
It may be summer, but schools are already looking to the 2025-2026 academic year… and it’s tough out there. No one ever said teaching was easy (and if someone does they’re wildly uninformed), but ever since the pandemic, it seems this vital profession has become even more challenging. From underfunded schools to increasing levels of politically motivated scrutiny, educators have no dearth of shortfalls they, ultimately, are responsible for making up… and an ongoing teacher shortage is making that even harder.
We Are Teachers, an online resource and community for educators, rounded up a number of troubling statistics — from the National Center for Educational Statistics, Pew Research, the Walton Family Foundation, the National Education Association and more — that highlight the ways the shortage is wreaking havoc on the profession and our children’s schools.
Their entire report is worth reading, and paints a dire picture of the state of education in the U.S. moving into the new school year…
Schools are struggling to find teachers
According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics’(NCES) Schools Pulse Panel, which is based on data collected in January 2025, nearly three-quarters of school districts — 74% — had trouble filling open positions for the previous school year. This was particularly pronounced when it comes to Special Education, STEM (especially science positions), and foreign language. This was a fairly even split between schools not being able to find sufficiently qualified candidates (64%) and difficulty getting anyone to apply (53%).
This has led nearly a quarter of schools — 21% — to have increased classroom sizes, which has been tied to lower academic achievement and increased behavioral issues.
Support staff positions are also floundering
NCES found that, as a result of these shortages, non-faculty staff members are picking up the slack. Nearly a third of schools (31%) said administrative assistants and even principals have had to step in to cover classes and other responsibilities normally performed by teachers, like bus, lunch, or recess duty.
Half of teachers surveyed said they felt their school was understaffed for essential positions like custodians, cafeteria workers, and paraprofessionals and 60% of schools said substitute teachers were also difficult to come by. (I guess teachers aren’t allowed to get sick…?)
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu…
It is perhaps not surprising in this atmosphere that, according to an education survey from the Walton Family Foundation, 18% of all teachers and 30% of teachers of color — who are more likely to teach in underfunded schools — say they’re seriously considering not returning to their classroom in the coming year.
Educators for Excellence found that few teachers, only about 16%, would strongly recommend someone become a teacher and under a third found the job rewarding.
Speaking of rewards…
Show them the money
Teachers are burnt out, which is something you probably could have guessed just by nature of the fact that they’re teachers, but a Gallup poll found that nearly 40% of K-12 teachers say they “very often” or “always” feel burnt out. But it seems this isn’t strictly speaking an insurmountable issue when it comes to getting qualified educators into the classroom: more than half of teachers (53%) believe higher pay would alleviate the overwhelming burnout, according to Educators for Excellence.
All children deserve a high-quality, well-funded education, and that cannot happen without supporting public schools and teachers. So as we move into a new academic year, think about how you and your community can come together to strengthen your child’s classroom and school. Their burnt-out teacher will appreciate it.
Disclaimer: This story has not been edited by us and is published as shown on Scary Mommy.
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