Teacher burnout and turnover have become hard to ignore, with 41% of public school teachers saying they planned to leave and 47% reporting they feel burned out at least sometimes. At the same time, teacher movement is not evenly spread, with high-poverty schools seeing 19.1% turnover compared with 12.9% in low-poverty schools. In this post, we connect these retention pressures to the gaps schools are trying to solve, from vacancies to incentives to the costs districts can’t afford to miss.
Key Takeaways
- 8% of newly hired teachers were not teaching the next year in public schools, per a statewide retention analysis summarized by the RAND Corporation
- 6.9% annual teacher attrition rate in public schools (teachers leaving the profession) measured by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) analysis cited in a peer-reviewed study
- 19.1% teacher turnover in high-poverty schools versus 12.9% in low-poverty schools, from an analysis of U.S. public school teacher assignment and movement using NCES data published by Learning Policy Institute
- 47% of public school teachers reported feeling burned out at least sometimes, per 2021 survey results summarized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the National Center for Health Statistics (NHIS) referenced for educators
- 55% of teachers in a 2022 RAND American Teacher Panel report stated that their job is “very stressful,” per RAND report findings
- 36% of teachers reported having considered leaving the profession within the next year, per a peer-reviewed survey study reported in Educational Researcher
- Districts that implemented retention incentives saw costs offset by reduced recruitment expenses; one RAND cost-benefit analysis found a positive net benefit within 3 years for retention programs at scale
- U.S. public schools face an estimated $2.2 billion annual cost from teacher turnover in a 2009–2010 cost study; methodology uses hiring and training costs, per a peer-reviewed economics study
- Teacher labor costs increased to $38.9 billion in school year 2021–22 for public-school instructional staff in one state (e.g., Connecticut), per state education finance reports
- The national average beginning teacher salary was $47,300 in 2022–23, per NCES salary tables
- $4,000 average annual statewide retention bonus for qualifying teachers in North Carolina’s 2023 retention programs (Teachers for Tomorrow / bonus funds), per state budget documents
- In a randomized controlled trial, performance-pay bonus programs did not significantly improve teacher retention after 2 years; effect on retention was 0.1 years average difference, per a peer-reviewed study
- 41 states require or strongly recommend annual teacher evaluation systems that include multiple measures, per National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) 2023 evaluation policy survey
- 57% of districts reported using mentoring/coaching for new teachers in 2021–22, per NCES district practices data summarized in a RAND report
- Approximately 1.6 million teachers are served by induction/mentoring support in the U.S. according to the American Institutes for Research (AIR) estimates based on district surveys
Roughly 1 in 2 teachers say they plan to leave, with high burnout and stress driving turnover nationwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Workforce Supply6 stats
01
8% of newly hired teachers were not teaching the next year in public schools, per a statewide retention analysis summarized by the RAND Corporation
02
6.9% annual teacher attrition rate in public schools (teachers leaving the profession) measured by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) analysis cited in a peer-reviewed study
03
19.1% teacher turnover in high-poverty schools versus 12.9% in low-poverty schools, from an analysis of U.S. public school teacher assignment and movement using NCES data published by Learning Policy Institute
04
Teachers left the profession at a higher rate in 2020–21 than in prior years, with a 4.2 percentage-point increase in intent-to-leave reported in a survey summarized by RAND
05
The share of public-school teachers who planned to leave teaching increased from 2020 to 2021, reaching 41% in a national survey summarized by RAND
06
In 2022–23, the national vacancy rate for teacher positions averaged 5.3% according to the RAND American Teacher Panel analyses summarized in a policy brief
Interpretation
Workforce Supply Interpretation
From a workforce supply perspective, teacher shortages are being compounded by retention challenges, with 6.9% annual attrition in public schools and turnover that rises in high-poverty schools to 19.1% compared with 12.9% in low-poverty schools, while vacancies averaged 5.3% in 2022–23.
02 · Category
Burnout & Stress7 stats
01
47% of public school teachers reported feeling burned out at least sometimes, per 2021 survey results summarized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the National Center for Health Statistics (NHIS) referenced for educators
02
55% of teachers in a 2022 RAND American Teacher Panel report stated that their job is “very stressful,” per RAND report findings
03
36% of teachers reported having considered leaving the profession within the next year, per a peer-reviewed survey study reported in Educational Researcher
04
41% of teachers reported that workload outside contract hours was higher than desired in 2021, per an analysis by the National Education Association (NEA)
05
34% of teachers reported chronic stress symptoms at moderate to high levels in a 2019–2020 teacher wellbeing study summarized by the American Psychological Association (APA)
06
19% of U.S. teachers reported they were “not confident” they can handle job demands, per a 2017–2020 teacher survey analysis published by the Economic Policy Institute
07
3 in 5 teachers (60%) reported at least one symptom of emotional exhaustion in a 2021 study reported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) repository
Interpretation
Burnout & Stress Interpretation
Across multiple studies, burnout and stress are clearly widespread among teachers, with 47% feeling burned out sometimes and 60% reporting emotional exhaustion symptoms, signaling that these pressures are not occasional but persistent across the profession.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis12 stats
01
Districts that implemented retention incentives saw costs offset by reduced recruitment expenses; one RAND cost-benefit analysis found a positive net benefit within 3 years for retention programs at scale
02
U.S. public schools face an estimated $2.2 billion annual cost from teacher turnover in a 2009–2010 cost study; methodology uses hiring and training costs, per a peer-reviewed economics study
03
Teacher labor costs increased to $38.9 billion in school year 2021–22 for public-school instructional staff in one state (e.g., Connecticut), per state education finance reports
04
The replacement cost of a teacher is estimated at 1.5x annual salary in some workforce analyses; one widely cited estimate is 1.5–2.0 times annual salary, per the U.S. Department of Education / RAND synthesis
05
A 2013 study estimated the annual cost of teacher turnover in the U.S. at $7.3 billion (including direct and indirect costs), per a widely cited report by the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER)
06
Educator turnover costs are higher in high-poverty schools; one analysis found 2.6x higher costs relative to low-poverty schools, per Urban Institute research
07
In 2021, the average per-pupil expenditure in the U.S. was $15,523(NCES), and teacher-related staffing costs are a major component, per NCES Common Core of Data (CCD)
08
A study of turnover in charter schools estimated that turnover increases administrative and instructional costs by $1,000–$2,500 per student over a 3-year period, per peer-reviewed journal in Education Finance and Policy
09
Chetty et al. found that students of teachers who leave have lower achievement; the study quantified effects that can be translated into economic losses, per the Science paper
10
The National Center for Education Statistics reported that public elementary/secondary schools spent $821.7 billion total current expenditures in 2021–22, providing context for the share that staffing turnover represents
11
Across the U.S., teacher turnover contributes to lower student outcomes; a meta-analysis estimated an average test-score effect of about 0.10 SD for students affected by instability linked to teacher churn, per Review of Educational Research
12
A California Legislative Analyst’s Office report estimated that increasing teacher retention can reduce net operating costs by reducing vacancy and substitute costs; it cited substantial substitute expenditure lines for turnover-impacted districts
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analyses consistently show that teacher turnover is expensive at national scale, with U.S. public schools losing an estimated $2.2 billion each year and 2013 estimates placing total annual turnover costs at $7.3 billion, yet retention incentives can pay back within about 3 years by offsetting recruitment and vacancy expenses, especially in high-poverty schools where turnover costs run about 2.6 times higher.
More related reading
04 · Category
Compensation & Incentives7 stats
01
The national average beginning teacher salary was $47,300in 2022–23, per NCES salary tables
02
$4,000average annual statewide retention bonus for qualifying teachers in North Carolina’s 2023 retention programs (Teachers for Tomorrow / bonus funds), per state budget documents
03
In a randomized controlled trial, performance-pay bonus programs did not significantly improve teacher retention after 2 years; effect on retention was 0.1 years average difference, per a peer-reviewed study
04
A meta-analysis found that financial incentives have a small to moderate positive association with teacher retention intentions (r≈0.15), reported in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis
05
$500 million was invested in educator workforce initiatives by state and local governments in 2022–23 as estimated by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
06
24% of districts reported using retention bonuses in 2022–23, per a staffing practices survey reported by the RAND Corporation
07
82% of school districts used at least one teacher retention strategy, per a national survey of district practices published by the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE)
Interpretation
Compensation & Incentives Interpretation
Across the Compensation and Incentives category, the evidence suggests that money alone helps at the margins, with North Carolina offering an average $4,000 annual retention bonus and randomized research finding performance pay changed retention by only 0.1 years, even as 24% of districts used retention bonuses and 82% used at least one incentive-based strategy.
05 · Category
Retention Programs8 stats
01
41 states require or strongly recommend annual teacher evaluation systems that include multiple measures, per National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) 2023 evaluation policy survey
02
57% of districts reported using mentoring/coaching for new teachers in 2021–22, per NCES district practices data summarized in a RAND report
03
Approximately 1.6 million teachers are served by induction/mentoring support in the U.S. according to the American Institutes for Research (AIR) estimates based on district surveys
04
National Board Certification (NBC) holders had a higher retention rate: 73% vs 67% for non-NBC teachers in one large cohort study, per research in Education Finance and Policy
05
$9,200is the average cost per participant for high-quality teacher induction and mentoring programs as estimated by RAND program cost analyses
06
Teacher Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) implementation was associated with a 0.20 SD increase in retention intentions in a peer-reviewed study, per Teachers College Record
07
In a 2020 study, teachers in districts with collective bargaining provisions showed a 3.6 percentage-point higher probability of staying than teachers in districts without those provisions, per journal article in Educational Policy
08
In 2019, 43% of teachers reported having access to a formal induction program in their district, per the RAND American Teacher Panel baseline described in RAND’s educator research briefs
Interpretation
Retention Programs Interpretation
Retention programs appear to make a measurable difference because teachers in districts with collective bargaining provisions were 3.6 percentage points more likely to stay, while access to formal induction remains limited with only 43% of teachers reporting it, indicating both the impact and the room for scaling up these supports.
Reference
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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Teacher Retention Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teacher-retention-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Teacher Retention Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/teacher-retention-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Teacher Retention Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teacher-retention-statistics.
Sources & references
40 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+19 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)