Teachers left in droves at the height of the pandemic, and principal turnover rates continue trickling back to prepandemic levels—but not soon enough for some in the education system.
In the 2021-22 school year, the percentage of principals who retired or resigned skyrocketed to 16%, 13 percentage points from pre-pandemic levels, according to new research from the RAND Corporation. As of last year (the most recent data available) that number has shrunk to 8%, still five percentage points higher than before the pandemic.
The researchers have also collected teacher turnover data, which suggests a slow and steady improvement toward pre-pandemic levels. In the 2021-22 school year, turnover rates reached 10%, up from 6% pre-pandemic. As of last year, that figure declined to 7%.
The data fluctuates slightly when districts are broken down by locale. Here’s a look at those figures:
| Time Frame | All Districts (%) | Urban (%) | Suburban (%) | Rural (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teachers | ||||
| Prepandemic | 5.7 | 8.6 | 4.5 | 5.8 |
| SY 2020–2021 | 6.4 | 8. | 5.4 | 6.7 |
| SY 2021–2022 | 10.0 | 14.1 | 8.1 | 10.4 |
| SY 2022–2023 | 9.1 | 13.1 | 7.4 | 9.4 |
| SY 2023–2024 | 7.2 | 8.6 | 6.8 | 7.2 |
| Principals | ||||
| Prepandemic | 3.3 | 5.9 | 3.8 | 2.7 |
| SY 2020–2021 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 2.6 | 7.9 |
| SY 2021–2022 | 16.0 | 4.9 | 7.0 | 20.6 |
| SY 2022–2023 | 9.2 | 8.1 | 3.7 | 11.2 |
| SY 2023–2024 | 8.5 | 7.3 | 5.9 | 9.6 |
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