Science, technology, engineering and math are among the most often-cited subject areas when education leaders describe their teaching shortage areas.
During the 2024-25 school year, for example, science and math were, respectively, the second and third most-frequently reported subjects by states facing teacher shortages, according to a Learning Policy Institute analysis of U.S. Department of Education data.
That challenge comes as other research suggests the STEM teacher workforce pipeline has contracted in recent years. A 2025 study published in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications analyzed Title II data from the Higher Education Act that tracks teacher preparation and education programs. That study found that the number of new STEM teachers graduating from higher education institutions dropped by 37%, from nearly 32,000 teachers in 2011 to 20,000 in 2022.
But what does the STEM teacher shortage look like in schools with more student needs in higher poverty areas?
A 2026 study spearheaded by researchers at The Brookings Institution, Texas State University and Florida Atlantic University found that the STEM teacher workforce remained relatively stable between 1993 and 2011 for high-need schools, when federal survey data was most recently available. High-need schools were defined as the 25% of schools with the highest share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.
Data from more recent years, however, suggests there have been persistent gaps in the quality of STEM teachers in higher poverty schools, according to the study published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.
That research found that, in 2012, “novice” STEM teachers were more likely to work in higher-poverty schools while those with a graduate degree or STEM qualifications were less likely to work in the same school setting.
Meanwhile, in 2012, STEM teachers at higher-poverty schools earned $6,100 less per year than their peers in lower-poverty schools, the study found. By 2021, that pay difference decreased to almost $4,000.
“In short, the differences in STEM teacher characteristics and qualifications between higher and lower-poverty schools have persisted, albeit decreasing over time, from 2004 to 2021,” the study said. “The main exception here is that the STEM teacher salary gap has narrowed between higher and lower-poverty schools.”
Policy solutions
While research is scattered on the state of the STEM teacher pipeline in high-need schools, the studies from Brookings and the Humanities and Social Sciences Communications both cited promising solutions for ensuring students in these schools have access to high-quality STEM teachers.
The Brookings study’s findings suggest high-need schools have been able to remain competitive in attracting STEM educators, said Michael Hansen, one of the study’s authors and a senior fellow at the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings.
One of those reasons, Hansen said, could be attributed to initiatives like the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. The federal program awards scholarships to higher education institutions to help build capacity for training STEM teachers who agree to work in high-need schools. Students training to become STEM teachers also receive scholarships between $2,000 to $5,000 per year through the Noyce program, Hansen said.
The Noyce program, which launched in 2003, also supports research on teacher effectiveness. Over the last 23 years, the program has invested roughly $1.3 billion to over 700 higher education institutions with more than 400 awards, a NSF spokesperson told K-12 Dive in an April 21 statement.
The Brookings study also reported that school districts located near higher ed institutions partnering with the Noyce program were associated with fewer STEM teacher vacancies, particularly in the fields of math, physical sciences and biology.
“The program’s continued focus on teacher training, induction, and retention in high-need school districts continues to make noticeable and measurable impact on STEM teacher preparation and the broader STEM talent and learning ecosystem,” the NSF spokesperson said.
Hansen said the individual scholarships that the Noyce program awards to students training to become STEM teachers should at least double or triple. Outside of the program, he said, teachers should also be paid more.
The Brookings study calls for more robust financial supports to address the STEM teacher pipeline’s vulnerabilities. That can include targeted incentive pay for high-need schools and hard-to-staff subjects, loan forgiveness or enhancing scholarship programs like Noyce.
The research from the Humanities and Social Sciences Communications journal also found that when teacher salaries are higher, STEM college graduates are more likely to work as STEM teachers.
The study added that “Even after accounting for numerous factors and economic conditions, the results suggest that for every $10,000 increase in average teacher salary, there is a corresponding increase of 6 STEM teachers in annual production” from a higher education institution.
