New research, the first of its kind, presents a national comparison of teacher vacancies by state.
Schools across the U.S. are battling this issue, some more than others. According to the Florida Education Association, there are as many as 8,000 teacher vacancies in Florida fueled by massive teacher shortages. Kansas finds itself in its worst teacher shortage ever.
But is it as bad as it seems? That’s the question a new working paper from Annenberg Brown University aims to address.
Through a systematic examination of news reports and articles as well as Department of Education data, the authors found there are at least 36,504 vacant teacher positions across the nation, a number that is far less severe than estimates reported in the media. NEA President Rebecca Pringle has said there is a shortage of nearly 300,000 educators and support staff, but those numbers include non-teaching staff as well.
In an effort to provide realistic data, the researchers also constructed an interactive map that shows raw teacher vacancies by state. It is an incomplete snapshot of the most recent data provided by each state, which means some states’ data is older than others since states publicly release the information at varying times.
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Nineteen states have released teacher vacancy data for the 2021-22 school year. Thirteen have information for the 2020-21 school year. Nine states have data ranging from 2018-2020, and 10 have data ranging from 2014-2018.
Some states, such as California, Oregon and Washington, among others, have no information to report due to a lack of firm evidence released by the states.
Southern states are seeing the highest amounts of raw teacher vacancies, with Florida coming out on top at 3,911. Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia each have over 3,000 vacancies.
Mississippi saw the highest teacher-to-student vacancy rate in the 2021-22 school year. The state reported having nearly 69 missing teachers per 10,000 students. In comparison, Utah had less than one missing teacher per 10,000 students.
Alabama has the second highest teacher-to-student vacancy ratio, with 41 vacancies per 10,000 students. Georgia, in third place, has 18 per 10,000, and Florida with 14.
States with relatively low counts of raw vacancy, specifically Montana, Kansas, New Mexico, Kansas, and Maine, have relatively high student-to-teacher vacancy ratios with 22 to 38 vacancies per 10,000 students.
The three states with the lowest raw counts of vacancies are Utah (37), Missouri (38) and Nebraska (42).
In total, the southern region makes up the highest portion of vacancies with 22,600. The Midwest accounts for 7,400.
On a regional scale, the South Atlantic has 13,444 reported vacancies, whereas the Pacific has 364.
FAQs
Georgia had the highest number of vacancies (3,112) for the 2019-2020 school year. More recently, during the 2021-2022 school year, Florida had the most vacancies with 3,911 positions unfulfilled.
Which state has the most teacher shortages? ›
- Nevada, Utah, and California are the states with the most severe teacher shortages, while Vermont has the least.
- New report highlights states with critical levels of teacher shortages, with an estimated 200,000 public school teachers in demand by the 2025-26 school year.
Over the last two years, teacher vacancies seem to have been increasing substantially since the onset of the pandemic. Last year, when we first put out the report and the website, compared with now—it's increased to 55,000 vacant positions from 36,000 before. That's a substantial increase.
Who is to blame for the teacher shortage? ›
Low wages, high workloads, and challenging working conditions are some of the reasons the education sector faces a teacher shortage.
In which of the following areas is there a teacher shortage? ›
Throughout the pandemic, many districts have faced significant challenges in attracting and retaining teachers, and preexisting teacher shortages in critical areas such as special education; bilingual education; science, technology, engineering, and math; career and technical education; and early childhood education ...
What state is the hardest to become a teacher? ›
New Hampshire and New Mexico topped WalletHub's 2020 ranking of the worst states for teachers. Educators across the country have expressed their frustration over rushed district reopening plans.
What states do teachers make the least? ›
Lowest-Paid States for Teachers
- South Dakota ($49,190)
- Mississippi ($49,770)
- West Virginia ($50,770.
- North Carolina ($51,570)
- Arkansas ($53,080)
Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska and Nevada had some of the lowest teacher-to-student ratios across the nation, according to Scholaroo—an education research firm. Their 2023 report shows these western states fall in the bottom 25% of teacher shortages.
Where are the largest teacher shortages? ›
Nevada, California and Utah are among the states with the worst teacher-to-student ratios in the country, according to research. As schools across the U.S. continue to grapple with educator shortages, legislators are looking to find ways to encourage teachers to stay in or return to the profession.
Why is America's teacher shortage going to get worse? ›
As more senior educators leave the classroom, prospective teachers are choosing to work in higher-paying industries. Teachers' salaries grow at a slower rate than that of the workforce as a whole.
Schroder contends that the low pay, combined with high stress and a strong sense of disrespect from some outspoken sections of society, make the job of teaching unattractive to many college graduates.
Why are so many teachers quitting right now? ›
Occupations outside of teaching might be more available and enticing with unemployment rates low and work-from-home policies more common. And some teachers say that student behavior has worsened since the pandemic, making their jobs more challenging.
Why does Florida have a teacher shortage? ›
The FEA says improving teacher pay and working conditions, spending more on mental health resources in schools, and keeping politics out of the classroom could help attract and keep teachers in Florida. Florida ranks 48th in the nation for teacher salary and 43rd for per student spending. Find county data here.
What states pay teachers the most? ›
State average teacher salaries ranged from those in New York ($91, 097), Massachusetts ($89, 538), and California ($88, 508) at the high end to Mississippi ($47, 902), West Virginia ($50, 315), and South Dakota ($50, 592) at the low end.
What should states do to address teacher shortages? ›
Supporting the Existing Workforce. Another cornerstone strategy for states and districts looking to solve their teacher shortage is to improve retention by implementing supports for their existing workforce .
What kind of teacher is most needed? ›
The most in demand teaching subjects
- Bilingual education and English language acquisition.
- Foreign language.
- Mathematics.
- Reading.
- Science.
- Special education.
New York's average teacher salary is about 11.5% higher than the average earnings of a full-time, year-round employee. Massachusetts and California follow, with $88,903 and $87,275 respectively. Mississippi has the lowest average teacher salary of $47,162, followed by South Dakota with $49,761.
Which state has the happiest teachers? ›
2023's Best & Worst States for Teachers, WalletHub Study
| Best States for Teachers | Worst States for Teachers |
|---|
| 1. Virginia | 42. Tennessee |
| 2. New York | 43. Rhode Island |
| 3. Utah | 44. New Mexico |
| 4. Washington | 45. Missouri |
6 more rowsSep 25, 2023
1. New York. New York is among the best-paying states for teachers. Reasons include an average annual salary of $92,222 that, although below the state's average income of $107,000, is still more than the salaries paid in other states.
