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A teacher recommendation letter is a reference vouching for a teacher’s work. Principals, colleagues and supervisors write it to support an application for a teaching position. This page offers a free template, the letter’s parts and sample letters to adapt.
Start from our free letter of recommendation template, or go straight to the sample letters and fill in your own details.
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A letter of recommendation for a teacher names the writer, the teacher and the reader, explains how the writer knows the teacher, gives specific examples of the teacher’s work, and ends with contact details and a signature.
Hiring teams read many letters for a single opening. General praise blends in; specific details make the letter count. Before you send it, check that it has each of these parts:
The opening lines name who is writing, which teacher the letter is about, and who will read it. The teacher’s full name lets the reader match the letter to the right application among many candidates.
Address a named person when you know one, such as the principal or the hiring manager. When the letter goes to an application portal or an unknown reader, a general greeting such as “To Whom It May Concern” works.
Your job title, your school and your working relationship with the teacher tell the reader why your opinion carries weight. A principal, department head or mentor teacher who saw the teacher at work daily is the strongest kind of reference.
Say how long you have worked together and in what capacity: as the teacher’s supervisor, a co-teacher, a team lead or a mentor. Mention what you saw first hand, such as lessons you observed, units you planned together or events you ran side by side.
The strengths you describe work best when they match the job the teacher is applying for, so read the posting first and pick the qualities it asks for.
For a special education post, for example, describe how the teacher adapts lessons to each student. For an online school, describe how the teacher uses digital tools. Strengths that fit almost any teaching job include:
Back each strength with one example. “Her students improved their reading scores” says more than “she is an excellent reading teacher.”
Your email address and phone number show the reader that you stand behind the letter and will answer questions. They also let the school confirm that you, not the candidate, wrote and signed it.
A signature under the closing line and the date you wrote the letter finish it. For a letter sent by email or uploaded to a portal, a scanned signature above your typed name and title is common.
Tip: Before you send the letter, read it once more and check that the teacher’s name, the dates and your contact details are correct.
The teacher recommendation letter samples below cover the most common cases: a principal recommending an elementary teacher, a colleague recommending a fellow teacher, a principal recommending a special education teacher, and a mentor recommending a student teacher.
Pick the sample closest to your situation. Each one follows the format described further down, from the heading to the signature. The same pattern works for a preschool teacher, a paraprofessional or a substitute teacher: keep the order and swap in examples from that role.
Samples are starting points. Fill in every blank with your own facts, and remove anything that does not fit the teacher you are recommending.
A principal writes this letter for an elementary teacher moving to a new school. It leans on years of daily observation and on concrete classroom results.
March 2, 2026
Molly Smith
Principal
Central Elementary School
900 7th Street
Wamego, KS 66547
To Whom It May Concern,
It is my pleasure to recommend ____________________ (the teacher’s full name) for the position of elementary teacher at ____________________ (the name of the school). As principal of Central Elementary School, I have worked with ____________________ (the teacher’s name) for the past ten years and watched them grow into one of our strongest teachers.
____________________ (the teacher’s name) is the most creative and caring teacher I have worked with. They keep young students engaged with varied activities and hold steady discipline in large classes. When we needed a substitute, they took over unfamiliar classes and won the students over within days.
They also find an individual approach when a child needs one. When students fell behind in reading, ____________________ (the teacher’s name) offered extra lessons after school, and the class’s reading scores rose over the year.
____________________ (the teacher’s name) uses technology well. During a week when the school moved online, they kept teaching over Zoom and used the green screen feature to show pictures and short videos behind them, so their class did not lose any teaching time.
I am confident that ____________________ (the teacher’s name) will be an asset to your school, and that your young learners will be in a safe and positive classroom. If you have any questions, please contact me at ____________________ (email address or phone number).
Sincerely,
____________________ (signature)
Molly Smith
Principal
A fellow teacher writes this letter. A colleague cannot judge the candidate as a supervisor does, so the letter focuses on what a peer sees: shared students, joint planning and the teacher’s influence on other staff.
July 15, 2026
James Johnson
Mathematics Teacher
Crawford High School
4191 Colts Way
San Diego, CA 92115
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing at the request of my colleague ____________________ (the teacher’s full name), who is applying for a high school teacher position at ____________________ (the name of the school). We have taught in the same mathematics department for five years and shared several groups of sophomore students, so I have seen ____________________ (the teacher’s name) at work almost every day.
____________________ (the teacher’s name) understands how teenagers think and learn. Their lessons draw in even students who have given up on math, and several of those students went on to their best test scores in our department. Other teachers, me included, have borrowed their methods.
When a student struggles, ____________________ (the teacher’s name) reaches out to the family early and works out a plan together with the student and the parents. Parents regularly tell our office how much they value that care.
Commitment to students’ success is the quality every school looks for, and ____________________ (the teacher’s name) shows it daily. I recommend them without hesitation. You can reach me at ____________________ (email address or phone number) for more details.
Sincerely,
____________________ (signature)
James Johnson
Mathematics Teacher
A principal of a school for students with special needs writes this letter. It stresses patience, reliability and individual progress, the qualities a special education hiring team reads for.
July 15, 2026
Margaret Hernandez
Principal
Brehm Preparatory School
950 S Brehm Ln
Carbondale, IL 62901
To Whom It May Concern,
My name is Margaret Hernandez, and I am the principal of Brehm Preparatory School, a school for students with learning differences. I highly recommend ____________________ (the teacher’s full name) for the position of sixth grade special education teacher at your school. I have known them for seven years.
As a principal, I have seen many teachers come and go, and ____________________ (the teacher’s name) is one I would gladly have kept. A family move to another city is the only reason they are leaving us, and we part on the best of terms.
In seven years, ____________________ (the teacher’s name) was never late for a class and carried out every duty with care. They also organized school competitions and conferences outside their own subject, and wrote articles for our student newspaper.
Above all, ____________________ (the teacher’s name) is a gifted special education teacher. They are patient, they keep the emotional climate of a class steady, and they never give up on a child. One student who struggled with reading discovered a talent for drama in their class and now performs with a local theater group.
I am certain that ____________________ (the teacher’s name) will make a real contribution to your school community. Please call or text me with any questions at ____________________ (email address and phone number).
Sincerely,
____________________ (signature)
Margaret Hernandez
Principal
A mentor teacher writes this letter for a student teacher applying for a first teaching job. With no years of employment to describe, it rests on observed lessons and growth during the placement. For a letter about a student applying to a college or program, see our student recommendation letter page.
May 20, 2026
Daniel Reyes
Fifth Grade Teacher and Mentor Teacher
Lincoln Elementary School
215 Oak Avenue
Springfield, OR 97477
Dear Hiring Committee,
I am pleased to recommend ____________________ (the candidate’s full name), who completed a full semester of student teaching in my fifth grade classroom. As their mentor teacher, I observed most of their lessons and met with them every week to review plans and feedback.
____________________ (the candidate’s name) began by teaching small reading groups and, by the end of the placement, was planning and teaching full days on their own. Their science unit on ecosystems, built around a schoolyard survey, was one of the most engaging units my students had all year.
What stands out most is how well ____________________ (the candidate’s name) uses feedback. After one observation, I suggested shorter instructions and more checks for understanding; the next week, both were part of every lesson.
____________________ (the candidate’s name) is ready to lead a classroom of their own, and I recommend them for a position at ____________________ (the name of the school). Please contact me at ____________________ (email address or phone number) with any questions.
Sincerely,
____________________ (signature)
Daniel Reyes
Fifth Grade Teacher
A recommendation letter for a teaching position follows the business letter format: a heading, a greeting and introduction, a paragraph on the teacher’s experience, a paragraph on fit for the new job, and a closing with your signature.
Having this plan before you start makes the letter faster to write and easier to read. The table shows what goes in each part.
| Part | What goes in it | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Heading | The date, your name, title, school and the school’s address | One item per line, aligned left |
| Greeting and introduction | The recipient’s name, the teacher’s name and your relationship | Say how long you have known the teacher |
| Body: experience | The teacher’s work and results in the current or last job | Use real examples you saw |
| Body: fit for the new job | The skills that match the position the teacher is applying for | Tie each skill to the job posting |
| Closing | A short summary, your contact details, a closing phrase and your signature | Offer to answer questions |
The heading of a teacher reference letter holds the date and your details, each on its own line: your full name, your title, the name of your school and the school’s mailing address. The samples above show the layout.
Some writers add a title line above it, such as “Teacher Recommendation Letter” or “Letter of Recommendation for a Teaching Position.” For a letter sent as an email, the subject line can carry that title instead.
The introduction greets the recipient, names the teacher and the position, and explains your relationship with the teacher in a few sentences.
Use “Dear Ms. Lopez” or “Dear Dr. Lee” when you know the reader’s name, and “Dear Hiring Committee” or “To Whom It May Concern” when you do not. Give the teacher’s current title and grade level or subject, the type of school, and how long and in what role you have worked with them. A long working relationship gives your words more weight.
The first body paragraph describes the teacher’s work in the current or last position, with the results you saw.
Give a positive, honest assessment of their teaching and name the skills behind it. Include contributions outside the classroom too: events they organized, clubs they led, competitions or conferences where they represented the school, or ways they helped colleagues.
The second body paragraph connects the teacher’s skills to the job they want and explains why they will do it well.
For a teacher moving to an online school, describe how they teach with digital tools and apps. For any move, mention how the teacher adapts to new settings and keeps learning, for example through training, new methods or feedback from colleagues. You can also describe the duties they held at your school and how well they carried them out.
The closing paragraph sums up why you recommend the teacher, offers to answer questions and gives your contact details.
Keep it brief. End with a closing phrase such as “Sincerely,” then your signature, with your typed name and title underneath.
To write a letter of recommendation for a teacher, gather the job details from the teacher, collect a few concrete examples, draft the letter in the standard format, then proofread it and send it the way the school asks.
To save time, you can build the letter with the Create My Document button at the top of this page: it asks for these details one by one and puts them in order.
A strong teacher reference letter is honest, specific and easy to read: it uses a professional tone, praises the teacher with examples rather than adjectives, and stays on the skills the new job needs.
Strong words in a recommendation letter describe a teacher’s habits, and each one carries weight only when an example follows it. Words that readers often look for include:
Pair each word with what you saw: “resourceful” means more when the next sentence describes the science lab the teacher built from donated supplies.
A letter of recommendation hurts the teacher when it offers vague or lukewarm praise, raises personal matters unrelated to teaching, or explains a negative reason for leaving the last job.
If you cannot write a positive letter, say so to the teacher and decline. A short, honest no serves them better than a weak letter.
A teacher needs a recommendation letter to show a hiring school how they work with students, something a resume cannot show. Experienced teachers use it to change schools or roles in education.
Some schools ask for letters as part of the application; others accept them as an extra. Either way, a specific letter from someone who saw the teacher at work strengthens the application. New graduates use one too, to show that their training has prepared them for a classroom.
The best writer of a teacher’s recommendation letter is someone who has seen the teacher at work and whom a hiring school will trust. The usual choices are:
When the school asks for a set number of letters, lead with the principal or a supervisor and add a colleague or parent after.
Yes, a teacher can write a recommendation letter for a colleague, and many hiring schools welcome one alongside a principal’s letter. A colleague’s letter works best when it describes what a peer sees: shared students, joint planning, help to other staff and the teacher’s reputation with families. The colleague sample above shows the approach.
A teacher recommendation letter usually fits on a single page. A longer letter tends to lose the reader, so keep only details that support the application and leave out the rest.
Ask in person or by a short, polite email, well before the letter is due, and choose someone who has seen your teaching first hand. Give them the job posting, your resume, a few reminders of work you did together, and when and how to send the letter. Follow up with a reminder close to the date, and thank them once it is sent.
An AI tool such as ChatGPT can produce a first draft of a recommendation letter, but the examples and the judgment in it have to come from the person signing it. Check every sentence, replace generic praise with what you saw, and remove anything you cannot vouch for before you sign.
Select Create My Document at the top of this page and answer a few simple questions. FormsPal saves your progress, so you can finish on any device, then download and print the letter.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
