How to Become a Teacher in South Dakota: 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.

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.

Initial Educator Application (South Dakota preparation program graduate)

Graduates of a South Dakota educator preparation program apply for a Professional teacher certificate through the SD Educator Portal. The official transcript must show the degree, student teaching and an approved South Dakota Indian Studies course, and the applicant must pass both the state-designated pedagogy test and the content test for each endorsement. The university certification officer signs off on the application online. The agency notes that its guidance is being updated for new certification rules effective September 8, 2026.

1. Complete a South Dakota educator preparation program, including student teaching and an approved South Dakota Indian Studies course.
2. Pass the state-designated pedagogy test and the content test for each endorsement.
3. Create a mySD account and an Educator Profile in the SD Educator Portal.
4. Submit the Initial Educator Application for a Professional teacher certificate and pay the fee.
5. Have the university send an official transcript; the application routes to the university for sign-off.

Source: doe.sd.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 Certification (General Education, CTE and Teach for America)

Alternative certification starts with an Alternative Preliminary certificate, which must be issued before the candidate signs a teaching contract, followed by an alternative certificate once a South Dakota public or department-accredited school files an intent to employ. The district must show it could not hire a fully certified teacher, provide a mentoring program and recommend the teacher for renewal. The alternative certificate is valid through June 30 of the following year and is renewed yearly, and the candidate has three years to complete all coursework and testing requirements.

1. Apply for the Alternative Preliminary certificate in the SD Educator Portal before signing a contract.
2. Obtain a teaching contract offer from a South Dakota public or department-accredited school.
3. Have the district submit Form AC1, Alternative Certification District Intent to Employ.
4. Teach on the alternative certificate while participating in the district mentoring program.
5. Renew the certificate yearly and finish the coursework and testing requirements within three years.
6. Have the district submit Form AC8 recommending the transition to a professional certificate.

Source: doe.sd.gov

Changing careers into teaching in South Dakota

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 program below is on the state's approved list.

For pay context, the median annual wage for high school teachers in South Dakota was $51,050 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.

Licensed in another state

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

Reciprocity for an Out-of-State Educator

Teachers who hold full certification in another state apply through the Initial Educator Application in the SD Educator Portal. They provide an official transcript showing a bachelor's degree or higher, a copy of the out-of-state certificate, and Form OSF2 completed by the state licensure agency that issued it. Form EPV1, verifying teaching experience, is also required when requesting the advanced level, for special education grade ranges, or when the out-of-state certificate came through alternative certification.

1. Create a mySD account and an Educator Profile in the SD Educator Portal.
2. Upload the out-of-state certificate and have the issuing state complete Form OSF2.
3. Submit the Initial Educator Application with the equivalent endorsements and pay the fee.
4. Have official transcripts for each degree sent to the South Dakota Department of Education.
5. Submit Form EPV1 if the certificate came through alternative certification or the advanced level is requested.

Source: doe.sd.gov

Required tests, codes and qualifying scores

South Dakota 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

License fees: Not confirmed in the agency pages we could check; check with the agency.

Background check

Every certification application in the SD Educator Portal includes an Educator Conduct Review, a set of questions on criminal charges and other conduct in any state or country that applicants must answer completely, with supporting documents when requested. Failing to answer truthfully or to provide requested documents can lead to denial of a certificate or discipline of a current certificate holder. Source

Your first license

License: Professional teacher certificate. Teachers with 5 years of certified teaching experience and a master's degree or higher can select the Advanced level instead. Source

Renewal

Continuing education counts toward renewal only if completed after the issue date of the active certificate, and repeated trainings with identical content count once per renewal cycle. Contact hours must be education-related (endorsement area, pedagogy, classroom management, technology, assessment or differentiated instruction) and issued by an eligible provider such as a school district, accredited school, educational service agency or education-related organization. Source

Teacher pay in South Dakota

Elementary teachers in South Dakota earned a median of $50,130 a year in May 2025, $13,840 below 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

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

• Career and Technical Education (statewide)
• Core Subjects: Elementary Education (statewide)
• Special Education (statewide)

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