Summary for Educators

“Survey Reveals Why 70% of Early-Career Teachers Leave the Classroom.” By Lauren Wagner
The 74, December 18, 2025

A new national survey analyzed by The 74 sheds troubling light on the accelerating attrition of early-career teachers, revealing that nearly 70% of educators with fewer than five years of experience have considered leaving the classroom or already have done so. Conducted by the Center for American Progress, the study highlights a convergence of poor working conditions, insufficient pay, and lack of professional support as the primary drivers pushing novice teachers out of the profession.

The survey polled 309 K–12 teachers across 38 states and Washington, D.C., all with fewer than five years of teaching experience. Respondents overwhelmingly cited working conditions as their top concern. Seventy-seven percent pointed to challenges such as student behavior, excessive workload, and lack of time for planning and preparation. Teachers reported feeling overwhelmed by expectations that extend well beyond instruction, including acting as counselors, social workers, and crisis managers—often without adequate training or institutional support.

Closely following working conditions was the issue of support. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) said a lack of professional development, coaching, or sustained mentorship contributed to their desire to leave. While many teachers reported receiving induction support in their first year—such as mentoring and professional development—these programs were typically short-lived. As one of the report’s authors, Weadé James, noted, many induction efforts end after year one, despite the reality that teachers continue developing their skills well into their fifth year and beyond.

Compensation emerged as the third major factor driving attrition. Sixty-nine percent of respondents cited low pay as a reason for considering leaving the profession. About 64% said their salary does not reflect the cost of living in their area, and only 16% felt they were adequately compensated for their work. With the national average starting salary hovering around $46,526, many early-career teachers struggle to meet basic financial needs, let alone support a family.

Teachers identified several policy changes that could improve retention, with pay, benefits, and mental health support ranking as the top three priorities. Nearly half of respondents favored raising salary floors across all teaching positions. Recent examples, such as New Mexico’s decision to increase minimum teacher salaries to between $55,000 and $75,000 depending on licensure, were cited as models for addressing compensation challenges.

Beyond salary, teachers emphasized the importance of benefits. Increased sick time was the most requested benefit, followed by more paid time off, lower health insurance costs, better coverage, parental leave, and employer-supported retirement plans. Notably, the survey found that teachers with access to paid parental leave were 11% less likely to consider quitting than those without such benefits.

Mental health support also surfaced as a critical concern. Teachers expressed a strong desire for contractually guaranteed mental health days, reflecting growing awareness of burnout and stress in the profession. The report points to Illinois’s 2022 policy allowing teachers to use sick leave for mental health days as a promising example.

Time—or the lack of it—was another recurring theme. Respondents emphasized the need for mandated planning time during the school day. Without sufficient time to plan lessons, grade work, communicate with families, and analyze student data, teachers reported working extensive hours outside the school day, contributing to stress and burnout. Report co-author Paige Shoemaker DeMio underscored that inadequate planning time significantly degrades working conditions and accelerates attrition.

Taken together, the findings paint a stark picture of a profession struggling to retain its newest members. The survey suggests that early-career teacher attrition is not a matter of individual resilience, but of systemic conditions. Improving pay, extending support beyond the first year, strengthening benefits, and addressing mental health and workload concerns are not optional reforms—they are essential to stabilizing the teaching workforce.

For school leaders and policymakers, the message is clear: retaining early-career teachers will require sustained investment, structural changes, and a renewed commitment to treating teaching as a viable, respected, and supported profession.

Original Article

“Survey Reveals Why 70% of Early-Career Teachers Leave the Classroom” By Lauren Wagner
The 74, December 18, 2025

Source: https://www.the74million.org/article/survey-reveals-why-70-of-early...

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OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (4) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com