Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas at Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown College produces some of Pennsylvania's highest-earning education graduates, with first-year salaries of $50,918—roughly $6,700 above the state median for this field. While the school ranks in the 60th percentile among Pennsylvania programs, that still places it ahead of 33 other institutions in a competitive state market. More impressive: nationally, these graduates land in the 95th percentile, earning nearly $8,000 more than the typical education grad elsewhere. With debt of $27,000 (matching both state and national medians), graduates face a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.53—meaning they owe just over half their first-year salary.

The catch? These numbers reflect fewer than 30 graduates, so they could swing significantly year to year. Small programs can be volatile, and what looks exceptional for one cohort might not hold for the next. Still, starting at $51,000 matters in education, where many districts use strict salary schedules and early placement in a better-paying district compounds over an entire career.

For families comfortable with the inherent uncertainty of small sample data, this represents a solid entry point into Pennsylvania's teaching market—competitive debt with earnings that outpace most in-state alternatives.