Teacher turnover is no longer a behind-the-scenes personnel issue. A new snapshot shows 49% of teachers worried about their job’s future in the 2023–24 RAND State Teacher Survey, while 84% of principals say turnover disrupts instruction and school culture. From near term exit intent to the billions spent just to keep classrooms covered, the full picture of Teachers Quitting is both personal and painfully expensive.
Key Takeaways
- 38% of teachers in a RAND American Teacher Panel survey reported that they were likely to leave teaching within 2 years (2022), quantifying near-term attrition intent
- 30% of teachers reported they were dissatisfied with salary enough to consider leaving in 2022 (survey measure), tying compensation to quit risk
- 45% of teachers in a 2023 survey reported workload as a major factor influencing their decision to leave, quantifying time/effort pressure
- $7.6 billion annual cost estimate of teacher turnover to U.S. school districts (2018), highlighting financial impact of quitting
- $1.7 million additional annual district cost for replacing teachers in high-turnover contexts (2019 estimate), quantifying scale
- 3-5x higher recruitment costs for hard-to-staff subjects vs general placements (2019 district procurement analysis), reflecting quitting difficulty
- 20% fewer teachers expected in public schools over the next decade in some subject areas without increased retention (projection model, 2022), relating to quitting trend
- 33% of principals reported teacher resignations as a top staffing challenge (2023 principal survey), quantifying quitting severity
- 14.2% of teachers reported they left the profession during 2019-2020 (longitudinal panel estimate), a direct attrition measure
- 44 states reported shortages in at least one teacher subject area in 2022–23, according to state-level reporting on teacher supply and demand
- In 2022, 24% of teachers reported they had a plan to leave their job or retirement intent within 5 years, according to a national teacher workforce analysis
- Across U.S. states, the teacher-to-student ratio increased slightly from 15.4:1 in 2010 to 14.7:1 in 2022, indicating enrollment growth and staffing strain that can drive quits
- 62% of teachers reported they experienced burnout symptoms, as measured in the 2022 RAND American Teacher Panel (burnout is a leading quitting pathway)
- Teachers who reported poor mental health had a 10.2 percentage-point higher probability of intending to leave their school within the next 2 years (peer-reviewed evidence from a large U.S. survey analysis)
- In the 2023–24 RAND State Teacher Survey, 49% of teachers reported being worried about their job’s future, indicating elevated quitting/exit pressure
Nearly 40% of teachers are considering leaving soon, with workload and conditions driving attrition.
Related reading
01 · Category
Retention Drivers12 stats
01
38% of teachers in a RAND American Teacher Panel survey reported that they were likely to leave teaching within 2 years (2022), quantifying near-term attrition intent
02
30% of teachers reported they were dissatisfied with salary enough to consider leaving in 2022 (survey measure), tying compensation to quit risk
03
45% of teachers in a 2023 survey reported workload as a major factor influencing their decision to leave, quantifying time/effort pressure
04
26% of U.S. teachers in 2022 cited pandemic-related stress as a reason for considering leaving (survey), linking to quitting drivers
05
67% of early-career teachers (1-5 years experience) reported considering leaving (2022 survey), capturing career-stage quitting risk
06
78% of new teachers reported expecting to leave the profession if working conditions do not improve (2022 survey), quantifying contingent quitting intent
07
2.3x higher odds of teachers quitting in schools with high discipline incidents (2015-2017 study), linking student behavior climate to quitting
08
2.0% point higher quit intent among teachers in districts with weaker student support services (2018-2020 analysis), quantifying environment association
09
29% of teachers reported they were not satisfied with school leadership (2021-2022 survey), leadership quality as quitting driver
10
31% of teachers reported “not enough support staff” as a reason for considering leaving (2022 survey), quantifying staffing support gap
11
13% of teachers reported being forced to teach out of field more than once a week (2019-2020), discipline/fit driver for quits
12
15% higher teacher retention in districts that implemented mentoring with weekly coaching (quasi-experimental study, 2017-2019), a quantified retention effect
Interpretation
Retention Drivers Interpretation
Across retention drivers, the most striking pattern is that exit intent is especially high for teachers facing poor working conditions and support, with 78% of new teachers saying they will leave if conditions do not improve and 45% citing workload as a major reason to quit.
02 · Category
Cost Analysis9 stats
01
$7.6 billion annual cost estimate of teacher turnover to U.S. school districts (2018), highlighting financial impact of quitting
02
$1.7 million additional annual district cost for replacing teachers in high-turnover contexts (2019 estimate), quantifying scale
03
3-5x higher recruitment costs for hard-to-staff subjects vs general placements (2019 district procurement analysis), reflecting quitting difficulty
04
$6,000median district annual cost for teacher induction and mentoring per new teacher (2018-2019), relevant because retention programs mitigate quitting
05
10% increase in operating cost for school districts in states with higher teacher turnover (2016-2018 analysis), quantifying fiscal consequences
06
$3.2 billion annual economic value lost from turnover-related disruption (2019 estimate), quantifying broader impacts
07
$500 million in additional annual state/local funding directed to teacher retention programs in 2022 (from state budgets review, 2022), reflecting quit response spending
08
$9.2 billion federal and state spending on teacher workforce and retention initiatives in 2023 (appropriation review), quit response spending
09
$1.1 billion in private and nonprofit grants to teacher retention initiatives in 2022 (grant database summary), quit mitigation funding
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Teacher turnover represents a massive and growing cost burden, with $7.6 billion annually in district turnover costs and additional spending rising to $9.2 billion in federal and state retention initiatives in 2023, showing that the cost analysis case for quitting prevention is both urgent and already driving major budget commitments.
03 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
20% fewer teachers expected in public schools over the next decade in some subject areas without increased retention (projection model, 2022), relating to quitting trend
02
33% of principals reported teacher resignations as a top staffing challenge (2023 principal survey), quantifying quitting severity
03
14.2% of teachers reported they left the profession during 2019-2020 (longitudinal panel estimate), a direct attrition measure
04
5.4% increase in teacher attrition in states that cut education funding (2010-2015 longitudinal study), policy linked quitting metric
05
1.8 million U.S. public school students taught by teachers who planned to leave (2022 projection), connecting quitting intent to student impact
06
12% increase in teacher applications to alternative certification programs in 2022 (CVP intake stats), tied to filling positions as quits occur
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends show teacher quitting is driving a staffing squeeze, with 14.2% leaving the profession in 2019 to 2020 and a further 20% fewer teachers projected for public schools in key subject areas over the next decade without improved retention.
04 · Category
Workforce Shortages3 stats
01
44 states reported shortages in at least one teacher subject area in 2022–23, according to state-level reporting on teacher supply and demand
02
In 2022, 24% of teachers reported they had a plan to leave their job or retirement intent within 5 years, according to a national teacher workforce analysis
03
Across U.S. states, the teacher-to-student ratio increased slightly from 15.4:1 in 2010 to 14.7:1 in 2022, indicating enrollment growth and staffing strain that can drive quits
Interpretation
Workforce Shortages Interpretation
With 44 states reporting teacher shortages in at least one subject area in 2022 to 23 and the teacher to student ratio tightening from 15.4 to 1 in 2010 to 14.7 to 1 in 2022, the workforce shortage pressure is clearly building and is likely contributing to more teachers considering leaving.
More related reading
05 · Category
Job Satisfaction1 stats
01
62% of teachers reported they experienced burnout symptoms, as measured in the 2022 RAND American Teacher Panel (burnout is a leading quitting pathway)
Interpretation
Job Satisfaction Interpretation
Within the Job Satisfaction category, 62% of teachers reported burnout symptoms in the 2022 RAND American Teacher Panel, underscoring how widespread dissatisfaction-related stress is likely pushing many teachers toward quitting.
06 · Category
Burnout & Stress2 stats
01
Teachers who reported poor mental health had a 10.2 percentage-point higher probability of intending to leave their school within the next 2 years (peer-reviewed evidence from a large U.S. survey analysis)
02
In the 2023–24 RAND State Teacher Survey, 49% of teachers reported being worried about their job’s future, indicating elevated quitting/exit pressure
Interpretation
Burnout & Stress Interpretation
Burnout and stress are strongly linked to teacher exit intent, with teachers reporting poor mental health showing a 10.2 percentage point higher likelihood of planning to leave within two years and 49% of teachers in the 2023–24 RAND survey worrying about their job’s future.
07 · Category
District Impacts4 stats
01
84% of principals in a 2023 survey reported that teacher turnover disrupts instruction and school culture (impact measure tied to quitting)
02
1.1 million additional educator work hours were lost annually due to teacher shortages and coverage gaps, as estimated by the RAND review of staffing constraints
03
In 2023, 33% of school districts reported that they needed to hire substitute teachers more often because of staff absences tied to stress and staffing instability (sub coverage tied to quits/attrition)
04
In a large-scale study using administrative data, teachers exposed to high levels of school climate problems had 1.6x higher odds of leaving within 2 years than those with lower exposure (quitting odds by environment)
Interpretation
District Impacts Interpretation
Districts are feeling the hit from teacher quitting in very measurable ways, with 84% of principals reporting disruptions to instruction and culture and 33% needing substitutes more often in 2023, while RAND estimates an extra 1.1 million educator work hours lost each year from shortages and coverage gaps.
08 · Category
Retention Policy1 stats
01
Districts that improved induction and mentoring reported a 15–20% reduction in first-year teacher turnover in a 2020 review of mentoring programs
Interpretation
Retention Policy Interpretation
Districts that strengthened their induction and mentoring saw first year teacher turnover drop by 15 to 20 percent in a 2020 review, underscoring that strong retention policies can meaningfully improve early career teacher staying power.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Teachers Quitting Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teachers-quitting-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Teachers Quitting Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/teachers-quitting-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Teachers Quitting Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teachers-quitting-statistics.
Sources & references
38 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)