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U.S. Department of Education Teacher Shortage Information

The 2022-2023 teacher shortage areas have been approved by the US Department of Education. The approved shortage areas for 2022-2023 are as follows:

  • Bilingual/English as a Second Language – Elementary and Secondary Levels
  • Special Education – Elementary and Secondary Levels
  • Career and Technical Education - Secondary Level
  • Technology Applications and Computer Science – Elementary and Secondary Levels
  • English Language Arts and Reading – Elementary and Secondary Levels
  • Mathematics - Secondary Level
  • Science – Secondary Level

U.S. Department of Education - Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide 1990-present.

Attrition Rate Information

The attrition rate, or how many teachers are leaving their jobs, is the most significant problem facing the Texas teacher shortage.  According to data provided from the Texas Education Agency, retirement rates have increased with an average of 7,500 teachers retiring each year since 2018.  The high numbers of teachers leaving the profession and/or retiring, has caused an increase in teacher vacancies across the state.

The most recent numbers appear to show an increase in teachers. The attrition rate in 2021-22 was 42,839, and the hire rate was 42,973. However, those numbers can be deceiving. The gap between new hires and teachers that are leaving has become increasingly smaller. For instance, it was 7,000 in 2020-21. The graph below demonstrates the narrowing gap between teachers leaving and new hires for teaching positions.

GRAPH: Prior year teacher attrition vs. current year new hire, 2007-2022

Source: https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/employed-teacher-attrition-and-new-hires-2022.pdf and PEIMS Student Enrollment Reports

GRAPH: Job openings outpacing hires in public education

 

GRAPH: Percentage of teachers considering leaving reaches highest level in 3 years