Indicators 2026: Why are so many Pennsylvania teachers leaving education?

WILKES-BARRE — A shortage of teachers has emerged across Pennsylvania and the entire country.

Educators are exiting the field, and their positions are left vacant, leaving schools understaffed.

Low-income and low-performing schools disproportionately face staffing shortages, even in subject areas that have a surplus of candidates in other districts.

According to a recent report by The Institute, the number of teachers leaving their positions rose dramatically in recent years — creating staffing challenges that many districts are struggling to address.

The data shows that 11,560 Pennsylvania teachers left their positions during the 2022-2023 school year — a sharp increase from 8,473 the previous year.

That represents a 36.4% increase — the largest single-year rise in teacher exits documented in the report.

“In many cases, departing teachers are not necessarily abandoning education altogether,” says Jill Avery-Stoss, president and CEO of The Institute. “The largest category of departures consisted of educators who resigned or left one position but remained employed elsewhere in education. In the 2022-2023 school year, more than half of all teacher departures statewide fell into this category, accounting for 6,104 educators, or 52.8% of all exits.”

Avery-Stoss said retirement remains another major factor driving turnover. She said Pennsylvania’s aging population has translated into an aging educator workforce, and retirements have consistently represented one of the largest reasons teachers leave their jobs.

In the region of Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties, Avery-Stoss said approximately 40% of education workers are between the ages of 45 and 64 — meaning a significant number are approaching retirement age.

Avery-Stoss said local data mirrors the statewide trend. In Lackawanna County, teacher departures increased from 74 in 2020-2021 to 124 in 2022-2023. During that most recent year, 56.5% of departing educators left their positions, but remained in education elsewhere, while another 33.1% retired.

Avery-Stoss said Luzerne County experienced similar challenges. Teacher departures climbed from 132 in 2021-2022 to 160 in 2022-2023. For the first time in the period studied, she said educators moving to other positions within education slightly outnumbered retirements as the leading cause of turnover.

At the same time, Avery-Stoss said fewer people are entering the field. Teacher preparation programs are not producing enough graduates to replace those leaving. Licensure exams are also a potential barrier, as the tests can be costly, and many candidates do not pass on their first attempt.

The consequences are evident in schools across Pennsylvania.

“During the 2024-2025 school year, there were more than 2,400 full-time classroom teacher vacancies statewide,” notes Avery-Stoss. “As shortages persist, districts increasingly rely on substitute teachers and emergency permits to fill classrooms.”

Although the reasons behind Pennsylvania’s teacher shortage are complex, Avery-Stoss said a multi-level approach can help chip away at the problem. She said potential solutions include collaboration between school districts, county education agencies, teacher preparation programs, and state policymakers.

“This effort should also include advocacy for state-level policy changes, such as increased funding for public education, improved teacher compensation packages, pension reform, education incentives, and the expansion of alternative certification pathways,” Avery-Stoss said. “These strategic investments are key to building a stable educator workforce.”

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