Teacher Cover Letter

A teacher cover letter is where your application moves from credentials to character. Principals use it to gauge how well you communicate, how clearly you understand their school's needs, and whether your classroom practice matches your words. This page is the central resource for K-12 teacher applications. Whether you teach kindergarten or high school, core academics or electives, the fundamentals of a strong cover letter remain the same: specific evidence, clear structure, and a direct connection to the role. Explore our education cover letter hub for grade-level and specialty guides, or jump to a sibling resource below.

What Principals Look for in a Teacher Cover Letter

Hiring committees review dozens of applications per opening. The candidates who advance share one thing: their letters address the school's actual needs rather than restating a resume. Here is what matters most to the people making the hiring decision.

Lesson planning and curriculum alignment. Principals want to know you can design standards-based units, manage pacing, and connect every lesson to measurable learning objectives.

Differentiated instruction. Schools serve students at multiple ability levels, including English language learners, students with IEPs, and advanced learners. Show how you adjust content, process, and assessment to meet each learner where they are.

Classroom management. Describe the proactive systems you use to maintain a productive environment. Concrete examples carry far more weight than generic statements about creating a positive classroom culture.

Student engagement. Mention specific instructional strategies — cooperative learning, project-based tasks, inquiry cycles — that keep students actively invested in their own learning.

Assessment and data use. Reference formative and summative assessment practices and explain how you use data to make instructional decisions rather than simply record grades.

Collaboration. Schools are team environments. Highlight partnerships with fellow teachers, instructional coaches, families, and support staff that directly benefited students.

How to Write a Teacher Cover Letter That Gets Interviews

1. Open With a Specific Connection to the School

Generic openings — "I am writing to apply for the teaching position" — get skimmed. Open by naming the school, referencing something concrete about its programs or mission, and connecting it to your experience. This signals that you researched the position and are not sending a mass application. For a deeper framework, see our guide on how to write a cover letter.

2. Lead With Measurable Classroom Results

Your second paragraph should feature quantified outcomes. Standardized assessment gains, reduced behavioral referrals, improved attendance, or growth in reading levels all tell a more compelling story than statements about passion. If you are writing an elementary teacher cover letter or a teaching cover letter for a specialized role, anchor your metrics to the developmental stage and subject area of that position.

3. Address Differentiation and Collaboration Directly

The most competitive candidates show they can serve every learner and contribute beyond their own classroom. Name the specific populations you have worked with, the strategies you used, and the colleagues or support professionals you collaborated with. If you are moving into teaching from another field, frame transferable skills through this lens and consult our career change cover letter guide for framing advice.

4. Close With a Direct and Confident Call to Action

Avoid passive closings. Instead of "I hope to hear from you," write something specific: "I would welcome the chance to discuss how my work with data-driven reading intervention aligns with your school's literacy goals." A direct closing shows professional confidence and makes it easy for the principal to take the next step. Browse cover letter examples if you want to see how other educators handle the closing.

Teacher cover letter example

Replace school names, subjects, and achievements with your own experience.

Subject: Application for the Teacher position

Dear Ms. Harrington, I am writing to apply for the seventh-grade English Language Arts teaching position at Westfield Middle School. Your school's commitment to literacy across content areas and its collaborative professional learning community align closely with how I approach instruction and professional growth. Over the past five years at Riverside K-8, I have taught ELA to mixed-ability classes of 26 to 30 students. I design standards-aligned units that integrate close reading, academic writing, and structured discussion, differentiating content and assessment for students with IEPs, English language learners, and advanced readers within the same classroom. Last school year, 88% of my seventh graders met or exceeded the state ELA proficiency benchmark, up from 71% when I took over the team. Classroom management and student engagement are central to these results. I use a workshop model with predictable routines that reduce transition time and keep students in productive work for over 85% of each class period. I also co-designed a schoolwide argumentative writing rubric with the social studies and science departments, which our principal credited with a measurable improvement in cross-content writing quality. I hold a state teaching license in Secondary English Language Arts and a SIOP endorsement for sheltered instruction. I am also completing a graduate certificate in instructional coaching, which has strengthened my ability to give targeted feedback and collaborate with colleagues on data analysis. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my experience with differentiated ELA instruction and curriculum development can contribute to the Westfield team. I am available for an interview at your earliest convenience. Sincerely, [Full Name]

Before You Send Your Application

Review your letter against these points before submitting.

• The school name, principal name, and position title are spelled correctly throughout the letter.
• You have included at least two quantified achievements tied to student outcomes, classroom operations, or school-level contributions.
• Every paragraph connects your experience to the specific school and role rather than describing your teaching in general terms.
• You have addressed differentiation, assessment, or collaboration — competencies that appear in nearly every K-12 job posting.
• A colleague or mentor has proofread for grammar, tone, and clarity; a single error signals carelessness to a hiring committee.
• The letter is one page, saved in the format the posting specifies (PDF unless otherwise requested), and the file name is professional.

FAQ

How long should a teacher cover letter be?

Keep it to one page, roughly 300 to 400 words. Principals review large applicant pools and appreciate concise, evidence-rich letters over lengthy narratives. Three to four focused paragraphs plus a greeting and closing is the right length for most K-12 positions.

Should I mention my teaching philosophy in my cover letter?

Only if you can connect it directly to classroom results. A brief, evidence-backed reference to your philosophy adds dimension, but long philosophical statements belong in a separate teaching philosophy document. Use the space in your cover letter for specific outcomes and school-aligned examples instead.

What if I am applying for my first teaching position?

Focus on your student teaching placements, practicum hours, and any tutoring or mentoring experience. Treat your practicum the way an experienced teacher would describe a prior role: name the school, grade, and subject, then describe specific outcomes. Our substitute teacher cover letter guide also offers strategies for candidates building experience before landing a permanent classroom role.

How do I tailor my teacher cover letter for different grade levels or subjects?

Adjust the skills and examples you emphasize based on the developmental stage and content area. A high school science application should foreground inquiry-based labs and data literacy. A primary grades application should highlight phonics instruction, social-emotional learning, and family communication. Read the job posting carefully and mirror the language it uses when describing the ideal candidate.

Can I send the same cover letter to multiple schools?

You should not. Principals recognize generic letters immediately, and sending one signals low interest. At minimum, customize the school name, principal name, and the opening paragraph to reflect something specific about each position. For a flexible starting framework that makes customization faster, browse our cover letter templates or review additional cover letter examples.