Become a Teacher in Colorado
COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
201 East Colfax Avenue
Denver, CO 80203
Main line: (720) 739-3238
Licensing: (720) 739-3304
Colorado Teacher Certification at a Glance
Licensing agency | |
First license | |
Next license | |
Required exams | |
Alternative route | |
Moving from another state | |
Application cost | $90 base application fee for an in-state Initial Teacher License ($110 for out-of-state applicants), plus Praxis test fees (see Step 3) and fingerprinting fees (see Step 4) |
Apply through | |
Requirements verified | October 2026 |
I AM...
Choose the statement that best describes you to jump to applicable information.
Important Note: Education licensure requirements, statistics and other information are subject to change. Teach.com makes its best effort to keep content accurate; however, the official sources are the state education departments. Please confirm licensing requirements with your state before applying for licensure or renewal. (Requirements last verified: October 2026)
Colorado requires a bachelor's or higher degree from a regionally accredited college or university for an Initial Teacher License. Coursework rules depend on the endorsement you seek. For secondary subjects such as English, mathematics, science and social studies, a degree in the subject or 24 semester hours of coursework in it can demonstrate content knowledge instead of a Praxis test. The special education specialist endorsements in deaf/hard of hearing and visual impairment require a master's or higher degree in that specialty.
You must also complete an approved teacher preparation program, traditional or alternative, including student teaching; your program verifies completion on an approved program verification form. Approval is a state decision: programs at colleges and universities are approved jointly by CDE and the Colorado Department of Higher Education, and alternative programs run by designated agencies are approved by CDE. Check that a program appears on CDE's list rather than relying on national accreditation alone. Use CDE's educator preparation program search to find approved programs.
Colorado's tests measure content knowledge, and which ones you take depends on your endorsement. The current exam route for Elementary Education (K-6) is Praxis 5205 (Teaching Reading) and Praxis 5903 (elementary math); for Early Childhood Education, it is Praxis 5534 and Praxis 5205; and for Special Education Generalist, it is Praxis 5355, Praxis 5903 and Praxis 5205. For each of these exams, CDE also accepts an approved Multiple Measures submission instead, and it accepts some earlier test versions for a limited time, such as Praxis 5024 for early childhood, accepted until August 31, 2031. Secondary subjects accept a Praxis subject test, a degree in the subject or 24 semester hours of coursework. ETS administers the Praxis tests; candidates testing outside Colorado select the Colorado State Department of Education (code 7040) as a score recipient. ETS lists the fee for each Colorado-required test: Praxis 5205 costs $156, Praxis 5903 costs $64, and Praxis 5534 and Praxis 5355 cost $130 each, so a candidate taking both Elementary Education tests pays $220. Fees for secondary subject tests are listed on the same ETS page.
You can learn more about the Praxis exams by visiting Teach.com's Ultimate Guide to the Praxis Exams and read more about teacher certification tests on Teach.com.
Every applicant needs a fingerprint-based background check through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI); fingerprints taken for another employer don't carry over, and you have 30 days from the time CDE receives your results to apply. Applicants with a Social Security number book an appointment with one of the CBI-approved fingerprint vendors CDE lists. Applicants with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) instead submit a request to CDE, which walks them through fingerprinting. CBI charges $39.50 for the CDE licensure background check, plus a separate vendor service fee.
Apply online through COOL (Colorado Online Licensing). The base application fee is $90, and you'll upload your approved program verification form and proof of content knowledge for each endorsement. CDE evaluates applications within 45 business days of receiving a complete application, including background checks.
The Initial Teacher License is valid for three years. To move to a Professional Teacher License, you need a certificate showing you completed a Colorado induction program through a CDE-approved induction provider; the Professional license is valid for seven years and the application fee is $90.
Initial Teaching Certifications
Colorado issues teacher licenses in tiers. New teachers who complete an approved program start with the Initial Teacher License, valid for three years. After induction, teachers move to the Professional Teacher License, which is valid for seven years and renewable. Candidates on the alternative route teach on an Alternative Teacher License that lasts the length of their program. Each license carries one or more endorsements — such as Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, Special Education Generalist, the special education specialist areas and secondary subjects — that set what you're authorized to teach. Learn more about getting your Colorado teaching credential from the Colorado Department of Education's teacher license requirements.
Read more about getting your teaching credential on Teach.com.
Discover an 8-week Online Teaching Short Course from Harvard's Bok Center
Higher Education Teaching Certificate
The Higher Education Teaching Certificate online short course aims to give you the opportunity to engage deeply with and reflect on your teaching practices, portfolio, and journey in the higher education (HE) field. Loosely based on the in-person seminar program currently offered by Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and in association with HarvardX, this course gives you the opportunity to explore the focus areas of pedagogy, course and assessment design, professional communication, language and culture of the classroom, and reflections on teaching – entirely online, from anywhere in the world.
Alternative Certification in Colorado
Colorado's alternative route lets you begin teaching while completing teacher preparation. To qualify for an Alternative Teacher License, you need a bachelor's degree, proof of content knowledge (a degree in the content area, 24 semester hours of coursework or a passing Colorado-approved Praxis score; early childhood, early childhood special education, elementary and special education generalist candidates must use the exam or an approved Multiple Measures submission), a classroom teaching position that matches the endorsement and an agreement with a Colorado-approved designated agency for alternative teacher preparation. The route still requires real work: you teach as the teacher of record while completing your program, and most programs last one to two years, with special education generalist candidates possibly needing up to a third year. The application fee is $90. Find designated alternative programs in CDE's educator preparation program search by selecting "alternative" as the program type.
Colorado Teacher Certification Information & Links
Transferring Your Certification
Certification Reciprocity in Colorado
Educator licenses don't "transfer" to Colorado across state lines; instead, CDE evaluates each out-of-state applicant against Colorado's requirements. If you hold a valid standard license from another state with the same endorsement and have at least three years of post-preparation, full-time licensed experience in that state and content area, Colorado likely will issue a Professional Teacher License, valid for seven years. Applicants with less experience typically receive a three-year Initial Teacher License. Interstate reciprocity agreements explain how states generally recognize one another's licenses, but Colorado's own rules decide what you receive — see Teach.com's reciprocity page. Or, for more specific questions about your situation, contact the Colorado Department of Education.
What You May Still Need
Out-of-state applicants apply through COOL and pay a $110 base application fee. Expect to provide an approved program verification form from your preparation program, proof of content knowledge for each endorsement, copies of all your current and past licenses, and fingerprints submitted to CBI. Your preparation program must be one that leads to licensure in the state where you completed it.
Teaching While You Complete Requirements
If you hold or qualify for a license in another state but don't have three years of full-time licensed experience, CDE may issue an Interim Authorization, which lets you work in Colorado schools while giving you a year to prepare for and take any required exams. An interim authorization may be renewed only once.
To find out what other state teaching licenses can be used in Colorado, check out our Teacher Certification Reciprocity page on Teach.com.
Career Advancement
Professional Development for Colorado Teachers
Colorado ties professional development to license renewal. To renew a Professional Teacher License, which is valid for seven years, you need 90 contact hours (six semester hours) of professional development, including at least 10 contact hours, combined, on behavioral health and on educating students with disabilities, with at least one hour in each area; this applies at every renewal of a professional license expiring on or after June 30, 2025. Teachers with elementary, English language arts, math, science, social studies or middle-level endorsements must also meet Colorado's English learner professional learning requirement (a minimum of 45 hours) if they haven't already. The renewal application fee is $90.
Colorado requires new teachers to complete an induction program to move from an Initial to a Professional Teacher License. For details on moving from an Initial License to a Professional License, see CDE's Initial to Professional Teacher License checklist.
Benefits of a Master's Degree in Colorado
A master's degree doesn't move you up a license tier in Colorado. The Initial and Professional Teacher Licenses both call for a bachelor's or higher degree, and moving to the Professional license depends on completing induction, not on graduate study. A master's also doesn't by itself qualify a teacher for the state's Master Certificate, which is based on National Board Certification or a CDE-approved master certificate program.
Where a master's is required is in certain specialties: the special education specialist endorsements in deaf/hard of hearing and visual impairment call for a master's or higher degree in that specialty. Graduate coursework can also count toward license renewal, since CDE measures professional development in contact hours or semester hours (one semester hour equals 15 contact hours).
Learn more about the benefits of a Master of Arts in Teaching vs. Master of Education on Teach.com.
Higher Education Teaching Certificate
The Higher Education Teaching Certificate online short course aims to give you the opportunity to engage deeply with and reflect on your teaching practices, portfolio, and journey in the higher education (HE) field. Loosely based on the in-person seminar program currently offered by Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and in association with HarvardX, this course gives you the opportunity to explore the focus areas of pedagogy, course and assessment design, professional communication, language and culture of the classroom, and reflections on teaching – entirely online, from anywhere in the world.
Jobs, Benefits, and Opportunities for Teachers in Colorado
Colorado Teaching Jobs
The Colorado Department of Education's Colorado Teaching Jobs page links to statewide and regional job boards where you can search for openings, along with district job boards.
Learn more about finding a teaching job on Teach.com.
Colorado Teacher Salary and Incentives
Occupation | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Elementary school teachers | $48,410 | $63,410 | $98,950 | 24,860 |
Middle school teachers | $49,580 | $63,760 | $99,400 | 13,280 |
Secondary school teachers | $48,970 | $72,900 | $101,300 | 18,310 |
Annual wages and employment for Colorado, May 2025. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Occupations exclude special education (and, for middle and secondary teachers, career/technical education).
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, secondary school teachers in Colorado had a median annual wage of $72,900 in May 2025, and elementary school teachers had a median annual wage of $63,410; half of the workers in each occupation earned more than the median and half earned less. Teachers who work full time for five complete and consecutive academic years at an eligible school serving low-income families may qualify for federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness if they meet other qualifications; CDE maintains Colorado's directory of eligible low-income schools. Learn more about teacher salaries on Teach.com.
Colorado Teacher Benefits and Retirement
Colorado public school teachers are members of the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA), which provides retirement benefits for Colorado state government employees, public school teachers and many college and university employees.
Learn more about benefits for teachers.
Colorado Teacher Shortage Areas
For the 2026–27 school year, Colorado reported the following teacher shortage areas to the U.S. Department of Education.
Subject family | Shortage area | Grade levels | Also designated in 2025–26? |
|---|---|---|---|
Core subjects | Elementary Education | Pre-K–12 | Yes |
Core subjects | English (Language Arts) | Pre-K–12 | Yes |
Core subjects | Mathematics | Pre-K–12 | Yes |
Core subjects | Science | Pre-K–12 | Yes |
Core subjects | Social Studies | Pre-K–12 | Yes |
Special education | Special Education (general) | Pre-K–12 | Yes |
Health and physical education | Health and Physical Fitness | Pre-K–12 | Yes |
Support staff | School Psychologist | Pre-K–12 | Yes |
Support staff | School Counseling | Pre-K–12 | Yes |
Support staff | Speech-Language Pathologist/Audiologist | Pre-K–12 | Yes |
Support staff | Occupational Therapist | Pre-K–12 | No |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Teacher Shortage Areas, Colorado, 2025–26 and 2026–27. Grade levels as reported by the state.
What this means for you:
- Choosing a certification area: these are the subjects where Colorado reported shortages of qualified teachers, and ten of the eleven were also designated the year before, which points to persistent need.
- Financial aid: the federal list defines high-need fields for the TEACH Grant service obligation and certain federal student loan deferment and cancellation benefits. It doesn't determine federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness, which depends on teaching at an eligible school serving low-income families.
- Comparing lists: shortage lists are designated by each state, so the length of a list isn't a reliable way to compare states. Colorado's own 2026–27 state shortage list, approved by the State Board of Education in June 2026, names more areas than the federal report, including world languages, the arts and career and technical subjects.
Financial Aid in Colorado
The federal TEACH Grant provides grant funds to students who agree to teach full time for at least four years in a high-need field at a school serving low-income students, within eight years after finishing their program; if the obligation isn't met, the grants convert to Direct Unsubsidized Loans that must be repaid with interest.
Learn more about how to finance your Master's degree on Teach.com.
Colorado Teacher Certification FAQs
You need a bachelor's degree, but it doesn't have to be in education. Through Colorado's alternative route, candidates who hold a bachelor's degree, show content knowledge and are hired for a matching teaching position can teach on an Alternative Teacher License while completing a state-approved alternative program. Most programs last one to two years.
Information last updated: October 2026