Though post-pandemic teacher turnover rates have steadily declined over a four-year period, a recent Education Resource Strategies study found that teachers are still more likely to leave their positions if they work in high-poverty schools or special education.
The average teacher turnover rate in the 2024-25 school year was 16%, according to a six-state analysis by ERS, an education research and consulting group. Among the teachers who left their schools, the largest share stopped teaching in their state, said ERS, suggesting that they may have left the teaching profession altogether.
Separately, an August survey of more than 2,000 K-12 educators by the American Federation of Teachers found that 31% of respondents were likely to leave teaching within the next year. Almost two-thirds of AFT teachers said they experienced high stress levels, rating their stress at a seven or higher on a scale of one to 10.
The Learning Policy Institute also reported that there were at least 425,412 teaching positions left vacant or filled by an uncertified teacher in 2026, representing 1 in 8 teaching roles nationwide.
As research continues to illuminate the persistent challenges with teacher vacancies, particularly in hard-to-staff teaching areas, a July Bellwether analysis found that public schools have experienced ongoing enrollment declines while staffing overall — including nonteaching positions — increased 10% from fall 2013 to fall 2022.
Here are the key takeaways from ERS’ six-state analysis of teacher turnover.
