TEACHER WORKFORCE DATA SNAPSHOTS

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Use the tabs below to explore state-by-state teacher workforce data.

QUANTITY

The proportion of teachers exiting (or looking to exit) the profession is trending up. And this rate of teacher turnover is costly  — on average, it costs school districts $21,000 to replace each teacher.

A bar graph showing a 10% teacher turnover rate in SREB states. A bar graph showing a 45% turnover rate in SREB states among novice teachers. A bar graph showing that 50% of teachers say they plan to leave their jobs. A bar graph showing that 76% of Chief Talent Officers report higher resignations now than in previous years. A pie chart showing 87% of teachers feel staffing shortages are a serious problem at their school. A pie chart showing that 64% of teachers were asked to cover a class at least one time per week during the 2021-22 school year.

 

Explore state-by-state teacher quantity data below:

  Pupil: Teacher Ratio Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Teachers Prekindergarten Teachers Kindergarten Teachers Elementary Teachers Secondary Teachers Turnover Rate (%)
AL 17.71 42,022 1,136 4,559 16,716 19,611 NA
AR 12.86 38,629 714 2,233 13,941 18,816 NA
DE 14.36 9,747 155 308 4,459 4,825 11.5%
FL 17.22 166,002 1,059 9,814 61,655 65,872 NA
GA 15.02 117,837 3,113 6,341 43,647 46,322 9.2%
KY 16.39 42,223 1,136 2,083 21,488 10,035 18.2%
LA 18.41 38,589 1,336 2,289 22,626 12,339 NA
MD 14.79 61,485 1,490 3,081 32,288 24,626 NA
MS 14.76 31,578 569 1,715 12,524 13,095 NA
NC 15.48 100,777 1,999 7,263 61,631 29,057 7.5%
OK 16.25 43,315 1,820 2,175 20,418 18,902 NA
SC 14.69 53,556 1,159 2,492 34,254 15,652 7.3%
TN 15.66 64,784 1,385 4,190 39,807 18,947 7.2%
TX 15.08 364,478 11,532 21,760 144,984 159,154 10.2%
VA 14.88 87,147 2,242 4,614 30,396 49,895 NA
WV 13.98 18,854 616 938 8,296 8,981 NA
AVERAGE 15.5 80,064 1,966 4,741 35,571 32,258 10.2%

Sources: Learning Policy Institute 2017; IES/NCES 2019-20; TNTP 2022; NEA 2022; RAND 2021; Educators for Excellence 2022; NCES, State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey, 2019-20 v.1a.

 

PREPARATION

Teacher preparation program enrollment and completion is declining across the SREB region.

A downward pointing arrow showing that 15,700 fewer teachers have been prepared in SREB states since 2013, despite rising enrollment rates. In 2020, 51,143 people completed teacher prep programs in the SREB region. A pie chart showing 64% of these people went through a traditional prep program and 36% went through an alternative program.

 

The graph below shows total* teacher preparation program completions by state:

A stacked bar graph showing the total number of teacher preparation program completions in each of SREB's 16 states in 2012-13, 2018-19, and 2019-20.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Includes teacher candidates who completed traditional teacher preparation programs and university-based and private alternative teacher preparation programs.

Source: U.S. Department of Education. “2020 Title II Reports.”

 

SHORTAGE AREAS

Although teacher shortages are being felt everywhere, the majority of known teacher vacancies in the US are in the South.

Pie chart showing the breakdown of the 36,500 known teacher vacancies in the US. Northeast 1,500 (4%). West 5,000 (14%). Midwest 7,400 (20%). South 22,600 (62%).

 

(2019-20) The table below shows that almost all states in the SREB region have shortages in math, science, and special education.

  English Language Arts   Math  Science Social Studies Special Education English as a Second Language Career & Technical Education
AL P-12 P-12 6-12   K-12    
AR P-12 P-12 P-12   P-12   P-12
DE P-12 P-12 P-12   P-12 P-12 P-12
FL P-12 P-12 P-12   P-12 P-12 P-12
GA   6-12 6-12   K-12    
KY   6-12 6-12 6-12 P-12 6-12 6-12
LA   6-12 P-12   P-12    
MD   7-12 7-12   P-12 7-12 7-12
MS   overall overall   overall    
NC K-5 K-12 K-12 K-12 K-12 9-12 9-12
OK K-12 K-12 K-12 K-12 P-12 5-12 5-12
SC 5-12 5-12 5-12 5-12 P-12 P-12 P-12
TN 6-12 6-12 6-12 6-12      
TX   7-12     P-12 7-12 7-12
VA K-12 K-12 K-12 K-5 P-12 6-12 6-12
WV 5-12 5-12 P-12 5-12 P-12 P-12 P-12
TOTAL 10 STATES 16 STATES 15 STATES 7 STATES 15 STATES 11 STATES 11 STATES

Source: K-12 Dive/Annenberg Institute at Brown University 2022

QUALITY

A map showing the percent of teachers in each SREB state who have 3 or less years of experience. Refer to the data table which follows.

 

Explore state-by-state data below:

  National Board Certified (%) Inexperienced (%) Out-of-Field (%) Uncertified & Under-Certified* (%) Avg. Years of Experience
AL 7.8% 16.2% 7.3% 3.0% NA
AR 9.0% NA NA NA NA
DE 4.8% 17.9%** NA 5.4% NA
FL 8.2% NA 6.4% NA 11.8
GA 2.2% 5.1% 11.0% 0.1% NA
KY 9.9% 17.6% 0.4% 4.8% 12.0
LA 4.9% NA 11.0% NA NA
MD 5.6% 17.6% 14.5% 4.9% NA
MS 14.5% 22.8% 4.4% 8.4% NA
NC 23.2% 16.3% NA NA NA
OK 7.2% 14.1% 18.0% 3.2% 7.2
SC 17.4% 26.4% 47.4% NA NA
TN 1.2% 15.1% 0.1% 0.2% NA
TX 0.3% 14.3% 9.4% 4.7% 11.3
VA 4.5% 4.7% 3.2% 6.3% NA
WV 6.1% 18.4% NA 5.6% NA
AVERAGE 7.9% 15.7% 11.1% 4.2% NA

NA indicates data was not publicly available for the 2019-20 school year.

*Includes emergency, provisional, and limited licenses

**DE reports “inexperienced” as four years or less of teaching experience

Sources: States’ school report cards and teacher workforce reports

 

 

 

DIVERSITY

The racial and ethnic diversity of the teacher workforce in SREB states does not reflect the diversity of the student population.

A pictograph representing that 22% of teachers in SREB states are people of color (in some states as few as 5%). Another pictograph representing that 59% of students in SREB states are people of color.

 

Explore state-by-state data below:

  Male Female Gender Not Specified White Black Asian Native American / Native Alaskan / Native Hawaiian Hispanic 2 or More Races / Ethnicities Unknown / Not Reported
AL 22.4% 77.6% 1.3% 76.9% 22.4% 0.3% 0.5% NA 0.4% 3.1%
AR NA NA NA 88.5% 8.9% 0.4% 0.5% 1.3% 0.3% NA
DE 23.0% 77.0% NA 82.0% 11.7% 1.3% 0.2% 36.9% 1.1% NA
FL 21.0% 79.0% NA 66.7% 14.0% 1.3% 0.2% 16.5% 1.2% NA
GA 20.0% 80.0% NA 68.3% 26.0% 1.3% 0.2% 2.6% 1.7% NA
KY 22.4% 77.6% NA 95.2% 3.3% 0.4% 0.1% 0.9% 0.1% NA
LA NA NA NA 72.9% 23.5% 0.9% 0.4% 1.8% 0.4% NA
MD NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
MS 22.8% 90.8% NA 79.5% 29.2% 0.6% 0.3% 0.7% NA 3.5%
NC 25.8% 70.7% NA 77.3% 16.1% NA NA NA NA 6.0%
OK 27.1% 72.9% NA 85.3% 3.5% 0.5% 6.2% 2.0% 2.6% NA
SC 18.7% 77.4% 1.5% 75.3% 15.1% 1.6% 0.2% 1.9% NA 3.1%
TN NA NA NA 83.9% 11.5% 0.4% 0.2% 1.4% 0.7% 1.9%
TX 23.8% 76.2% NA 57.7% 10.8% 1.8% 0.2% 28.1% 1.1% NA
VA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
WV NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
AVERAGE 23% 77% 1% 77% 15% 0.9% 0.8% 8.6% 1% 3.5%

NOTE: State-reported data on teacher diversity is inconsistently reported. Percentages by race and gender are approximate, due to these inconsistencies.

NA indicates data was not publicly available for the 2019-20 school year.

Sources: States’ school report cards and teacher workforce reports

 

 

 

CHARACTERISTICS

(2017-18) This chart outlines the percentage of each state’s teachers with one or two years of experience, with emergency or provisional certificates, who plan to leave the profession, and who are teachers of color.

  Inexperienced Uncertified Plan to Leave the Profession Teachers of Color
AL 9.1% 10.6% 12.3% 20.0%
AR 13.2% 2.3% 12.0% 7.0%
DE 12.8% 2.9% 12.8% 15.0%
FL 18.4% 2.9% 19.3% 35.0%
GA 9.1% 5.0% 12.9% 30.0%
KY 12.0% 0.6% 11.9% 7.0%
LA 16.1% 9.2% 13.9% 28.0%
MD 14.9% 3.3% 10.1% 29.0%
MS 11.5% 4.6% 13.5% 23.0%
NC 6.7% 11.9% 15.8% 23.0%
OK 11.9% 0.5% 16.5% 20.0%
SC 10.8% 1.2% 13.0% 21.0%
TN 11.8% 2.2% 14.5% 17.0%
TX 15.5% 2.4% 14.5% 40.0%
VA 10.8% 4.0% 12.7% 18.0%
WV 9.2% 2.5% 17.6% 3.0%
NATIONAL AVG. 11.7% 3.2% 12.3% 21.0%