During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, teacher turnover was widespread but also more concentrated in certain subject areas, licensure levels, and among educators of color, according to a report released last week by the Learning Policy Institute.
The institute analyzed the most recently available federal data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey and the 2021-22 Teacher Follow-Up Survey to estimate teacher turnover rates and trends.
The latest findings confirm previous evidence that teacher turnover can particularly impact high-needs areas like special education and schools serving a higher proportion of students of color and those from low-income families. Urban schools were also more likely to face higher turnover rates than suburban and rural schools, Learning Policy Institute said.
The research from the COVID-19 era comes at a time when teacher vacancies and high numbers of uncertified teachers in classrooms persist. During the 2025-26 school year, there were an estimated 56,920 vacant teaching positions and 351,807 underqualified educators nationwide, according to a project mapping teacher shortages led by researchers at the University of Missouri and University of Pittsburgh.
As states and school districts continue to grapple with staffing challenges, here are some of the key takeaways from the Learning Policy Institute’s analysis on teacher turnover rates during the pandemic.
