Between 2020–21 and 2021–22, 15.1% of U.S. public school teachers moved schools or left the profession, and turnover is now about 20% higher than in 1992¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2–r3 · 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? 15.1% of U.S. public school teachers moved schools (8.0%) or left teaching (7.1%) between 2020–21 and 2021–22. → Tan 2026 q2 i? Turnover in 2022 was approximately 20% higher than in 1992 (12.4%), with the increase driven mainly by higher leaver rates. → Tan 2026 (2)

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 · r3

Descriptive analysis of the nationally representative 2020–21 NTPS with the 2021–22 Teacher Follow-Up Survey, covering full-time, part-time, and itinerant public school teachers. The report finds "15.1% of teachers moved schools or left the profession," split into 8.0% movers and 7.1% leavers.

"Between 2020–21 and 2021–22, 15.1% of teachers moved schools or left the profession (see Figure 2). This turnover rate includes 8.0% of teachers who moved to teach in another school (movers) and 7.1% of teachers who left the profession altogether (leavers)."

Tan 2026 (2)¶

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

Historical descriptive comparison of NCES turnover rates over time (Figure 3). The report states 1992 turnover was "approximately 20% lower than in 2022," with the 1992 leaver rate of 5.1% approximately 35% lower than in 2022.

"In contrast, turnover rates were as low as 12.4% in 1992, approximately 20% lower than in 2022. Most of the difference was due to the increase in the rate of leavers; at 5.1% in 1992, the rate of teachers leaving the profession was approximately 35% lower than in 2022."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Turnover is higher in charter schools (17.8%) than traditional public schools (14.9%) and higher in city schools (17.7%) than other locales — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Teacher attrition rose from 5.1% in 1992 to 8.4% in 2005 and has hovered around 8% since — related
• Overall U.S. teacher turnover is about 16% annually, with about 8% leaving the profession and about 8% moving schools — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Nearly three quarters (74%) of teacher turnover between 2020–21 and 2021–22 was voluntary and preretirement — related
• Teachers who are not fully certified have higher turnover than fully certified teachers (20.1% vs. 14.7%), with a larger gap among early-career teachers — related
• Teachers of color leave schools or the profession at higher annual rates than White teachers, driven largely by school moving — related
• Teachers of color leave the teaching profession at higher rates than white teachers (about 19 percent vs. 15 percent turnover). — related
• Dissatisfaction is the most-cited reason for leaving, cited by 55% of profession-leavers and 66% of school-movers — related
• Attrition gaps between staff of color and non-Hispanic White staff grew during the pandemic except for school administrators, where they narrowed — related
• Teachers of color disproportionately enter through alternative certification pathways, which predict higher turnover — related
• Louisiana teachers of color report working conditions, not salary, as primary reasons for leaving high-need schools — related
• Texas teacher attrition has exceeded the national average by about 25% over the past decade, reaching nearly 12% in 2021–22 — related
• Teaching has a relatively high turnover rate compared to nursing and national employee turnover benchmarks — related
• Teachers of color are more likely than White teachers to intend to leave teaching and to actually leave the profession — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• A statewide cohort analysis found 8% of new Texas teachers left after year 1, 26% by year 5, and 46% by year 8 — related
• Programmatic churn from constant turnover of curricula and initiatives hindered teachers' capacity for personalized, evaluation-driven improvement — related