Teacher turnover in the United States: Who moves, who leaves, and why

This report describes the state of teacher turnover in the United States and examines individual- and school-level factors associated with turnover. It uses the most recent national-level data of public school teachers from the National Center for Education Statistics’ National Teacher and Principal Survey (2020–21) and Teacher Follow-Up Survey (2021–22) to provide estimates of turnover across all teachers and by key teacher subgroups. The findings complement prior state-level research on COVID-19 pandemic–induced challenges, highlighting that the challenges teachers faced prior to the pandemic still mattered during this period. The report concludes with policy considerations to reduce turnover and suggestions for future research.