Schoolaroo’s August report The U.S Teacher Shortage 2023: A State by State Breakdown offers a glimpse into the scarcity of educators across the nation.
“At the heart of our society lies the invaluable teaching profession — entrusted with nurturing the educational journey of our youngest generation,” according to the scholarship search platform’s report. “Yet, a concerning trend has emerged: The growing shortage of educators in the United States. As the demand for this vital role increases year after year, addressing this pressing issue has become more imperative than ever.”
Pulling from the most recent public data on the number of public school teachers and students by state, Schoolaroo’s team calculated the respective teacher–student ratios. They also identified subject areas experiencing the highest teacher shortages.
Schoolaroo found that:
- The number of employed teachers in each state compared to the number of students enrolled in public schools creates a deficit in education across the country.
- Poor working conditions and low salaries are among the factors contributing to the shortage of teachers.
- The demand for teachers across the country continues to grow as the teacher shortage increases.
California ranked 47th out of 50 for its student–teacher ratio with 45.97 teachers per 1,000 students enrolled. Arizona, Utah and Nevada ranked below California with 44.61, 44.22 and 43.65 teachers per 1,000 students, respectively. Vermont, New Hampshire and North Dakota were ranked top three with more than 90 teachers per 1,000 students.
In California, the most severe subject area shortages were in elementary education, language arts, mathematics, science and special education. Most states also had shortages in special education, science, math and language arts.
Interactive maps illustrating teacher-student ratio data and subject area shortage data were created by Schoolaroo and can be viewed here.
