North Carolina Teaching Profession Report Highlights Improved Teacher Retention, Persistent Challenges

The 2023-24 State of the Teaching Profession report, presented to the North Carolina State Board of Education on April 3, 2025, reveals a notable improvement in teacher retention within the state’s 115 public school districts. The annual report, mandated by the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA), tracks teacher attrition and vacancies between March 2023 and March 2024, offering a comprehensive look at the stability of the state’s educator workforce.

The teacher attrition rate for the 2023-24 school year dropped to 9.88%, down from 11.5% the previous year. This decrease translates to nearly 1,500 fewer teachers leaving their positions out of a total of 89,972 full-time permanent educators. Despite this progress, the current rate remains above the seven-year average of 8.64% and exceeds all annual rates in that period except for 2022-23. North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green acknowledged the improvement but emphasized the ongoing challenge, stating, “While the report shows improvement in the percentage of teachers staying compared to prior years, there are still far too many teachers leaving the profession.” Green stressed the need for better retention strategies, including higher salaries and career growth opportunities, to keep educators in the classroom.

The report identifies distinct trends in teacher attrition. Newer teachers with 0-5 years of experience left at rates between 11.7% and 17.5%, while veteran educators with 28 or more years of service had even higher attrition rates, ranging from 18.5% to 26.8%. Meanwhile, the pipeline for new teachers shows a shift: nearly half of new educators entered through alternative licensure routes, though this number has declined slightly since last year. Since 2017-18, alternative pathways have grown by 19.6%. However, Dr. Tom Tomberlin, senior director of educator preparation, licensure, and performance at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), noted that support for these alternatively prepared teachers remains inadequate. Of the 3,635 teachers issued permits to teach in 2018-19, only 61.2% transitioned to a residency license by 2023-24, while 55% of the 2,628 emergency license holders from that year achieved the same.

Vacancy rates also rose, reaching 8.2% in 2023-24 compared to 6.4% the previous year, based on a broadened definition introduced in 2021-22 that includes positions filled by temporarily licensed teachers and rehired retirees. Tomberlin clarified that this figure overstates true vacancies, noting, “If we’re just looking at unfilled positions and unresolved licenses, our vacancy rate would be much lower – approximately 1.9%.” He credited school and district leaders for their efforts to ensure student needs are met despite staffing challenges.

For the first time, the report includes data on principal movement, as required by new NCGA legislation. Of the 2,498 principals employed at the end of the 2022-23 school year, 186 left, resulting in a 7.45% attrition rate, with 65% retiring. Impressively, 92.4% of principals remained in their roles from March 2023 to March 2024, while 4.9% advanced to district-level positions. Over two-thirds of principals at low-performing schools stayed in their posts, signaling stability in leadership.

Superintendent Green, alongside the State Board of Education, is advocating for a legislative agenda to bolster the teaching profession. This includes raising average teacher salaries to the highest in the southeast and expanding the Advanced Teaching Roles Program, which offers career advancement and salary supplements for highly effective teachers. “We need to do a much better job of keeping them in the classroom once they are hired,” Green said, underscoring the importance of valuing educators for their critical role in public education.

While the report signals progress in stabilizing North Carolina’s teaching workforce, it also highlights the persistent need for targeted support to retain both new and veteran educators and ensure a robust pipeline of qualified professionals.