The latest national teacher shortage-by-state data confirms what many school districts already know firsthand: teacher shortages remain one of the biggest challenges facing K-12 education during the 2025-2026 school year. Some states have made real progress. Across the country, though, the picture is one of persistent shortages, and schools are still working hard to fill every classroom with a fully certified teacher.
This year’s findings give a more complete picture than previous editions by examining teacher vacancies, out-of-field teaching assignments, teacher turnover, certification pipelines, and student enrollment side by side. Looking at these trends together shows which states have made meaningful progress, where staffing challenges keep growing, and what district leaders can learn from both.
The State of Teacher Shortages Nationwide
According to the July 2026 report, there are an estimated 56,000 unfilled teaching positions and more than 350,000 positions staffed by out-of-field teachers or uncertified teachers working under temporary, provisional, or emergency credentials. The findings also point to continued challenges, including teacher attrition and declining enrollment in teacher preparation programs, making it harder for school districts to recruit and retain teachers over the long term.
The Learning Policy Institute’s (LPI) 2026 Teacher Shortage Fact Sheet goes even deeper, with their report showing that all states plus the District of Columbia employed an estimated 387,843 teachers who weren’t fully certified. The 29 states that published vacancy data showed a total of 37,569 unfilled teaching positions. So at a minimum, 425,412 positions were either unfilled or filled by teachers not fully certified for their assignments.
Put another way, approximately 1 in 8 teaching positions across the country lacked a fully certified teacher. That’s without data from 21 states, highlighting the scale of today’s staffing challenges and the need for sustainable solutions.
All the data suggests the shortage isn’t just about vacant classrooms. It’s about building and sustaining a qualified workforce that can support student learning for years to come.
Subjects Hit Hardest by the Teacher Shortage
Certain subjects have been teacher-shortage areas for decades, making them consistently difficult for districts to staff regardless of location. The latest LPI analysis shows these shortages continue to affect millions of students by limiting course offerings and adding strain to the teachers already in the building.
These subject areas account for the largest share of teacher shortages nationwide, measured by vacant positions, classrooms staffed by teachers on temporary credentials, and out-of-field teaching assignments:
- Special Education: Reported as a teacher shortage area in 45 states, making it the most widespread shortage in the nation.
- Science: 41 states report science teacher shortages, with up to 69% of schools struggling to find qualified applicants for chemistry and physics positions.
- Mathematics: 40 states identify math as a shortage area, particularly in middle and high school classrooms.
- Elementary Education: Elementary education accounts for one of the largest numbers of teacher shortages nationwide based on vacant and underqualified positions.
- Language Arts: Language arts ranks among the teaching areas with the highest number of vacant and underqualified positions nationally.
- Career and Technical Education (CTE): Career and technical education is one of the deepest shortage areas based on the total number of vacant, temporarily certified, and out-of-field teaching positions.
- Bilingual/ESL Education: Bilingual and ESL education continue to rank among the nation’s high-need teacher shortage areas.
- Modern Foreign Languages: Modern foreign languages remain a persistent shortage area, particularly for districts with limited local candidate pools.
5 States Hit Hardest by the Teacher Shortage
Teacher shortages vary depending on where you look. Some states are struggling with thousands of teaching positions sitting vacant, while others have made progress filling vacancies but still rely heavily on underqualified educators. Looking beyond a single statistic provides a clearer picture of how different states are responding to today’s staffing challenges.
The latest DOE teacher shortage by state report highlights several states that stand out for different reasons. Some continue to report the highest teacher shortage levels in the nation, while others are experiencing rapidly growing vacancies or making significant progress after years of severe shortages.
These states were chosen based not just on numbers, but on total impact and comparison to the previous year’s reported numbers. Together, they reveal where the challenges are greatest and what district leaders should pay attention to moving forward.
1. Florida: The Nation’s Highest Teacher Shortage
- Teacher vacancies: 9,148
- Underqualified teachers: 23,115
- Teachers leaving the profession: 19.4%
- Newly certified teachers: 14,408
- Teacher preparation program completers: 4,771
- Student enrollment: 2.87 million
Florida continues to face the nation’s largest teacher shortage with 9,148 vacant teaching positions. The state has also filled 23,115 classrooms with underqualified teachers working under temporary certificates, emergency licenses, or outside their certification area, highlighting just how difficult it remains to fully staff schools. Nearly 19.4% of teachers leave the profession each year, creating constant hiring pressure despite Florida producing 14,408 newly certified teachers and 4,771 teacher preparation graduates.
The report also notes that Florida experienced one of the most significant increases in vacancies over the past several years, rising from 4,767 vacancies in 2022-2023 to more than 9,000 in 2024-2025. While the state is producing new educators, those gains haven’t been enough to offset teacher turnover and growing demand.
Florida’s experience shows that solving the shortage requires more than recruiting new teachers. It also requires retaining experienced educators and reducing reliance on underqualified staff.
2. North Carolina: A Growing Shortage Despite a Strong Pipeline
- Teacher vacancies: 5,242
- Underqualified teachers: 4,739
- Teachers leaving the profession: 11.5%
- Newly certified teachers: 17,497
- Teacher preparation program completers: 4,987
- Student enrollment: 1.54 million
North Carolina reports 5,242 vacant teaching positions alongside 4,739 teachers working under temporary or emergency credentials or outside their certification area, which means thousands of additional classrooms are covered by educators lacking certification. Despite nearly 17,500 newly certified teachers entering the workforce and almost 5,000 completed teacher preparation programs, the 11.5% teacher leaving rate continues to make it difficult for districts to keep pace with demand.
North Carolina’s numbers tell the story of a state with a healthy pipeline of new teachers but persistent workforce challenges. Recruiting new educators remains important, but keeping qualified teachers in the classroom may have an even greater impact. Until retention improves, districts will likely continue feeling the effects of growing shortages despite bringing thousands of new teachers into the profession each year.
3. Massachusetts: One of the Sharpest Increases in the Nation
- Teacher vacancies: 4,800
- Underqualified teachers: 1,931
- Teachers leaving the profession: 15.9%
- Newly certified teachers: 9,995
- Teacher preparation program completers: 3,235
- Student enrollment: 915,995
Massachusetts reports approximately 4,800 teacher vacancies, making it one of the states with the largest shortages in the country. At the same time, schools employ 1,931 underqualified teachers working under temporary certifications, emergency licenses, or outside their certification area. Although the state has a relatively high 15.9% teacher-leaving rate, it also produces 9,995 newly certified teachers and 3,235 teacher-preparation graduates, giving districts a strong pipeline of new educators to help address staffing needs.
One of the most notable findings is how quickly the shortage has escalated in Massachusetts. The state reported fewer than 100 vacancies in 2023-2024, and that number rose to approximately 4,800 in 2024-2025, one of the largest year-over-year increases in the dataset. Massachusetts is the perfect example that even states with strong teacher preparation pipelines can experience rapid staffing disruptions when recruitment and retention can’t keep pace with demand.
4. Mississippi: Shortages Continue to Grow
- Teacher vacancies: 2,775
- Underqualified teachers: 2,082
- Teachers leaving the profession: 13.0%
- Newly certified teachers: 7,952
- Teacher preparation program completers: 2,374
- Student enrollment: 471,777
Mississippi reports 2,775 vacant teaching positions alongside 2,082 classrooms staffed by teachers on temporary or emergency credentials, a sign that many districts are leaning on stopgap staffing. A 13.0% teacher leaving rate adds continued pressure even as the state produces 7,952 newly certified teachers and 2,374 teacher preparation graduates.
Mississippi highlights how quickly staffing challenges can compound. Growing vacancies, continued reliance on underqualified teachers, and steady teacher turnover all place additional strain on districts trying to maintain consistent instruction. While the state continues adding new educators to the workforce, improving teacher retention will likely be just as important as expanding the recruitment pipeline.
5. Pennsylvania: A Smaller Shortage With One of the Fastest Growth Rates
- Teacher vacancies: 1,448
- Underqualified teachers: 5,827
- Teachers leaving the profession: 9.9%
- Newly certified teachers: 11,997
- Teacher preparation program completers: 4,701
- Student enrollment: 1.67 million
Pennsylvania has the fewest open positions on this list, but that single number doesn’t capture the full picture. Its 5,827 out-of-field and temporarily credentialed assignments outnumber the state’s vacancies four to one, which is higher than in North Carolina, Massachusetts, or Mississippi. Vacancies themselves climbed from 865 in 2023-2024 to 1,448 in 2024-2025, one of the most significant year-over-year increases in the dataset. Pennsylvania shows that even modest vacancy counts deserve attention when they’re growing quickly, especially before they become more difficult to reverse.
What These States Tell Us About Teacher Shortages Nationwide
Looking across these five states, one pattern becomes clear: there is no single story behind today’s teacher shortages nationwide. Each of those states calls for a different response, which is why the data points toward a balanced approach rather than a single fix. For school districts, understanding the unique challenges behind their own workforce data is the first step toward developing staffing strategies that create lasting stability for students.
Recruiting more teachers is important, but long-term success also depends on retaining experienced educators, strengthening certification pathways, and making sure classrooms are staffed by fully certified teachers whenever possible. Measures like investing in teacher residencies, educator wellness, growth opportunities, and competitive compensation can all reduce teacher turnover significantly.
None of that happens in a single budget cycle, though. A district building a five-year pipeline strategy still has classes starting in August, and students sitting in a room without a certified teacher cannot wait for that strategy to mature. The space between the long-term fix and the immediate need is where most districts are actually living right now.
The Need for Flexible Staffing Solutions
Maintaining a fully certified staff through local recruitment pipelines is one of the biggest challenges districts face, and it lands hardest on rural and underserved communities.
Rural districts often work with smaller tax bases that make competitive salaries difficult, sit farther from educator preparation programs, and end up leaning more on out-of-field assignments when vacancies stay open. Flexible staffing solutions like synchronous instruction change the math by giving schools access to certified teachers from across the country instead of limiting hiring to candidates within commuting distance.
It helps to be precise about what this is, because the term gets used loosely. Synchronous instruction means a certified teacher is livestreamed into the room, present and teaching in real time, on the school’s bell schedule.
Through live, interactive instruction delivered over secure video conferencing and integrated into a district’s existing Learning Management System (LMS), virtual teachers can work with an in-classroom facilitator to:
- Teach students in real time.
- Assign and grade coursework.
- Communicate with students and facilitators.
- Provide the same instructional support as an in-person teacher.
Districts can also keep the curriculum they already use or have courses built to their own specifications, so the model works around the program in place rather than asking anyone to start over. This helps districts fill hard-to-staff vacancies more quickly, expand access to high-need subjects like special education, math, and science, and make sure students receive instruction from qualified educators while long-term hiring efforts continue.
Start Solving Your Teacher Vacancies with Proximity Learning
The latest Teacher Shortage Report makes one thing clear: Despite wavering numbers across the country, the challenge is nationwide, and districts struggling with vacancies, underqualified teachers, or rising turnover are affecting students’ access to fully certified educators who can help them succeed.
That’s exactly why Proximity Learning exists. For more than 14 years, we’ve helped 400+ partner districts staff over 3,000 classrooms with certified, highly qualified teachers through live synchronous instruction. From special education, math, and science to world languages, electives, and Career and Technical Education (CTE), our flexible staffing model helps districts fill vacancies quickly without compromising instructional quality. Every classroom is supported by an ESS-backed in-classroom facilitator, creating an engaging learning environment that feels connected, interactive, and student-centered.
If your district is looking for a sustainable way to overcome teacher shortages, expand course offerings, or ensure every classroom has a qualified teacher, Proximity Learning can help. Contact our team today to learn how our certified virtual teachers can help your students thrive, regardless of today’s staffing challenges.
