How to Become a Teacher in Wyoming: 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

Wyoming requires every teacher to complete an approved teacher preparation program at a regionally or nationally accredited college or university. The program must include student teaching, lead to a degree in education in a specific endorsement area, and end in an Institutional Recommendation for licensure. Applicants also submit fingerprints, show knowledge of the U.S. and Wyoming Constitutions, and meet the testing requirements, which for first-time initial licensure apply to Elementary Education and Social Studies Comprehensive endorsements.

1. Complete an approved, accredited teacher preparation program that includes student teaching.
2. Obtain an Institutional Recommendation (IR) for licensure from the program.
3. Pass the required Praxis exam if seeking an Elementary Education or Social Studies Comprehensive endorsement.
4. Show knowledge of the U.S. and Wyoming Constitutions through approved coursework or the PTSB online exams.
5. Submit two blue FBI fingerprint cards and official transcripts.
6. Apply through the PTSB online educator portal and pay the fee.

Source: wyomingptsb.com

Bachelor's in another field: the alternative route

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

Alternative Route to Licensure

Wyoming does not have a state-approved alternative licensing program, although PTSB evaluates some out-of-state alternative route programs for substantial equivalence. Teachers who obtained a license in another state through a non-traditional or alternative route may qualify if they have taught three of the last six years in the state where they are fully licensed. A Wyoming district can also request an Exception Authorization (Option #7) for a hire who is enrolled in or has completed an accredited alternative route program not tied to a college; it is valid for two years, is non-renewable, and requires a program that includes subject area and pedagogy exams.

1. Earn a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
2. Hold a full license earned through an alternative route in another state and teach three of the last six years in that state, or be hired by a Wyoming district while enrolled in an accredited alternative route program.
3. Gather experience verification signed by school administrators (student teaching does not count) or the district's Verification of Employment and Customary Search form.
4. Submit fingerprints, transcripts and proof of U.S. and Wyoming Constitution knowledge.
5. Apply through the PTSB online educator portal and pay the fee.

Source: wyomingptsb.com

Changing careers into teaching in Wyoming

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 Wyoming was $62,690 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

The state does not list separate approved alternative certification programs. Follow the alternative route described above.

The agency keeps the official list here: approved programs in Wyoming.

Licensed in another state

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

Out-of-State Applicants

Wyoming participates in state-to-state reciprocity under the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement and generally recognizes out-of-state teaching licenses when the standards met are equivalent to Wyoming's: an accredited teacher education program, supervised student teaching, and passing the tests required in the license state. PTSB accepts exams taken for licensure in another state, so out-of-state program completers do not take the Wyoming Praxis exams. Graduates of programs outside the University of Wyoming and the Northern Plains Transition to Teaching program at Montana State apply as out-of-state applicants.

1. Confirm your program was accredited and included supervised student teaching.
2. Obtain an Institutional Recommendation, or verify three of the last six years of teaching if licensed through an alternative route.
3. Provide a copy of your current out-of-state license and the test scores required by that state.
4. Submit two blue FBI fingerprint cards and show knowledge of the U.S. and Wyoming Constitutions.
5. Apply through the PTSB online educator portal and pay the out-of-state fee.

Source: wyomingptsb.com

Required tests, codes and qualifying scores

Wyoming uses Praxis and PTSB U.S. and Wyoming Constitution exams 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

Applicants submit two blue FBI fingerprint cards, which PTSB forwards to the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) for processing. Fingerprint cards are requested from PTSB by email, and local school districts can recommend where to be printed. Background reports from other agencies or states are not accepted, and anyone without a current Wyoming license or permit must be re-fingerprinted. PTSB charges a fingerprint processing fee on top of the application fee. Fee: $50. Source

Your first license

License: Wyoming Standard Educator License. It is valid for 5 years. The license allows the holder to teach in any Wyoming school district in line with their level of preparation and endorsements. Source

Renewal

All Wyoming educators complete Professional Development/Renewal Credits to renew, with the exact requirements printed on the back of each license or permit. Credits can come from accredited college courses (including community colleges), PTSB-approved workshops, or work toward National Board Certification. Renewal applications are accepted up to six months before expiration and must be complete before the current license expires. Requirement: 5 Professional Development/Renewal Credits for most teaching and administrative fields to renew the 5-year Standard Educator License. Source

Teacher pay in Wyoming

Elementary teachers in Wyoming earned a median of $61,150 a year in May 2025, $2,820 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

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

• Art and Music Education: Dramatic Arts, Music (statewide)
• Career and Technical Education: Vocational Technology (statewide)
• Computer Science (statewide)
• English as a Second Language: English as a Second Language (statewide)
• General Shortages: Education General (statewide)
• Language Arts: English, Journalism, Reading (statewide)
• Science: Earth and Space Science, General Science, Physics (statewide)
• Social Studies: Sociology (statewide)
• Special Education: All Exceptionalities (statewide)
• World Languages: Chinese, German, Spanish (statewide)

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