In the twenty-first century, teachers’ roles extend beyond the mere transmission of knowledge; they act as facilitators of learning, cultivators of critical thinking, and promoters of life skills. Recognizing and enhancing teachers’ professional competencies is essential for improving the quality of education. This study aimed to examine and analyze twenty-first-century teaching competencies among primary school teachers in Ahvaz. A mixed-methods explanatory design was employed. In the quantitative phase, 351 primary school teachers from four districts of Ahvaz were selected using multistage stratified sampling based on the Morgan table. In the qualitative phase, 20 school principals and teacher evaluators were interviewed purposively until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data collection involved a researcher-developed questionnaire with validated content (Lawshe technique) and acceptable reliability (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.70) for the quantitative phase, and semi-structured interviews for the qualitative phase. Findings revealed that competencies in creativity, problem solving, and collaborative activities were above the average level, communication skills were at an average level, while digital literacy and digital citizenship were below the average level. Qualitative findings largely supported the quantitative results, although no alignment was observed regarding collaborative activities due to differing teacher expectations and experiences. The study highlights that developing teachers’ competencies requires an integrated and multidimensional approach, emphasizing the interplay between communication, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and digital literacy. Such an approach can strengthen teachers’ professional effectiveness and enhance the overall quality of education in primary schools.