13 High School Teacher Resume Examples for 2025

Creating a resume for a high school teacher position requires focus on key elements like teaching experience, relevant certifications, and classroom management skills. In this article, we provide resume examples and strategic advice to help you highlight your strength as an educator. Learn which details to emphasize and how to present them to catch the attention of hiring managers.

  Compiled and approved by Steve Grafton
  Last updated on See history of changes

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At a Glance

Here's what we see in strong high school teacher resumes:

  • Show Impact With Numbers: Use numbers to show your impact. Common metrics include: student pass rates, improved test scores, graduation rates, and reduced absenteeism.

  • Include Relevant Skills: Include skills on your resume that you have and are mentioned on the job description. Some popular ones are curriculum development, classroom management, educational software, lesson planning, and data analysis. But don't include all of them, choose the ones you have and are mentioned in the JD.

  • Highlight Any New Teaching Methods: Using new methods can make your resume stand out. Phrases like flipped classroom, project-based learning, and blended learning are good to include.

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Where to list your education

If you're a high school teacher looking for work, think about where to place your education on your resume. If you have been teaching for years, show your work experience first. This demonstrates that you know how to manage a classroom and plan lessons. Your hands-on experience is what most hiring managers will want to see first.

On the other hand, if you've just finished a significant degree, like a Master's in Education or a teaching credential, put this information at the top of your resume. It highlights your fresh knowledge and dedication to professional growth, which is seen as good by schools seeking current teaching methods and subject matter expertise.

Professional development and certifications

Include any teaching certifications you have. List the certification name, issuing body, and date received.

Show any workshops or professional development courses you have attended. This shows your commitment to improving your teaching skills and staying updated in your field.

Ideal resume length

For high school teachers, it's best to keep your resume to one page, especially if you have less than 10 years of teaching experience. This helps you present your most relevant qualifications quickly. Focus on your most significant teaching roles and achievements that relate directly to the job you're applying for.

If you have a wealth of experience or multiple pertinent roles, a two-page resume is fine. Ensure that the first page captures your strongest teaching competencies and contributions. Highlight your expertise in curriculum development and student engagement, as these are critical in a high school educational setting.

Highlight classroom experience

Showcase any student teaching or classroom management experience. Detail any roles you held such as leading a classroom, planning lessons, or communicating with parents.

Highlight any special education needs experience. Mention how you adapted lessons for different learning styles and used IEPs (Individualized Education Programs).

Beat the resume screeners

You need to know about resume screeners and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) when applying for jobs as a high school teacher. These systems scan your resume before a person sees it. To make it through, you should:

  • Use keywords from the job description. For example, if the job asks for 'classroom management' or 'curriculum development', make sure these words are in your resume.
  • Make your resume format simple. Complex designs can confuse the ATS. Use standard fonts and bullet points to list your experience and skills.

Remember, the goal is to show you are a good fit for the job. Match your skills and experiences with what the job needs. This will help your resume get noticed by both the computer and the hiring manager.

Match your resume to the job

You need to show you're the right fit for teaching high school. That means sharing the parts of your past work that are like what you'd do in a new teaching job. Here's how you make your resume just right for the role:

  • Talk about specific subjects or programs you have experience with that are important for high school teaching. Example: Developed innovative U.S. History curriculum that increased student engagement by 30%.
  • For senior positions, focus on your leadership in past jobs. For example, mention times when you've led a group or made big decisions. Example: Managed a team of junior teachers and coordinated year-end student showcases.
  • If you're changing into teaching from a different job, link your old work to teaching tasks. Show a clear example. Example: Applied excellent presentation skills from a sales position to effectively teach and engage a classroom of 30+ students.

Too much detail on basics

You might list every class you have taught or detail basic tasks like 'prepared lesson plans.' Instead, focus on what makes you stand out. For example, show how you raised student participation or improved test scores. These specifics matter more and make your resume better.

Do not just list soft skills like 'good at communicating' or 'strong leader.' Instead, say how you use these skills in your teaching. Maybe you have a club where you lead students or a way of explaining complex ideas that makes them easy to understand. Using clear examples like this will help your resume show what you can do.

Use dynamic verbs for teaching roles

When crafting your resume as a high school teacher, the verbs you choose can paint a vivid picture of your classroom presence and teaching style. You want to select words that demonstrate action and show your direct impact on students' learning.

Remember, in the teaching field, it’s not just about what you’ve done, but how you’ve done it. Your verbs should reflect the energy and commitment you bring each day to your role as an educator.

  • To convey your instructional skills, use verbs like educate, instruct, mentor, guide, and enlighten.
  • Highlight your classroom management abilities with organize, facilitate, mediate, coordinate, and oversee.
  • For showcasing curriculum development, opt for develop, design, implement, integrate, and revise.
  • To demonstrate your impact on student growth, use encourage, inspire, motivate, foster, and cultivate.
  • To present your collaborative work, include collaborate, contribute, engage, participate, and cooperate.

Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Coordinated, Achieved, Collaborate, Serve, Deliver.

Show achievements, not tasks

As a high school educator, your resume should highlight what you've achieved, rather than the everyday tasks you perform. Think about how you've made a difference in your teaching role and showcase these accomplishments. Your ability to create change and deliver results will set you apart from other candidates.

Instead of listing your job duties, focus on the impact of your actions. Here are two ways to transform a basic responsibility into an impressive accomplishment:

  • Before: Taught biology to students.
    After: Improved student pass rates in biology by 20% through innovative curriculum design and interactive teaching methods.
  • Before: Managed classroom of 30 students.
    After: Fostered a positive learning environment for a diverse classroom of 30 students, resulting in a 15% decrease in behavioral incidents and a 10% increase in overall academic performance.

Essential skills for teaching roles

As you prepare your resume, remember to include specific skills that show you're a good fit for a teaching role. Focus on the hard skills that highlight your ability to educate and manage a classroom environment. Here's a list of key skills you should consider:

  • Curriculum development
  • Lesson planning
  • Classroom management
  • Subject knowledge
  • Assessment creation
  • Educational technology
  • Special education
  • Data analysis
  • Literacy strategies
  • STEM knowledge

Include skills that match the job you want. For example, if you're aiming for a science teaching position, emphasize your STEM knowledge. If it's an English teacher role, focus on your literacy strategies. Place these skills in a dedicated section on your resume so they are easy to find. This helps with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) which many schools use to filter resumes.

Also, integrate these skills throughout your work experience descriptions. This shows not just that you have the skills, but also how you've used them effectively in past roles. For a high school teacher, this can mean detailing how your curriculum development skills improved student outcomes, or how your use of educational technology engaged students in learning.

Highlighting leadership growth

When you apply for jobs, it's important to show any leadership roles or promotions you've had. This tells employers that you can take on more responsibility and lead others.

Think about your work in education. Have you been a department head or led a committee? Maybe you started as a classroom teacher and moved up to a lead teacher or curriculum coordinator. These roles show growth and should be on your resume.

  • Department Head: Managed curriculum changes and teacher development for the English department.
  • Lead Teacher: Guided new teaching staff and oversaw student academic progress in the science division.

Even if you haven't had a formal title, consider times you've taken the lead. Did you run after-school programs or lead professional development workshops? These experiences are valuable and should be included.

  • After-School Program Coordinator: Designed and ran a student mentoring program, improving engagement by 20%.
  • Workshop Leader: Developed and delivered a series of professional development sessions on classroom technology integration.

Quantify teaching achievements

You can show your impact as a high school educator by including specific numbers in your resume. This helps hiring managers see the clear results of your work.

Think about the times you have helped students improve their performance. For example, you could say you 'increased average test scores by 20% over two years'. Or if you led a program, you might have 'boosted student participation in extra-curricular activities by 35%'.

Here are more ways to use numbers:

  • 'Reduced the number of failing grades in my class by 15% by introducing interactive learning methods.'
  • 'Managed a classroom of 30 students and maintained a 95% attendance rate.'
  • 'Organized 5 annual school events, with an average of 200 attendees per event.'
  • 'Mentored 10 student teachers, providing over 200 hours of instructional guidance.'

When you are unsure about exact numbers, estimate them by recalling past events and outcomes. Even if you do not have exact figures, a well-thought estimate can still demonstrate your impact effectively.

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