Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
SOC Code: 25-2031
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education carries a 39% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $64,580 and -1.6% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 1,094,500 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 39% AI exposure, Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education sits 2 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 67% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
39/100
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage C+ $64,580
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -1.6%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 39% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's band with mid-pack BLS pace
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education shares the Bachelor's gate with 178 peer occupations and lands in Slow growth (245 of 832). Neither the rarest nor the most crowded growth shelf - use wage and AI desks on this page for the differentiator.
Where Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
39% Around the middle lower than 33% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 25-2031) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- 2. Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
- 3. Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
- 4. Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- 5. Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
- 6. Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.
- 7. Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
- 8. Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
- 9. Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
- 10. Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests.
Key Skills Required
- Instructing
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Learning Strategies
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Active Learning
- Coordination
Knowledge Areas
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
- Psychology
- Sociology and Anthropology
- History and Archeology
- Communications and Media
- Administrative
- Public Safety and Security
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education?
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education has an AI exposure score of 39%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education is projected to decline by 1.6% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 1,094,500 workers.
What skills are needed for Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education?
Key skills for Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education include Instructing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education earn?
The median annual wage for Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education is $64,580, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education?
The typical entry-level education for Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education?
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (39% here).
- Architects, except landscape and naval · AI exposure 39%
- Biological technicians · AI exposure 39%
- Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters · AI exposure 39%
- Career/technical education teachers, middle school · AI exposure 39%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-1.6% here).
- Baggage porters and bellhops · growth -1.6%
- Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters · growth -1.6%
- Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants · growth -1.6%
- Kindergarten teachers, except special education · growth -1.6%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 57 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education's numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).