Iowa Teaching License

Iowa Teaching License – Testing

To get an Iowa teaching license, every new elementary teacher must take and pass a content test.

All new teachers in the state of Iowa are usually classified as highly qualified under the No Child Left Behind Act.

You will receive highly qualified status if you have completed an approved teaching preparation program and you are teaching in your license area.


Iowa Teaching License – K to 6

These testing requirement apply to applicants for the K to 3 or the K to 6 teaching, including:

  • Endorsement 100 – Pre-kindergarten to Grade 3, including Special Education
  • Endorsement 102 – Elementary K–6
  • Endorsement 106 – PreK to Grade 3

Iowa Teaching License – Secondary & K-12

Secondary and K–12 programs are not included in the testing requirements.

Iowa Teaching License – Initial License

Initial teaching licenses in Iowa are valid for 2 years and are renewable under set conditions.

In order to receive an initial Iowa teaching license, you need to:

  • Have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
  • Complete a teacher preparation program
  • Complete the human relations component
  • Meet the requirements for a teaching endorsement
  • Meet the recency requirement
Iowa Teaching License – Further Information

Class A teaching licenses are valid for 1 year and are not renewable.


Class A licenses are issued if you are in one of the following situations:

  1. You have completed a practitioner preparation program, but has not completed all of the components required by Iowa in the professional education core.
  2. You have met all of the requirements above except the human relations component.
  3. You have met the recency requirements for a valid license but have less than 160 days of teaching in the last five years.
  4. You meet all requirements, but will not have a degree granted until the commencement.

For further information, please visit the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners website.

Iowa Board of Educational Examiners

NOTE: This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Iowa Board of Education Examiners, nor by any official examination body.