Teacher shortage challenges haven’t let up—K12 leaders reported an average of six teaching vacancies ahead of the school year. They filled 79% of them before students returned.
That’s according to new national data from the National Center for Education Statistics, which surveyed public school leaders about hiring challenges they faced. A majority of public schools (64%) reported a lack of qualified candidates to choose from and too few applicants (62%).
Breaking the data down further, both elementary and middle schools cited trouble filling a special education teaching vacancy with a fully certified teacher (74%). English as a second language or bilingual teachers were the hardest posts to fill in high schools (69%).
“Entering the 2024-25 school year, the data show a decrease in the percentage of public schools reporting difficulty filling one or more vacant teaching positions compared to the previous year, dropping from 79% to 74%. But there is still room for improvement,” NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr said in a statement.
Additionally, a majority of public schools (69%) reported difficulties filling one or more vacant non-teaching positions before the start of the school year, which is a decrease from 80% compared to last year’s data.
Here are some other key data from the study:
- Social studies saw the highest percentage of vacancies filled (89%), compared to foreign languages, which had the lowest (71%).
- Transportation staff is the most vacant position with only 60% of public school vacancies being filled this school year.
- Across the board, public schools were able to fill 92% of their administrative staff vacancies.
These findings are part of the NCES’s experimental data product from the School Pulse Panel, the organization’s approach to delivering actionable data regarding the pandemic’s impact on public schools. You can read more on the School Pulse Panel dashboard.
More from DA: More parents now support banning cell phones at school
