Texas reports 12% teacher attrition

Texas schools are still losing teachers faster than they used to, even if the worst of the spike has cooled. The latest Texas Education Agency data shows attrition in the 2025-26 school year at about 12% — lower than the 13.45% peak in 2022-23, but still above pre-pandemic norms. That sounds abstract, but it means more than 44,600 teachers left Texas classrooms in a single year. And districts are still scrambling to replace them with a workforce that is increasingly less certified. ### What does “12% attrition” actually mean? In Texas, attrition means a teacher worked in a public school one year and then was not reported as teaching in any Texas public school system the next year. It is not the same thing as switching campuses inside one district. By that measure, Texas lost 48,431 teachers in 2024-25, or 12.91%, after losing 49,839 in 2022-23, when attrition hit 13.45%. The latest 2025-26 snapshot puts the rate around 12%, which is better, but not back to the roughly 9% to 10% range Texas saw before the pandemic shock. (edtrust.org) ### Why is this still a crisis if the rate fell? Because a “better” number can still be a bad number. A system this large can absorb normal churn. It struggles when elevated churn lasts for several years. Texas has now spent multiple cycles replacing tens of thousands of teachers annually, which means principals are not just filling openings — they are rebuilding staff culture, retraining novices, and covering hard-to-staff subjects again and again. That kind of instability hits students first, especially in schools already dealing with higher needs. (tea.texas.gov) ### Who is replacing the teachers who leave? More and more, not fully certified teachers. Spectrum’s reporting highlighted a first-year teacher in Cedar Hill ISD, Tiffanie Plummer, who entered the classroom after being laid off from a corporate HR job. That kind of career switch can absolutely work. But the statewide pattern is the bigger story: 27% of new teacher hires were uncertified, and nearly 12% of the entire teacher workforce is now uncertified — up sharply from nearly 4% in 2020-21. (tea.texas.gov) Basically, Texas is plugging holes, but often with people who are still on the way to full preparation. ### Is the pipeline getting stronger? A little — but not enough yet. TEA’s April 2026 workforce update says newly certified teachers rose to about 16,700 in 2025-26, up roughly 1,400 from the prior year. But the state also notes a long-running gap between the number of people entering educator preparation programs and the number who actually complete certification. Traditional certification has kept drifting down, while uncertified hiring remains the biggest source of brand-new teachers. (spectrumlocalnews.com) So the pipeline is moving, but the catch is that it still leaks. ### Are any signs improving? Yes — especially for newer teachers. Teachers in their first five years are usually the most likely to leave, and that rate has been falling. EdTrust Texas says early-career attrition dropped to 18.8% in 2025-26 from a 24.9% peak in 2022-23. Rural districts also saw declines for those early-career teachers. That lines up with the first effects of House Bill 2, which added retention incentives and funding for preparation and mentoring. (edtrust.org) But those policies are still early, and many pieces do not fully kick in until later. ### So what is actually pushing teachers out? Pay matters, but it is not the whole story. The Texas debate now is less “Can we recruit someone?” and more “Can we keep someone once the job gets hard?” Mentoring, certification support, workload, classroom behavior, and day-to-day school climate all matter because they decide whether a first- or second-year teacher feels like a professional or feels abandoned. Texas’s own policy response now reflects that — not just salary bumps, but funding tied to preparation, mentorship, and retention. (edtrust.org) ### Bottom line Texas did not suddenly solve teacher retention. It just stepped back from the edge a bit. Attrition above 12% is still a stress signal — especially when districts are replacing many departures with uncertified hires. The real test is not whether Texas can find adults to stand in classrooms next fall. It is whether the state can build a pipeline and a work environment strong enough that more teachers want to stay. (spectrumlocalnews.com)