Salaries for Houston Area Teachers

Texas's overall average teacher salary is $62,463. However, in Houston, you can earn over $64K as a first-year teacher! You can increase your salary, too, by building up seniority, obtaining your master’s degree and teaching in a shortage area.

Benefits for Shortage Area Teachers

Teachers in shortage areas often qualify for extra financial aid. If you teach in high-need schools or subjects, the federal government and many states have created programs to forgive some or all of your student loans. For starters, check out the federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness or Perkins Loan Forgiveness programs. These programs cancel a portion of your remaining student loans—meaning you don’t have to pay them back!—in exchange for a commitment to teach for several years.

Benefits for All Teachers

In Houston, teachers receive comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance—plus secure retirement plans and vacation time. There are a number of ways you can increase your teaching salary, including advanced degrees, leading extracurriculars and pursuing advanced certifications or meeting performance benchmarks.

It’s not hard to see why Houston is an attractive city for many people. A rising job market combined with low cost-of-living and great weather makes Houston a great choice for starting a career, building a life and raising your family. 

Here are some key benefits for starting a career in Houston:

• Living in Houston is more affordable than in many other major metropolitans.
• It is possible to buy a house in Houston on a modest income.
• Students have access to all of Texas’ top Universities.
• Self care is a significant part of Houston culture.

Want to learn more about living in Houston? Take a look at our Why Teach in Houston page to get all the details.

If you’re interested in finding your place in the profession, consider an area where teachers are needed the most. Houston-area schools need teachers in subjects that have a shortage. Want to make a difference for students? You can have a bigger impact in a shortage area. 

Subjects with a teacher shortage

According to the Texas Education Agency, these subjects are teacher shortage areas for the 2025–2026 school year: (1) 

• Bilingual Education
• Career & Technical Education (all subjects)
• Computer Science
• English as a Second Language
• English Language Arts & Reading (Grades 7–12)
• Special Education (all subjects)
• Technology Applications

Why are these “shortage areas”?

Teachers will always be in demand! For some subjects, that’s even more true. But why is that? Let’s dive a little deeper into shortage areas:

• They are less familiar subjects
• Some subjects require more teachers
• The population is shifting
• Fewer math and science candidates