The National Center for Education Statistics reported that 8 percent of public school teachers left the profession during the 2021-22 school year, an increase from about 7 percent in 2018-19. The rise, though small in percentage points, broke a period of relative stability and indicates that pandemic-era disruptions had a lasting effect on teacher retention.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that quit rates in state and local education jobs rose to 2.3 percent in 2022. That figure is similar to quit rates in other public-sector jobs, around 2.0 percent, but remains below the private-sector average of approximately 3.0 percent, underscoring that education turnover did not spike as high as in the broader economy.
Disparities by poverty and subject
NCES data show that in high-poverty schools, 10 percent of teachers left in 2021-22, compared to 6 percent in low-poverty schools. This gap existed before the pandemic and was present in 2021-22 data. Teachers in special education and STEM fields also left at higher rates — roughly 2 percentage points above the overall teacher average, according to NCES analyses.
Long-standing patterns and pandemic context
Pre-pandemic teacher turnover hovered around 7 to 8 percent annually based on earlier NCES survey cycles, with higher attrition in high-poverty schools a documented pattern for more than a decade. The post-pandemic increase builds on that pre-existing gap rather than creating a wholly new problem.
Bureau of Labor Statistics data also show that public education quit rates have historically been lower than private-sector quit rates. The post-pandemic rise in education turnover, while notable, did not push attrition to levels typical in sectors such as retail or hospitality. This structural difference suggests that factors unique to education, such as job security and pension structures, may moderate turnover even during stressed periods.
Research on causes
A RAND Corporation survey found that teachers who reported higher levels of pandemic-related stress and burnout were significantly more likely to indicate plans to leave the profession. The strength of this evidence is mixed because stated intentions do not always translate into actual departure. Researchers caution that the data landscape remains fragmented, with many states lacking consistent systems to track teacher movement over time.