for 4 years and cannot be renewed.

1. Earn a bachelor's degree from a 4-year regionally accredited college or university
2. Complete student teaching as part of an approved educator preparation program
3. Pass the content area exam required for your Standard Certificate
4. Apply in DEEDS for the Initial License and a Standard Certificate at the same time
5. Send official transcripts (copies are not accepted) and proof of student teaching
6. Disclose any criminal conviction history and pay the one-time $100 application fee

Source: regulations.delaware.gov

Bachelor's in another field: the alternative route

For people who already hold a bachelor's degree in a subject other than education.

Alternative Routes to Certification (ARTC)

Delaware's Alternative Routes to Certification (ARTC) programs let people who meet the Initial License requirements, including a bachelor's degree, teach as the educator of record in a Delaware public, vocational-technical or charter school while completing a Department-approved program. Enrollment in an ARTC program takes the place of student teaching for the Initial License, and the participant teaches on an Emergency Certificate (a Certificate of Eligibility in special education areas) that lasts up to 1 school year and can be extended up to 2 times while the participant makes satisfactory progress. Teacher programs must provide a summer institute of at least 120 instructional clock hours before the teaching assignment begins, plus intensive on-the-job supervision with formal observations.

1. Earn a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university
2. Get hired as the educator of record in a Delaware public, vocational-technical or charter school
3. Enroll in a Department-approved ARTC program in the area of the certificate you seek
4. Apply for an Initial License and an Emergency Certificate, including the program's welcome letter
5. Complete the program's summer institute of at least 120 clock hours, before teaching or after year one if hired late
6. Stay enrolled, make satisfactory progress and take part in regular observations and supervision
7. Meet all Standard Certificate requirements before the Emergency Certificate and its extensions run out

Source: regulations.delaware.gov

Changing careers into teaching in Delaware

If you already have a bachelor's degree and some years in another job, start with the alternative route described above. It is built for people who did not study education.

For pay context, the median annual wage for high school teachers in Delaware was $77,960 in May 2025, according to the BLS OEWS state estimates. If your background matches a subject on the state's shortage list, that list is further down this page.

State-approved alternative certification programs

Not verified yet: the state's website could not be reached when we checked. Check with the agency.

Licensed in another state

For teachers who hold a license from another state and want to teach in Delaware.

Reciprocity

Educators who hold a valid and current full license or certificate from another state or jurisdiction can be licensed in Delaware through reciprocity; temporary, emergency, conditional and expired credentials do not qualify. Applicants with fewer than 4 years of experience under a state credential in a Pre-K to 12 public school receive an Initial License whose length depends on experience (3 years for 1 year of experience, 2 years for 2 and 1 year for 3), while those with 4 or more years receive a 5-year Continuing License. In both cases the applicant must apply at the same time for at least one content area Standard Certificate and meet its requirements or qualify for an Emergency Certificate.

1. Confirm your out-of-state license or certificate is a valid, current, full credential
2. Document your years of experience as an educator under a state credential in a Pre-K to 12 public school
3. Apply for an Initial License (fewer than 4 years of experience) or a Continuing License (4 or more years)
4. Apply at the same time for a content area Standard Certificate and provide its documents
5. Submit an official copy of your license, official transcripts and proof of experience
6. Disclose any criminal conviction history on the application

Source: regulations.delaware.gov

Required tests, codes and qualifying scores

Delaware uses Praxis for teacher licensure. The table lists the core tests by license area, with the qualifying score and fee exactly as the source publishes them. Which tests you take depends on the license area you are seeking, so check the full list for your subject before you register.

Scores and fees change. Confirm both on the testing company's page before you register.

Fees, background check and license validity

Background check

Final candidates for public school jobs, including teachers, must complete a fingerprinted Delaware and national criminal background check through the State Bureau of Identification (SBI) and the FBI, plus a Child Protection Registry check by the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. Fingerprinting is done at a Delaware State Police troop that processes these checks or at an on-site appointment arranged by the school, and the candidate pays the cost. A check is valid for 12 months, and an out-of-state check from the past 12 months that includes a federal check may be accepted if it is sent directly to the school with a reference from the most recent employer. License applicants must also disclose any criminal conviction history on the application. Source

Your first license

License: Initial License. It is valid for 4 years. Issued for 4 years to applicants who meet the standard requirements; out-of-state applicants with 1, 2 or 3 years of experience receive a 3-, 2- or 1-year Initial License, and Skilled and Technical Sciences teachers up to 6 years. The Initial License cannot be renewed: before it expires the educator completes the comprehensive educator induction requirements of 14 DE Admin. Code 1503 and must have no more than 1 unsatisfactory annual evaluation to move to a Continuing License. Applicants apply for the Initial License and at least one Standard Certificate at the same time. Source

Renewal

The Initial License cannot be renewed; educators qualify for a 5-year Continuing License by completing the induction and professional learning requirements of 14 DE Admin. Code 1503 with no more than 1 unsatisfactory annual evaluation. The Continuing License is renewed for another 5-year term with 90 clock hours of professional development or professional learning completed during the license term, such as college courses (1 semester hour counts as 15 clock hours), workshops, micro-credentials and mentoring. Activities must be documented and verified by the employing authority, and a lapsed Continuing License can be reissued within 5 years with 90 clock hours of professional development. Requirement: 90 clock hours of professional development or professional learning every 5 years (Continuing License). Source

Teacher pay in Delaware

Elementary teachers in Delaware earned a median of $75,920 a year in May 2025, $11,950 above the national median of $63,970. Half of teachers in each occupation earn more than the median and half earn less. What you earn in a given district depends on its salary schedule, your experience and any graduate credits.

Annual wages, cross-industry estimates, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 state tables, retrieved through the BLS Public Data API on November 7, 2026. Special education teachers are shown separately; our guide to the online master's in special education covers the add-on and initial-license options.

Teacher shortage areas, 2026-27

Delaware reported these subject areas to the US Department of Education as teacher shortage areas for the 2026-27 school year.

• English as a Second Language: English as a Second Language (statewide)
• Mathematics (statewide)
• Science (statewide)
• World Languages: Any World Language (statewide)

Source: US Department of Education, Teacher Shortage Areas report, retrieved November 7, 2026.