Teacher turnover is 35%–37% higher in schools with the largest concentrations of students of color and students from low-income backgrounds than in schools with the smallest¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2031: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Schools with the highest NSLP-eligibility share had 18.3% turnover, with a leaver rate (8.7%) higher than the lowest-poverty schools' leaver rate (7.5%). → Tan 2026

Evidence¶

Tan 2026¶

Tan, T., Wei, W., Carver-Thomas, D., & García, E. (2026). Teacher turnover in the United States: Who moves, who leaves, and why. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/248.479

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Descriptive analysis of turnover by school student-body composition (Figure 6) using NSLP eligibility as a proxy for low-income concentration. The report finds "18.3%" turnover in the highest-NSLP schools versus a 7.5% leaver rate in the lowest.

"Schools with the highest percentage of students eligible for NSLP have the highest teacher turnover rates: 18.3% of their teachers leave their position—about half of whom leave the profession altogether (8.7% among all teachers in those schools). This leaver rate is higher than that of teachers in schools with the lowest proportion of students eligible for NSLP (7.5%)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Teacher attrition and turnover are primary drivers of California teacher shortages, with 12% turnover between 2016–17 and 2017–18 — related
• Students in the highest-poverty schools are almost twice as likely to be taught by inexperienced teachers — related
• Teachers with high job and workplace satisfaction have less than half the predicted turnover of teachers with low satisfaction (8.0% vs. 22.0%) — related
• Concentrated poverty in New Mexico is associated with lower grade-level proficiency and inequitable access to experienced teachers — related
• Teachers with the lowest value-added and observation scores are overrepresented in schools serving the most disadvantaged students — related
• Teachers with the lowest value-added scores are overrepresented in Chicago's highest-poverty schools — related
• Overall U.S. teacher turnover is about 16% annually, with about 8% leaving the profession and about 8% moving schools — related
• Teachers of color leave schools or the profession at higher annual rates than White teachers, driven largely by school moving — related
• Students in high-poverty schools are more likely to be taught by inexperienced teachers, and teachers in high-minority schools are twice as likely to leave their school for another — related
• Schools reporting hiring difficulties are almost twice as likely to have above-average teacher turnover rates — related
• Teacher attrition is approximately 55% higher in high-poverty schools than in lower-poverty schools — related
• U.S. teacher attrition averages 8–9% annually, about twice the rate of Canada, Finland, and Singapore, and drives roughly 9 in 10 annual hires — related
• Teachers reporting higher leadership effectiveness and supports have lower predicted turnover (9.0% vs. 18.7% for low-leadership teachers) — related