Paraprofessional / Teacher Aide

Overview

Not yet collected

1,103,450

in government (SOC 25-9045)

78%

of this occupation works for government

$36,990

median pay in government

Local

levels of government

How people usually get in Editorial

ParaPro assessment or 2 yrs college. Requirements vary by employer; each employer page will list its exact rules.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership; GovJobs Wiki (editorial). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Requirements

Sourced

Typical entry requirements (BLS, SOC 25-9045)

Education needed to enter: Some college, no degree
Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — education and training assignments by detailed occupation (Tables 5.3, 5.4). Data captured September 30, 2026.

How to get hired

Sourced

To enter the occupation, teacher assistants typically need to have completed at least 2 years of college coursework.

From the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile “Teacher Assistants”, published August 27, 2026 · Read the full profile. National guidance; each employer runs its own hiring process.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–35 edition (XML compilation). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Academy and training

Sourced

Training to become competent (BLS)

SOC 25-9045: None

Academy length, curriculum and paid-training policies are set by each employer and state; they are part of the employer collection stage.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — education and training assignments by detailed occupation (Tables 5.3, 5.4). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Promotion ladder

Editorial

Seniority steps: single title × seniority steps; growth via steps, overtime, bidding (bus operator, sanitation, dispatcher). Typical structure for a single title with seniority steps; titles, steps and timing differ by employer.

Trainee / probationary
Steps to top rate
Lead / trainer
Supervisor
Manager

Source: GovJobs Wiki (editorial).

Pay

Sourced

Federal

Not published

State

$40,460

Local

$36,970

All government

$36,990

Private sector

$36,080

Median annual wage by employer type, national, May 2025. Federal includes the U.S. Postal Service; state and local include public schools and hospitals.

Employer type	Workers	10th pct.	25th	Median	75th	90th
State	11,820	$31,200	$36,060	$40,460	$46,570	$50,700
Local	1,091,630	$26,570	$30,820	$36,970	$45,950	$50,910
All government	1,103,450	$26,670	$30,900	$36,990	$45,960	$50,910
Private sector	316,890	$28,290	$31,240	$36,080	$41,010	$47,370

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.

13Derived

Exams and free practice tests

Sourced

Exam	Administered by	Used in	Type	Official page
ParaPro Assessment 90 selected-response questions on reading, math and writing (about two-thirds basic skills, one-third classroom application); computer delivered; about 2.5 hours; at test centers or remotely via ProProctor.	ETS	US	certification	Official page

Each exam is checked against its administrator's official page. Employers choose which exam they use; confirm with the hiring agency.

Source: Exam administrators and hiring authorities (per record), Official exam administrator pages. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Free practice tests

ParaPro Assessment (1755)
Practice for a named exam · free on Open Exam Prep

State versions: 1 state. Pick yours:

Georgia

Source: Open Exam Prep, Open Exam Prep free practice tests. Data captured October 1, 2026. Each link was opened and its exam title checked on the date shown.

Employer directory

Sourced

13,321 school districts in the registry. Regular public school districts in the NCES Common Core of Data (charter-only districts are not included). The 10 largest by teachers (fte):

Employer	Location	Teachers (FTE)	Website
Chicago Public Schools Dist 299	Chicago, IL	23,532	Official site
Los Angeles Unified	Los Angeles, CA	21,246	Official site
MIAMI-DADE	Miami, FL	17,139	Official site
Clark County	Las Vegas, NV	16,446	Official site
Fairfax County Public Schools	Falls Church, VA	13,501	Official site
Gwinnett County	Lawrenceville, GA	12,796	—
Hawaii Department of Education	Honolulu, HI	12,215	Official site
Montgomery County Public Schools	Rockville, MD	11,574	Official site
PALM BEACH	West Palm Beach, FL	11,548	Official site
ORANGE	Orlando, FL	11,416	Official site

Full lists by state:

Texas · 1,022 California · 988 Illinois · 855 New York · 717 Ohio · 619 New Jersey · 560 Michigan · 536 Missouri · 518 Oklahoma · 507 Pennsylvania · 500 Wisconsin · 420 Montana · 392

As reported by each employer to its federal registry.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2024–25 local education agency universe (directory and staff). Data captured September 30, 2026.

By state

Sourced

Median annual wage for Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary (SOC 25-9045) in each state, all employers (BLS state estimates do not separate government from private). Highest first.

State	Workers	10th pct.	Median	90th pct.
Washington	43,420	$37,870	$49,120	$62,810
District of Columbia	3,950	$38,370	$46,920	$58,100
Maine	8,700	$36,210	$46,750	$56,920
California	177,140	$37,240	$46,490	$59,520
Vermont	4,960	$29,140	$43,800	$51,580
Minnesota	38,540	$31,420	$40,100	$50,410
Oregon	23,030	$30,300	$39,850	$50,860
Massachusetts	39,210	$31,200	$39,380	$59,970
Virginia	31,370	$28,220	$38,520	$57,030
New Hampshire	7,880	$28,920	$38,440	$48,780
North Dakota	5,600	$29,130	$38,240	$46,260
New York	137,820	$32,240	$38,240	$54,990
Connecticut	19,740	$34,010	$38,110	$49,690
Delaware	5,040	$31,200	$37,830	$47,300
Wisconsin	26,520	$29,060	$37,800	$46,270
New Jersey	55,580	$32,220	$37,290	$49,580
Rhode Island	5,200	$31,200	$37,220	$47,720
Alaska	3,810	$27,440	$37,190	$57,210
Maryland	23,340	$31,200	$37,060	$59,680
Utah	18,170	$27,730	$37,050	$47,400
Illinois	64,210	$31,200	$36,990	$48,100
Hawaii	5,470	$30,130	$36,810	$46,990
Missouri	20,930	$28,600	$36,300	$47,310
Wyoming	3,680	$27,840	$36,100	$44,040
Ohio	47,300	$26,810	$35,920	$46,890
Arizona	25,280	$30,960	$35,900	$42,590
New Mexico	8,970	$27,050	$35,900	$46,390
Colorado	21,910	$30,800	$35,760	$48,470
Idaho	8,710	$23,980	$35,560	$48,800
Nebraska	11,190	$28,080	$35,160	$45,110
Michigan	39,030	$27,550	$35,110	$45,370
Montana	3,930	$23,950	$34,750	$45,430
Pennsylvania	48,310	$23,380	$34,740	$45,980
Florida	54,530	$28,490	$34,430	$40,150
Indiana	28,450	$23,970	$33,300	$44,610
Nevada	7,100	$27,880	$31,900	$41,640
Iowa	24,520	$22,400	$30,510	$37,520
Kentucky	16,330	$23,980	$30,160	$46,370
Texas	108,960	$22,480	$29,850	$42,520
West Virginia	5,110	$27,400	$29,800	$36,750
North Carolina	32,150	$25,110	$29,790	$38,050
Kansas	20,000	$21,800	$29,490	$38,190
Tennessee	23,280	$22,010	$29,210	$40,310
Arkansas	11,270	$23,670	$28,790	$38,360
Georgia	33,410	$21,190	$28,770	$39,120
South Dakota	4,650	$24,800	$28,220	$35,410
Oklahoma	13,860	$17,940	$27,920	$37,370
South Carolina	14,410	$21,910	$27,860	$44,290
Louisiana	14,530	$20,680	$27,400	$38,620
Mississippi	9,750	$18,830	$25,840	$32,300
Alabama	10,140	$21,440	$24,070	$30,590

51 states with published estimates.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Not yet collected

These dimensions are part of every job page. We publish them only once they are sourced from official documents such as job postings, pay plans, union contracts and state standards.

01 Overview
What the job is, who hires for it at each level of government, and how many people do it
Not yet collected
05 Probation
Probation length and what ends it
Not yet collected
08 Schedule
Shift patterns (24/48, 4/10, 5/8, split), seniority bidding, holidays and mandatory overtime
Not yet collected
09 Benefits and pension
Pension plan and formula, retirement age and years, DROP, retiree health, Social Security coverage, 457(b) and PSLF eligibility
Not yet collected
10 Union contracts
Bargaining unit, union and the current contract, with its source and effective dates
Not yet collected
11 Transfers and lateral entry
Lateral entry policy, certification reciprocity, lateral bonuses and moves between agencies
Not yet collected
12 Day-to-day work
What the work involves day to day, from sourced task lists
Not yet collected

Paraprofessional / Teacher Aide

Overview

Requirements

How to get hired

Academy and training

Promotion ladder

Pay

Related jobs

Exams and free practice tests

Free practice tests

Employer directory

By state

Not yet collected