Quick answer: The Port St. Lucie metro employs about 180 kindergarten teachers (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through your state educator licensure board for school positions, or your state early learning agency for child care settings.
Compare early childhood education programs enrolling now:
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Two systems govern this field. Public school classrooms require a bachelor’s from a state-approved program, student teaching and the state teaching license. Child care and preschool settings run through the state early learning agency, where training hours, the CDA credential and degree tiers step up with each quality rating level.
See the Florida licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state educator licensure board for school positions, or your state early learning agency for child care settings.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
This page lists 10 schools within 104 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 10 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education in the Port St. Lucie area earn a median $53,340 per year, below the national median of $62,680 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | Port St. Lucie metro | Florida | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $53,340 | $58,100 | $62,680 |
| 10th percentile | $39,300 | $49,960 | $46,990 |
| 25th percentile | $53,340 | $51,630 | $52,180 |
| 75th percentile | $53,340 | $62,520 | $79,910 |
| 90th percentile | $63,910 | $77,460 | $101,830 |
| Employment | 180 | 8,810 | 108,870 |
| Location quotient | 1.49 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Port St. Lucie, FL metropolitan statistical area.
The Port St. Lucie median of $53,340 is below the national median of $62,680, and below the Florida statewide median of $58,100 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 1.49 means kindergarten teachers are more concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Early childhood employment tracks families: districts, Head Start grantees and licensed centers hire everywhere, with density following population.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Miami | $57,300 | 2,420 |
| Orlando | $60,290 | 1,280 |
| Tampa | $59,860 | 1,140 |
| Jacksonville | $76,440 | 740 |
| Lakeland | $49,960 | 390 |
| Cape Coral | $59,780 | 330 |
| North Port | $68,950 | 320 |
| Palm Bay | $52,160 | 280 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
The median annual wage for kindergarten teachers in the Port St. Lucie, FL metro area is $53,340, below the national median of $62,680 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The Port St. Lucie, FL metro area employs about 180 kindergarten teachers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Two systems govern this field. Public school classrooms require a bachelor's from a state-approved program, student teaching and the state teaching license. Child care and preschool settings run through the state early learning agency, where training hours, the CDA credential and degree tiers step up with each quality rating level. Confirm current requirements with your state educator licensure board for school positions, or your state early learning agency for child care settings.
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state educator licensure board for school positions, or your state early learning agency for child care settings.
The Port St. Lucie metro median is $53,340 against a statewide median of $58,100 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
