Praxis 5001 Passing Scores by State: Verified Qualifying Scores

Looking for the Praxis 5001 passing score for your state? The short answer has not changed: there is no national passing score. ETS does not set pass/fail standards — each state and licensing agency sets its own qualifying score for each subtest.[1] Your real target is four separate numbers, one each for 5002 Reading & Language Arts, 5003 Mathematics, 5004 Social Studies, and 5005 Science.

Scope note: this page shows the qualifying-score lines we can verify from official sources for the states below, with the certification field and the official reference for each. It is not a claim that every state with a 5001 line is listed here, and lines change — a state with no verified row is marked "not verified" rather than guessed. For states that have moved off the 5001 (Pennsylvania, Maryland, Alabama, North Carolina), the table shows what they require instead.

States Using the 5001: Verified Lines

Identical 157/157/155/159 lines across Virginia, Tennessee, New Jersey, and Kentucky are common, but they are not universal, and they are not the whole requirement — several of these states add a separate reading test or a pedagogy test beyond the four content subtests. Treat the four numbers as the content gate, then check the reading and pedagogy columns for the rest.

South Carolina transition and historical-score rules

South Carolina no longer treats 5002–5005 as the standard four-subtest battery. Effective September 1, 2026, the state's required-examinations document lists:

• Math: 5003 or 5903 at 157, or 8003 at 152
• Social studies: 5004 or 5904 at 155, or 8004 at 147
• Science: 5005 or 5905 at 159, or 8005 at 143
• Reading (initial certification): 5205 at 159, or Pearson Foundations of Reading 890 at 233; pedagogy is satisfied separately

Historical rules, kept separate so old scores are not treated as automatically dead:[5][6]

• CKT (7811 series): no longer offered after September 1, 2026; passing scores earned on the designated three CKT tests count for the corresponding initial certificate until August 31, 2031. Note the CKT codes do not follow the 500x order: 7814 is Science and 7815 is Social Studies.
• 5001/5901 series: retired September 1, 2027; passing scores on the designated three subtests before that date count for the corresponding initial certificate until August 31, 2032. A test being retired is not the same as old passing scores expiring.

If you hold old scores, read the row for your certificate and the cutoff dates above before registering for anything. Stopped-service dates and score-acceptance windows are different things.

States That Do Not Use the 5001 for Elementary Certification

A "passing score by state" list is incomplete without the states where the 5001 is not the elementary exam at all. Four examples:

If your state is in this group, no Praxis 5001 score will help — build your prep around the code your state actually requires.

Why So Many States Show the Same Numbers

Notice that Virginia, Tennessee, New Jersey, and Kentucky all sit at 157/157/155/159. That is not coincidence: when states adopt the 5001, many accept the standard-setting-recommended cut scores rather than inventing their own.[1]

Practically, that means:

• Most qualifying lines for the 5001 subtests land between 150 and 165 on the 100–200 scaled-score range.
• Identical numbers across states are common — but so are exceptions (South Carolina's switch to 8003/8004/8005 lines is one), and any state can adjust its line when it adopts a new test version.
• Never assume another state's number (or a forum post's number) applies to you.

Why 2026 Is a Bad Year to Guess

ETS is replacing the 5001 family with the 8000-series Elementary Education Fundamentals tests, which launched in spring 2026,[8] and states are adopting the new codes at different speeds. Some states are also transitioning between the 5001, 7001, and CKT families at the same time. Three consequences:

1. A qualifying score you found in a 2025 blog post may belong to a code your state no longer accepts.
2. The same state can require different exams for different certificate pathways.
3. Qualifying scores themselves can change when a new test version is adopted.

The safe habit: confirm your exact test code and qualifying score within a few weeks of registering — then re-check before test day. For the differences between the old and new series, see Praxis 5001 vs. the 8000 Series.

How to Confirm Your State's Number

Fastest official route: open the ETS passing-score lookup, select your state or agency and the 5001 subtest codes, and read the qualifying scores shown.[1] Then cross-check against your state education agency's certification handbook, because agency rules occasionally lag behind or diverge from what ETS displays.

Use this order:

1. ETS score-requirements page. Open praxis.ets.org/scores, select your state, search for "Elementary Education: Multiple Subjects (5001)" or 5002–5005, and record every number.
2. Your state's required-tests page on ETS. The state requirements directory links each state's official accepted-tests list.
3. Your state agency handbook. Search "[State] Department of Education teacher certification Praxis requirements" and confirm a .gov source. Agency rules can lag behind, or differ from, what ETS displays.
4. Ask your prep program. Many programs impose internal score floors stricter than the state minimum.
5. Save the page and the date. Requirements change; keep the official page you relied on and re-check before registering.

What if your state's page shows no 5001 score? That usually means your state moved to a different elementary test (7001, the 7811 CKT series, or the new 8000 series), your certificate uses a different test, or the page lists the combined 5001 without per-subtest lines (then click into the subtest listings). "No score listed" does not mean "no test required" — verify with the agency.

Score validity: ETS reporting vs. state acceptance

Keep two different clocks apart. ETS will send a score report for some years after you test, and each state sets its own acceptance window — some accept scores indefinitely, others impose a validity period with certification-specific conditions (Kentucky's five-year rule, for example, applies to certification with its own terms; it is not a national rule). If a state page says "scores accepted for X years," read whether that applies to your certificate and application route. A common question — "do my old Praxis scores expire?" — has a state-specific answer, not one number for the whole country.[9]

State-by-State Praxis 5001 Guides

Learndiag maintains a per-state guide covering required tests, per-subtest qualifying scores, and how to verify them — including two of the states (Alabama, Maryland) where the elementary exam is not the 5001:

• Praxis 5001 Requirements in Tennessee — tests, scores, and certification steps
• Praxis 5001 Requirements in Kentucky — scores set by regulation 16 KAR 6:010
• Praxis 5001 Requirements in Virginia — 5001 plus Teaching Reading 5205
• Praxis 5001 Requirements in New Jersey — 5001 for Elementary K–6
• Praxis 5001 Requirements in South Carolina — the 2026 transition to the 5901 bundle and CKT
• Praxis 5001 Requirements in Alabama — the 2025–26 transition and which test your cohort needs
• Praxis 5001 Requirements in Maryland — Teaching Reading plus the CKT path for Elementary (1–6)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average Praxis 5001 passing score?

There is no meaningful average. Qualifying scores are set per state, per subtest, and most published lines fall between 150 and 165.[1] The only number that matters is your state's current requirement for each subtest.

Is 157 the passing score everywhere?

No. Several states — including Virginia, Tennessee, and New Jersey — set 157 for 5002 Reading & Language Arts,[2][3][4] which makes "157" look universal online. It is not: other states set different lines, and some do not use the 5001 at all.

Do I have to pass all four subtests?

In most states, yes — each subtest is scored separately and agencies require a qualifying score on every one. A strong math score does not offset a failed science score. Exceptions exist where a state moves to a different series (like South Carolina's current lines), so confirm the requirement for your certificate.

Where can I compare states quickly?

The official ETS score-comparison tool lets you select multiple states and agencies side by side.[1]

Do my old Praxis scores still count?

It depends on the state and the series. South Carolina, for example, accepts qualifying scores taken before its retirement dates for initial certification until 2031-08-31 (CKT) and 2032-08-31 (5001/5901). Each state sets its own acceptance window and conditions — see the historical rules above and check with your agency.

The Bottom Line

Your Praxis 5001 target is four state-specific numbers, not one national constant. For the states verified here, the content lines are 157/157/155/159 with separate reading and pedagogy requirements on top; South Carolina has moved to the 5903/5904/5905 (or 8003/8004/8005) lines with its own history rules. Verify all four numbers for your state, aim comfortably above them, and spend most of your study time on your weakest gate.

Not sure where you stand against those lines? Take the free Praxis 5001 diagnostic — 12 original questions across all four subtests, with a short quiz that helps identify topics worth reviewing. It is not a full-length Praxis test and does not establish an ETS scaled score or a pass probability.

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