How to Become a Teacher in the District of Columbia

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

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.

Standard Teacher Credential, Option 1 (approved program completer)

Applicants who have completed an approved teacher certification program in the subject area, hold at least a bachelor's degree, meet the criminal history background requirement and have passing scores on all required exams qualify for the Standard Teacher Credential. The credential is valid for four years and is renewable. Applicants with a bachelor's degree GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale do not need basic skills test scores.

1. Complete an approved teacher certification program in the subject area
2. Pass the required basic skills exams unless the bachelor's GPA is 3.0 or higher
3. Pass the subject content and pedagogy exams for the credential area
4. Have the program certification officer sign the program completer form
5. Obtain an FBI Identity History Summary Check and official transcripts
6. Apply and upload all documents through the Educator Credentialing Information System (ECIS)

Source: osse.dc.gov

Bachelor's in another field: the alternative route

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

Initial Teacher Credential (enrolled in an approved program)

Candidates with a bachelor's degree who are enrolled in an approved teacher certification program and are hired by a DC local education agency (LEA) can receive a nonrenewable Initial Teacher Credential while they complete their preparation. They must meet the basic skills requirement (or the 3.0 GPA standard), pass the subject content exam and submit a background check. Initial credential holders can later qualify for the Standard Teacher Credential by completing the program or by earning effective ratings for two school years under an OSSE-approved evaluation system.

1. Earn a bachelor's degree
2. Enroll in an OSSE-approved teacher certification program and have the Program Admission Verification Form completed
3. Secure a teaching position with a DC LEA and have its hiring official sign the LEA request form
4. Pass the basic skills exams (unless the bachelor's GPA is 3.0 or higher) and the subject content exam
5. Submit the Identity History Summary Check and official transcripts through ECIS

Source: osse.dc.gov

Changing careers into teaching in the District of Columbia

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. The 6 programs below are on the state's approved list, and one of them says its coursework is online.

For pay context, the median annual wage for high school teachers in the District of Columbia was $82,750 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

Programs shown are a selection from the state's approved list, checked November 7, 2026. "Online" reflects what the program or the state says about its coursework; teaching practice is always in a real school. The full, current list is on the agency's approved-program page.

Licensed in another state

For teachers who hold a license from another state and want to teach in the District of Columbia.

Out-of-state credential holders (reciprocity)

Educators who hold an active, full credential without deficiencies from another US state or territory can receive a DC credential in the applicable area on their first DC application. They must have completed an approved program or the coursework required for a standard or professional credential in the other state and provide passing scores on comparable licensing exams; if comparable scores are not available, the DC-required exams must be passed before a full DC credential is issued. Holders of an active National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification in a comparable area do not need DC exams.

1. Gather a copy of the active out-of-state credential, official transcripts and exam score reports
2. Obtain an FBI Identity History Summary Check
3. Submit a Program Completion Verification Form if an alternative program was completed
4. Scan all documents as complete PDFs and upload them with the online application
5. Pay the non-refundable $50 processing fee for each credential area

Source: osse.dc.gov

Required tests, codes and qualifying scores

District of Columbia 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

Every applicant for an OSSE educator credential must submit an FBI Identity History Summary Check (IHSC) report with the application. The report is requested directly from the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division or through an FBI-approved channeler agency and must have been issued within the 12 months before the application. Applicants currently employed and recently fingerprinted by DC Public Schools generally do not need to submit an IHSC report. Fee: $18. Source

Your first license

License: Initial Teacher Credential. It is valid for 3 years (expires July 31 of the third year from issuance). Nonrenewable. The renewable Standard Teacher Credential is valid for four years. A nonrenewable One-Year Provisional Credential is available to first-time DC applicants hired by a DC LEA for an assignment area where no initial or standard credential holder is available. Source

Renewal

A Standard Teacher Credential can be renewed through ECIS within 150 days (five months) of its expiration date, or reinstated after it expires. Applicants choose one of three options: professional learning units, performance ratings (accepted only from the DC Public Schools IMPACT system) or test scores. The professional learning option requires 120 clock hours, at least half of them content-specific. Requirement: 120 clock hours of professional learning (at least 60 content-specific) per renewal of the 4-year Standard credential. Source

Teacher pay in the District of Columbia

Elementary teachers in the District of Columbia earned a median of $96,580 a year in May 2025, $32,610 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

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

• Art and Music Education (statewide)
• Career and Technical Education: Military Science (statewide)
• Core Subjects: Elementary Education (statewide)
• Early Childhood (statewide)
• English as a Second Language (statewide)
• Health and Physical Fitness (statewide)
• Language Arts (statewide)
• Mathematics (statewide)
• Science (statewide)
• Social Studies (statewide)
• Special Education (statewide)
• World Languages (statewide)

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