How to Become a Teacher in Vermont: 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.

Traditional Route to Licensure

Candidates complete a state-approved educator preparation program at a college or university through a bachelor's, post-baccalaureate or master's program, and the institution recommends them for licensure. Applicants then apply online through the Vermont licensing system, pay the fees, meet the testing requirements and complete a fingerprint-supported criminal record check within the application. This route leads to an initial Level I license.

1. Complete a state-approved educator preparation program
2. Get your institution's recommendation for licensure
3. Meet all testing requirements before applying
4. Apply online for the initial Level I license and pay the fees
5. Complete the fingerprint-supported criminal record check in the application

Source: education.vermont.gov

Bachelor's in another field: the alternative route

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

Peer Review

Peer Review is Vermont's alternate route to licensure, a competency-based assessment for candidates with a bachelor's degree in a relevant field and significant teaching experience or content knowledge who have not completed a traditional preparation program. It provides no instruction: candidates build an online portfolio that licensed educators score against the Core Teaching and Leadership Standards and endorsement competencies, then meet an interview panel. The result is either a recommendation for licensure or a Plan of Action listing further requirements.

1. Complete all testing requirements before applying
2. Apply through the online licensing system for an eligibility review
3. Attend a Peer Review Clinic and complete its survey
4. Build and submit the online portfolio
5. Complete the interview with a panel of licensed educators
6. Receive a licensure recommendation or a Plan of Action

Source: education.vermont.gov

Changing careers into teaching in Vermont

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 4 programs below are on the state's approved list.

For pay context, the median annual wage for high school teachers in Vermont was $76,220 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 Vermont.

Reciprocity

Vermont accepts professional teaching licenses from all U.S. jurisdictions under the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, including jurisdictions that have not signed it. A non-conditional professional license from another state qualifies for an initial Vermont license in the equivalent endorsement and exempts the applicant from Vermont testing for that endorsement. Regardless of experience, reciprocity applicants receive a Level I license and become eligible for Level II after three years of teaching in Vermont.

1. Confirm you hold a non-conditional professional license from another U.S. jurisdiction
2. Check Vermont's jurisdiction-specific requirements for your endorsement, such as a bachelor's degree
3. Apply online for an initial Vermont educator license
4. Complete the fingerprint-supported criminal record check
5. Document 6 credits or 90 hours of recent professional learning if your out-of-state license has expired

Source: education.vermont.gov

Required tests, codes and qualifying scores

Vermont 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

All applicants must complete a fingerprint-supported criminal record check, which is completed within the online license application. Fee: $15. Source

Your first license

License: Level I Professional Educator License. It is valid for 3 years. The Level II license has a 5-year term; educators licensed through reciprocity become eligible for Level II after three years of teaching in Vermont. Source

Renewal

Renewal requires new professional learning for each endorsement on the license. A Level I renewal needs three credits (45 hours) per endorsement, at least one credit tied to the endorsement's knowledge and performance standards, while a Level II renewal needs six credits (90 hours) per endorsement, at least two credits tied to those standards and the rest within the Core Teaching and Leadership Standards. Requirement: Level II: 6 credits (90 hours) per endorsement each 5-year term; Level I: 3 credits (45 hours) per endorsement each 3-year term. Source

Teacher pay in Vermont

Elementary teachers in Vermont earned a median of $63,070 a year in May 2025, $900 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

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

• Administrative: Principal (in some districts or regions)
• Art and Music Education: Art, Music, Theatre (in some districts or regions)
• Career and Technical Education: Construction Technology, Health and Medical Occupations, Public Safety/Protective Services, Transportation Careers (in some districts or regions)
• Core Subjects: Elementary Education (in some districts or regions)
• Early Childhood: Early Childhood and Elementary Education (in some districts or regions)
• Health and Physical Fitness: Health Science, Physical Education (in some districts or regions)
• Language Arts: English (in some districts or regions)
• Social Studies (in some districts or regions)
• Support Staff: Guidance and Counseling, Library/Media Specialist, Nurse, Social Worker (statewide and in specific districts or regions)

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