Accreditation for the B.A. in Elementary Education
The Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education is offered by the Stout School of Education and leads to North Carolina licensure to teach grades K-6. High Point University’s SACSCOC accreditation includes the degree.
AAQEP National Accreditation
The Stout School of Education is nationally accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) through June 30, 2030, which holds programs to the newest educator preparation standards. HPU’s teacher education programs also meet the requirements of the North Carolina State Board of Education.
Licensure and Degree-Only Tracks
Students can finish on the licensure track, with 16 weeks of student teaching, the required licensure tests and the edTPA portfolio, or on a degree-only track that replaces student teaching with a four-credit internship and electives. Both total 128 credits. Students can also continue straight into an M.Ed. through HPU’s B.A. to M.Ed. program.
University Accreditation
High Point University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and has been continuously accredited since 1951. SACSCOC has granted HPU Level V status, which authorizes a university to award doctoral degrees.
Licensure Exams
Elementary education graduates seeking licensure pass Pearson’s Foundations of Reading and the Praxis Content Knowledge for Teaching tests along with the edTPA.
A 100% edTPA Pass Rate, Five Years Running
Students in HPU’s undergraduate teacher licensure programs earned a 100% pass rate on the edTPA, the national teacher performance assessment required for licensure, for a fifth consecutive year in 2026. The national average pass rate is 72%. Students in the Master of Arts in Teaching programs also passed at 100%.
“Not only did I have an exceptional supervisor, but also a very supportive team of professors throughout the process,” said Megan Bartel, an elementary education major.
Honors for Graduates
Recent Stout School of Education graduates have been named North Carolina District Teachers of the Year, District Rookie Teachers of the Year, District Principals of the Year and Teacher Assistants of the Year.
$38 Million in District Partnerships
HPU has secured more than $38 million to partner with North Carolina school districts in preparing teachers, principals and superintendents. In September 2026, the U.S. Department of Education awarded the Stout School of Education $18 million in new grants, including $11.4 million, the largest competitive grant HPU has ever received. The funding will help prepare more than 400 teachers and principals in 17 area school districts.
Elementary Education Program Rankings
College Factual ranked High Point University #6 in its 2027 Best Teacher Education Grade Specific Schools in North Carolina list, the category that includes elementary education. The list weighs graduation rates, earnings after graduation, affordability and program focus. HPU also ranks #27 in the Southeast Region.
High Point University Rankings
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2027 ranks High Point University #1 for Most Innovative Schools and #3 for Best Undergraduate Teaching among Regional Universities in the South. HPU also ranks #1 in its category for Earnings by Major, a new U.S. News factor that measures what graduates earn four years after leaving campus.
The Princeton Review’s Best 392 Colleges: 2027 Edition ranks High Point University #3 for Best-Run Colleges, #3 for Best College Dorms and #3 for Most Beautiful Campus. HPU is the only university in North Carolina ranked in the top 5 for all three.
Niche’s 2027 rankings place High Point University #1 in North Carolina for Best College Campuses, Best College Dorms and Best College Food, and #8 in North Carolina for Colleges with the Best Professors.
Measured by National Association of Colleges and Employers standards, 99% of HPU’s Class of 2025 was employed or continuing their education within 180 days, 13 points above the national average.
Fulbright Scholar
Anna Tornovish, an elementary education major, received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach in Spain.
What Accreditation Means for Elementary Education Students
National accreditation from the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), which runs through June 30, 2030, means an outside body has reviewed how the Stout School of Education prepares teachers and confirmed the evidence behind it. For elementary education majors, that review covers their work from the first semester to the last. Students teach in local classrooms all four years, lead lessons in literacy and mathematics methods courses, and finish with full-time student teaching under a licensed mentor.
Faculty supervisors observe those lessons and coach each candidate through the edTPA portfolio, a national performance assessment of new teachers. Course requirements are published in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
“Student teaching in my senior year armed me with independence and confidence in the classroom.”
Carleigh Luck, first-grade teacher, Shadybrook Elementary School
Elementary Education in the News
Madison Shelby
HPU Sets Record with Four Fulbright Recipients
Madison Shelby, an elementary education major and Education Fellow from Frisco, Texas, received an English Teaching Assistantship award in South Korea…
Martha Luck Comer Johnson
HPU Awards Outstanding Alumni During Homecoming Weekend
Martha Johnson received HPU’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Explore Elementary Education at High Point University
See the courses elementary education majors take and where HPU graduates teach.
Curriculum & Research Careers & Organizations
Questions about the program? Email Dr. Amy Holcombe at [email protected].