High School Teacher Resume—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

You have the sometimes difficult, often rewarding job of shaping young minds. Prove that teaching is your calling with an exemplary high school teacher resume.

Dominika Kowalska, CPRW
Dominika Kowalska, CPRW
Career Expert
High School Teacher Resume—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

Too many high school teacher resumes simply flunk out of the running. Put in the work now and yours can end up top of the class.

Use our sample high school teacher resume to prove you’ve got the classroom management and lesson planning skills to match your passion for teaching, and let your track record and accomplishments do all the talking.

In this guide:

  • A high school teacher resume sample better than most.
  • How to create the perfect high school teacher job description for resumes.
  • How to write a resume for high school teacher jobs that stands out.
  • Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing a high school teacher job.

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Need a general education resume, vanilla teacher resume or something more specific, like an art teacher resume? These are just some of our guides:

Couldn't find a resume for your job? Check our resume examples for different jobs and industries. 

High School Teacher Resume Example

Marie McGarity

High School Science Teacher

Personal Info

Phone: 208-825-0402

E-mail: marie.m.mcgarity@reslab.com

linkedin.com/in/mariemmcgarity

Summary

Passionate high school science teacher with 5+ years’ experience, skilled in developing tailored lesson plans. Seeking opportunity to boost ABC High School students’ performance on standardized tests. At Louis Pasteur High School, developed 100+ lesson plans, including 700+ fully worked examples, and saw an 11-point improvement on standardized test scores.

Experience 

High School Science Teacher

Louis Pasteur High School, Chicago, IL

November 2019–present

  • Developed 100+ lesson plans, including 700+ fully worked examples.
  • Administered 20+ standardized tests, saw an 11-point improvement on scores.
  • Identified 10+ alternative instructional resources and methods to cater to students' varying learning styles.
  • Marked 2500+ weekly assignments.

High School Math Teacher

Lincoln Park High School, Chicago, IL

January 2016– June 2019

  • Participated in 12 faculty and parent conferences, increasing parent involvement by over 10%.
  • Used interactive infographics and a web interface to help students independently monitor their progress.
  • Logged over 100 hours of one-on-one make-up tutorials.
  • Graphed student homework, assignment, and test results to accurately identify problem areas in the curriculum.

Education 

BS/MEd in Math and Secondary Education

Loyola University Chicago, IL

2014

  • Pursued a passion for applied mathematics coursework.
  • Graduated with a 3.92 GPA.

Certifications

  • Professional Educators License (with Math endorsement), Illinois State Board of Education, 2015
  • First Aid, CPR, AED, American Red Cross

Languages

  • English – native proficiency
  • Scottish Gaelic – advanced

Key Skills 

  • Classroom management
  • Lesson plans
  • Explaining abstract concepts
  • Educational philosophies
  • Organizing field trips
  • Time management
  • Communication skills

Now here’s how to write a high school teacher resume they’ll love:

1. Go With the Right High School Teacher Resume Format

You know that one student who turns in work that’s semi-legible and haphazardly laid out?

Don’t be like that. Make your resume formatting a pleasure to navigate. Here’s how:

High School Teacher Resume Format

  • Use the chronological resume template to show your most recent jobs first.
  • Choose a good resume font like a Arial or Verdana in 11–12 pt.
  • Fix your resume margins at an inch all round and leave plenty of white space.
  • What about the length of your resume? Hand in a one-page resume.Go to a second page only if you’ve been teaching long enough to have been inspired by Dangerous Minds when it came out.
  • Include at least these sections: Resume Heading, Summary, Experience, Education, and Skills.

Saving your resume in PDF as opposed to *.docx is a great default option. But always check the job ad for any file-format preferences. Some schools and districts use ATSs (Applicant Tracking Systems) that can’t handle resume PDFs. Nevertheless, you should always use an ATS resume template

2. Start With an Impressive High School Teacher Resume Objective or Summary

The most effective way to start a resume for high school teacher jobs? By giving a nutshell account of your application. Use your resume profile to do just that as you introduce yourself.

Been teaching independently for a year or more? Then make your profile a resume summary statement. It’ll make the most of all that experience.

Use:

  1. One adjective (effective, passionate, dedicated)
  2. Job title (High School Teacher, High School Science Teacher, High School English Teacher)
  3. Years of experience (4+, 9+)
  4. How you’ll help (bring modern teaching philosophies into the classroom)
  5. Two or three of your most relevant achievements (participated in 12 faculty and parent conferences, increasing parent involvement by over 10%, logged over 100 hours of one-on-one make-up tutorials)

These high school teacher resume examples show how:

High School Teacher Resume Examples—Resume Summary

Good Example
Passionate high school math teacher with 5+ years’ experience, skilled in developing tailored lesson plans. Seeking opportunity to boost ABC High School students’ performance on standardized tests. At Louis Pasteur High School, developed 100+ lesson plans, including 700+ fully worked examples, and saw an 11-point improvement on standardized test scores.
Bad Example
High school math teacher with 5 years’ experience. Seeking opportunity to teach at a school with fewer discipline problems and a supportive faculty. At Louis Pasteur High School, developed lesson plans, including fully worked examples, and administered standardized tests.

The first of these high school teacher resume examples does two things well: It talks about the value the teacher hopes to bring to the school to which they’re applying and it puts numbers to the value they managed to bring to their previous school.

Just making a start and have less than a year of independent teaching under your belt? Then make your profile a resume objective statement and talk up achievements from other teaching work you’ve done, teacher-training, and even non-teaching jobs.

High School Teacher Resume Objective—Examples

Good Example
Dedicated high school English teacher with 10+ months’ experience, skilled in classroom management. Seeking opportunity to boost ABC High School students’ performance on standardized tests. At Lincoln Park High School, graphed student results to accurately identify problem areas in the curriculum and used interactive infographics and a web interface to help students independently monitor their progress.
Bad Example
Just started working as an English teacher and have been really loving it. Looking to switch school districts. Prefer a school with a clear tenure path.

A clear focus on what the teacher can do for the school (not the other way around) wins out again.

Struggling to get your resume profile just right? Here’s an easy fix: Write your qualifications summary last of all.

3. Write the Perfect High School Teacher Job Description and Skills Sections

To get them to call you in for an interview, you need to convince them that you can handle the workload. Do that by showing them you’ve seen—and done—it all before. Make your resume job descriptions section a showcase of accomplishments.

How to write a job description for high school teachers:

  1. Re-read the job ad.
  2. Spot all the high school teacher skills and duties.
  3. Think of times you’ve used those skills to get real results.
  4. Write resume bullet points that put numbers to the above.

These high school teacher resume examples show how:

High School Teacher Job Description for a Resume

Good Example

High School Science Teacher

Louis Pasteur High School, Chicago, IL

2019–present

  • Developed 100+ lesson plans, including 700+ fully worked examples.
  • Administered 20+ standardized tests, saw an 11-point improvement on scores.
  • Identified 10+ alternative instructional resources and methods to cater to students' varying learning styles.
  • Marked 2500+ weekly assignments.
Bad Example

High School Math Teacher

Louis Pasteur High School, Chicago, IL

2019–present

  • Developed lesson plans, including fully worked examples.
  • Administered standardized tests.
  • Identified alternative instructional resources and methods to cater to students' varying learning styles.
  • Marked weekly assignments and all tests and exams.

Quantifying duties basically forces you to turn them into achievements.

While you have the job ad in front of you—It’s a good time to select the skills to put on a resume. Cover all the skills required by the job ad. Add one or two at most as insurance and stop there.

These lists will give a better sense of the differences between hard and soft skills:

Skills for a High School Teacher Resume

Hard skills

  • Classroom management
  • Lesson plans
  • Explaining abstract concepts
  • Educational philosophies
  • Organizing field trips
  • Board work
  • Demonstrating concepts
  • Mathematical modeling
  • Marking and grading
  • Visualization
  • Computer skills

Soft skills

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4. Turn Meh Education Into a Reason to Hire You

Educational requirements for becoming a teacher vary state by state. But one thing is always clear: Your education plays a big role in the jobs you’re offered. So do it justice when listing education on your resume.

First: List degrees (with majors), schools, and graduation years.

Then: Add bullets that point to key skills.

This high school teacher resume example shows how:

High School Teacher Resume Sample Education Section

Good Example

BS/MEd in Math and Secondary Education

Loyola University Chicago, IL

2014

  • Pursued a passion for applied mathematics coursework.
  • Graduated with a 3.92 GPA.

5. Enrich Your High School Teacher Resume With Added Sections

Too many high school teacher resumes underachieve by stopping with work experience, education, and skills sections. Adding the right extra resume sections often makes all the difference.

Add one or two of these:

These two high school teacher resume examples show yes vs no:

High School Teacher Resume Examples—Extra Sections

Good Example

Certifications

  • Professional Educators License (with Math endorsement), Illinois State Board of Education, 2015
  • First Aid, CPR, AED, American Red Cross

Languages

  • English – native proficiency
  • Scottish Gaelic – advanced
Bad Example

Hobbies and Interests

  • Hawaiian dancing
  • Renovating novelty clocks
  • Walking simulators

Languages

  • English, Scottish Gaelic

Including hobbies and interests in such a personality based line of work makes a lot of sense, but everything you mention in your high school teacher resume has to be directly relevant to the job ad.

One last thing: You’ll need a cover letter. Unless you’ve been told not to include, failing to do so usually means game over.

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Key Points

For a high school teacher resume that gets interviews:

  • Use the high school teacher resume template up top. It’s as clean and neat as students’ notebooks at the beginning of semester.
  • Add high school teacher achievementsto your resume profile, work experience, and education sections to show you’ve been on a roll for a while.
  • Pick the right high school teacher skills to include in your resume. Consult the job ad to find out which those skills are.
  • Write a high school teacher cover letter. Use it to demonstrate your passion for the work while building a strong case.

Writing a resume for high school teacher jobs can be tricky—got any questions when it comes to writing your high school teacher resume? Leave a comment down below.

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Dominika Kowalska, CPRW

Dominika is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and job expert with a focus on career development and onboarding processes. She writes guides helping readers create winning resumes and manage various difficulties of the job hunt.

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