Teachers’ age and sex: Average and median age of K–12 school teachers and percentage distribution of teachers by age category and by sex, by school type and selected school characteristics: 2020–21

			Age category				Sex¹
School type and selected school characteristic	Average age of teachers	Median age of teachers	Less than 30 years	30–49 years	50–54 years	55 years or more	Male	Female
All teachers	43.2	42.3	14.1	54.6	13.0	18.2	23.4	76.6

All public school teachers	42.9	42.0	14.2	55.5	13.1	17.2	23.2	76.8

School classification
Traditional public	43.1	42.3	13.7	55.4	13.4	17.4	23.1	76.9
Charter school	40.2	38.0	21.1	56.6	8.6	13.7	24.4	75.6

Community type
City	42.8	41.7	15.2	54.4	12.7	17.7	24.6	75.4
Suburban	43.0	42.2	13.3	56.9	13.2	16.6	22.4	77.6
Town	43.2	42.6	14.3	53.9	13.1	18.7	22.7	77.3
Rural	42.8	41.8	14.6	55.3	13.4	16.7	23.1	76.9

School level²
Elementary	42.3	41.4	15.6	55.6	12.8	16.0	10.5	89.5
Middle	42.8	42.0	14.2	56.4	13.4	16.0	27.6	72.4
Secondary/high	43.8	43.0	11.9	55.3	13.2	19.5	40.2	59.8
Combined/other	43.3	42.3	14.0	53.6	13.5	18.9	26.2	73.8

Student enrollment
Less than 100	45.4	45.8	11.1	48.3	15.2	25.5	27.1	72.9
100–199	43.8	42.3	13.8	50.5	12.5	23.2	20.1	79.9
200–499	42.6	41.7	15.1	54.9	13.4	16.6	17.3	82.7
500–749	42.5	41.6	14.9	56.2	13.0	15.9	19.0	81.0
750–999	42.7	42.0	13.6	57.8	13.2	15.5	24.0	76.0
1,000 or more	43.4	42.5	13.0	55.9	12.7	18.4	35.4	64.6

Percent of K–12 students who were approved for free or reduced-price lunches
0–34	43.0	42.1	12.7	57.2	14.2	15.8	24.2	75.8
35–49	42.8	41.8	13.4	57.6	12.1	16.9	24.6	75.4
50–74	42.9	42.1	14.6	55.1	12.9	17.4	23.4	76.6
75 or more	42.8	42.0	15.7	53.2	12.7	18.5	21.5	78.5

All private school teachers	45.4	44.7	13.6	47.7	11.9	26.8	24.7	75.3

School classification
Catholic	45.9	45.6	13.6	45.3	12.0	29.1	24.2	75.8
Other religious	45.4	44.3	15.1	45.9	11.7	27.3	22.8	77.2
Nonsectarian	44.9	43.8	11.5	53.0	11.9	23.5	27.9	72.1

Community type
City	45.0	44.7	14.7	46.8	13.0	25.4	27.1	72.9
Suburban	45.3	44.7	13.1	49.1	11.9	25.9	22.9	77.1
Town	46.7	45.6	12.5	47.3	10.9	29.3	22.0	78.0
Rural	46.3	44.1	12.4	46.7	8.9	32.0	24.2	75.8

School level²
Elementary/middle	46.0	45.6	13.9	43.3	13.1	29.6	10.3	89.7
Secondary/high	44.7	43.8	13.6	49.8	11.8	24.8	44.4	55.6
Combined/other	45.5	44.7	13.6	48.0	11.7	26.7	22.9	77.1

Student enrollment
Less than 100	46.1	44.7	16.8	42.3	9.5	31.4	18.9	81.1
100–199	45.2	45.3	14.8	44.5	14.5	26.2	19.3	80.7
200–499	45.0	43.9	13.5	50.3	10.5	25.7	24.4	75.6
500–749	44.1	43.4	13.1	52.8	12.0	22.1	31.6	68.4
750 or more	47.1	47.0	6.6	50.5	15.4	27.5	38.6	61.4

¹Teachers were asked whether they were male or female. Although this variable is labeled “sex,” the questionnaire did not use the terms either “gender” or “sex.”

²Elementary schools offer at least one grade of K to 4, and the number of elementary grades is higher than the number of middle grades. Middle schools offer at least one of grades 5 to 8, and the number of middle grades is greater than the number of elementary or secondary grades. Secondary/high schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades 9 through 12 than in lower grades. Combined/other schools include all other combinations of grades, including K–12 schools. School level categories in the 2020–21 NTPS differ from those in previous survey administrations; caution should be exercised when comparing estimates by level over time.

NOTE: Data are weighted estimates of the population. Teachers include both full-time and part-time teachers. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Teacher and Private School Teacher Data Files,” 2020–21.