The present invention has its object to provide a rubber composition for a tread which can prevent reversion and can also achieve environmental performance (excellent rolling resistance, response to depletion of oil resources, attention to CO2 emission), wet grip performance, dry grip performance, handling stability, and durability (abrasion resistance, crack resistance) in a well-balanced manner. The present invention also aims to provide a pneumatic tire using the rubber composition for the tread thereof. The rubber composition for a tread includes a rubber component containing 35% by mass or more of an epoxidized natural rubber; and a white filler, wherein a total sulfur content is less than 1.75% by mass, and a crosslink density is 7.0×10−5 mol / cm3 or more.