The average IQ of teachers is about 110–112, roughly the 75th–79th percentile. Two very different sources — 524 UK secondary teachers in the Understanding Society survey (Wolfram, 2023) and US Wonderlic data on teacher applicants (Gottfredson, 1997) — land in almost the same place.
Average IQ of teachers: three data sources
| Source | Group | IQ estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Wolfram (2023), UK survey | Secondary education teachers (N = 524) | 109.7 |
| Wolfram (2023), UK survey | Higher education teachers (N = 125) | 111.4 |
| Gottfredson (1997), Wonderlic applicant data (1992) | Teacher job applicants, median | ~112 |
The sources agree closely: school teachers average around 110–112, roughly the 75th–79th percentile, and university teachers slightly higher. The secondary-teacher figure is one of the most precise in the UK data because it rests on more than 500 people (95% uncertainty of the mean about ±1.1 points).
We could not find a comparable, verified figure for primary or elementary teachers in the same dataset, so we do not report one. Claims that primary teachers score notably lower or higher should be checked against their source.
Teacher IQ range
With a typical within-occupation spread, about two-thirds of secondary teachers would score between roughly 97 and 123:
| IQ range | Secondary teachers (model) | General population |
|---|---|---|
| below 90 | ~6% | 25% |
| 90–99 | ~16% | 25% |
| 100–109 | ~28% | 25% |
| 110–119 | ~28% | 16% |
| 120–129 | ~15% | 7% |
| 130 or above | ~6% | 2% |
Model: normal distribution around the estimated mean with SD 13, the average within-occupation spread implied by Wolfram (2023), where roughly three-quarters of IQ variance lay within rather than between occupations. Real distributions can be skewed.
Do smarter teachers produce smarter students?
Teacher cognitive skills do appear to matter somewhat. Using international adult-skills (PIAAC) data, Hanushek, Piopiunik and Wiederhold (2019) found that countries whose teachers have stronger numeracy and literacy skills tend to have higher student achievement. Within schools, however, research on teacher effectiveness consistently finds that classroom management, subject knowledge, feedback and relationships with students explain much of the difference between teachers — and that a teacher’s test scores are only a modest predictor.
Teaching also demands things an IQ test does not sample: patience, organisation, emotional regulation in a room of 30 people, and the ability to explain an idea several different ways. This is one reason teachers with very similar scores can differ a great deal in effectiveness.
Teachers vs. other graduate professions
In the same UK dataset, secondary teachers (109.7) sit close to chartered accountants (110.3) and actuaries, economists and statisticians (110.5), a few points below medical practitioners (112.7) and solicitors (114.2). Those gaps are small relative to the spread within each group, so a randomly chosen teacher has a substantial chance of outscoring a randomly chosen doctor.
Illustration: with means of 109.7 and 112.7 and SD 13 in each group, a random teacher would outscore a random doctor about 56% of the time.
How to read these numbers
Every number on this page comes with three caveats. First, the UK estimates are based on a short survey battery — word recall, number series, everyday numeric problems, serial subtraction and verbal fluency — rather than a full clinical IQ test, so they are less precise for individuals and tend to compress group differences. Second, they describe people working in an occupation at one time (2011–2013), not what the job requires. Third, they are averages: Hauser’s analysis of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study found that the correlation between occupation and measured ability was only moderate (about .39–.44), and that the spread of ability was almost as wide in high-status occupations as in others.
Sources
- Wolfram, T. (2023). (Not just) intelligence stratifies the occupational hierarchy: Ranking 360 professions by IQ and non-cognitive traits. Intelligence, 98, 101755. Occupation figures as tabulated in J. Thompson, “Minds and professions” (2023).
- Gottfredson, L. S. (1997). Why g matters: The complexity of everyday life. Intelligence, 24(1), 79–132 (Figure 1 uses Wonderlic Personnel Test applicant data, Wonderlic 1992).
- Hanushek, E. A., Piopiunik, M., & Wiederhold, S. (2019). The value of smarter teachers: International evidence on teacher cognitive skills and student performance. Journal of Human Resources, 54(4), 857–899.
- Hauser, R. M. (2002). Meritocracy, cognitive ability, and the sources of occupational success. CDE Working Paper 98-07, University of Wisconsin–Madison (Wisconsin Longitudinal Study).
- Sackett, P. R., Zhang, C., Berry, C. M., & Lievens, F. (2022). Revisiting meta-analytic estimates of validity in personnel selection. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(11), 2040–2068.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average IQ of teachers?
About 110–112 in the best available data: 109.7 for UK secondary teachers (Wolfram, 2023, N = 524) and a median of about 112 for teacher applicants on the Wonderlic test (Gottfredson, 1997).
Do university professors have higher IQs than school teachers?
Slightly, on average: about 111 for UK higher education teachers versus about 110 for secondary teachers in the same dataset, a small difference.
What IQ do you need to be a teacher?
There is no IQ requirement. Teacher training selects on degrees and, in some countries, literacy and numeracy tests.
Does teacher IQ affect student results?
Somewhat. Cross-country evidence links higher teacher cognitive skills to higher student achievement, but classroom skills and relationships explain much of the difference between individual teachers.