Since the pandemic, district leaders have witnessed a considerable decline in available qualified teachers as they continue their hiring efforts to fill vacancies throughout their schools. Unfortunately, the issue persists, especially in areas like special education. Some states, specifically, have much more rebounding to do than others.
ProCare Therapy, a leading school therapy and teacher staffing agency, recently conducted research to better understand the current state of teacher shortages throughout the country. The researchers highlighted states with the worst teacher-student ratios.
According to the data, Nevada, Utah and California are among the three states with the highest number of students enrolled per employed teacher: 24.56, 21.88 and 21.36 respectively.
Additionally, the report broke down some of the contributing factors to the teacher shortages in these three states.
In Nevada, there’s a severe shortage of elementary school and special education teachers, as well as math and language arts teachers in grades K through 12. As for Utah, the researchers cite a Utah Legislative Auditor General’s Office report which revealed that roughly 46% of educators have left the profession within their first five years. Lastly, they note that in California, they’re witnessing a shortage of elementary, language arts, social studies and physical education teachers in grades 5-12.
On the other end of the spectrum, Vermont has the best teacher-student ratio in the nation at some 10 students per teacher. Yet, the researchers report that the state is still suffering from a statewide shortage of support staff, health science teachers, physical education and Spanish teachers.
“The teacher shortage crisis has far-reaching consequences, including larger class sizes, decreased student performance and increased teacher workload,” ProCare Therapy Senior Vice President Stephanie Morris said in a statement. “We are dedicated to raising awareness about the teacher shortage crisis and advocating for solutions that will benefit educators and ensure a brighter future for students.”
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Here’s a look at the 10 states with the most severe student-teacher ratios in the country:
- Nevada: 24.56
- Utah: 21.88
- California: 21.36
- Michigan: 21.20
- Arizona: 21.10
- Idaho: 20.55
- Florida: 19.87
- Washington: 19.41
- Oregon: 19.40
- Alaska: 19.08
