Where Middle Grades Graduates Teach
Middle grades education graduates are licensed to teach grades 6-9. Stout School of Education graduates teach in districts including:
- Henrico County Public Schools, Virginia
- Guilford County Schools, North Carolina
- Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia
- Everett Public Schools, Massachusetts
Every senior prepares for the job search through principal panels, alumni panels and practice interviews with local principals. At the April 2026 career fair, representatives from 18 North Carolina school districts and 16 area principals met with seniors.
Middle School Teaching Salary and Job Outlook
U.S. News & World Report ranks High Point University #1 among Regional Universities in the South for Earnings by Major in Best Colleges 2027, a factor that measures what graduates earn four years after leaving campus.
Across all majors, 99% of High Point University’s Class of 2025 was employed or continuing their education within 180 days of graduation, 13 points above the national average, measured by National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) standards. The Princeton Review ranks HPU #14 for Best Career Services in its 2027 guide.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, middle school teachers earned a median of $64,370 in May 2025, with about 38,800 openings projected each year from 2025 to 2035.
Job Titles Middle Grades Graduates Hold
- Language Arts Teacher (Henrico County Public Schools)
- Teach For America Corps Member
Roles Middle Grades Graduates Can Pursue
- Middle School Mathematics Teacher
- Middle School Science Teacher
- Middle School English Language Arts Teacher
- Middle School Social Studies Teacher
- Team Leader or Department Chair
- Instructional Coach, after graduate study
- Principal, after graduate study
Student Organizations for Education Majors
- Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society in Education
- Teachers of Tomorrow
- Student Council for Exceptional Children
- North Carolina Association of Elementary Educators
- EDU-Fellows
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.
Graduate Outcomes
Jessica Strickler, who concentrated in language arts and social studies, teaches language arts at Short Pump Middle School and Pocahontas Middle School in Henrico County Public Schools. DuChante Davis joined Teach For America after graduation.
Julia Attanasio, who minored in mathematics, and Crystal Miller, who minored in special education and history, completed student teaching and passed the edTPA with their entire cohort in 2026.
Graduate Study
The B.A. to M.Ed. program lets students finish a master’s degree within five years, and HPU’s Ed.D. in Educational Leadership has graduated 180 educators in the last six years.
Fieldwork and Student Teaching
Middle grades majors complete fieldwork in local schools all four years and full-time student teaching on the licensure track. HPU’s undergraduate licensure candidates have passed the edTPA at a 100% rate for five consecutive years.
In Their Words
Stout School of Education candidates have passed the edTPA at a 100% rate for five straight years, and middle grades graduates have gone on to Teach For America and to public middle schools in Virginia.
DuChante Davis
Teach For America Corps Member
“The professors I’ve had here have catapulted me to the next level academically.”
Jessica Strickler
Language Arts Teacher, Henrico County Public Schools
“My education professors, especially Dr. Johnson, provided invaluable advice about resumes, connecting with principals and navigating the waters of the K-12 hiring process.”
Crystal Miller, a middle grades education major with minors in special education and history, credits HPU’s faculty with the confidence to pass the edTPA: “With the help of my teachers and the confidence that I’ve built here, that really helped me to know that I will be fine.”
Middle Grades Education in the News
Crystal Miller
HPU’s Stout School of Education Hosts Career Fair
“It’s interesting to see what they’re looking for because not every school district that you apply to is looking for the same exact thing.”
Start Your Teaching Career at High Point University
See the courses behind these careers and how HPU middle grades education ranks.
Accreditation & Awards Curriculum & Research
Questions about the program? Email Dr. Amy Holcombe at [email protected].