Principal Retention Strong, Teacher Attrition Up 0.25%

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RALEIGH, NC Mar 4, 2026 The latest data on employment trends for North Carolina public school educators, presented today to the North Carolina State Board of Education (SBE), show strong principal retention and teacher attrition increased less than a quarter of a percentage point for 2024-25 over the previous year.

The report, formally referred to as the State of the Teaching Profession and School Administrator Report, is mandated by the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) and measures teacher attrition and vacancies between March 2024 and March 2025 for North Carolina’s 115 public school districts.

The attrition data shows how many teachers left their employment in North Carolina public schools. It does not include teachers who leave the classroom but stay employed in non-teaching roles such as school administration. For the second year, the report also includes data about the movement of school administrators, per the NCGA's request.

The attrition rate for 2024-25 was 10.11%, increasing slightly from 9.88% in 2023-24. That represents 221 teachers more than last year from a total of 9,107 teachers employed in a full-time permanent position. North Carolina continues to see a leveling off in attrition rates from the post-COVID high observed in the 2022-23 report.

“This year’s report reinforces the importance of addressing the core issues that lead to teacher attrition,” said North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green. “Our public schools cannot be best in the nation if our teachers are not adequately compensated, trained and revered. It will take action from the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and our schools to strengthen the education profession.”

Green, in conjunction with the SBE, launched Achieving Educational Excellence, the 2025-2030 strategic plan for North Carolina public schools earlier this school year. The plan emphasizes the necessity of revering teachers through increasing educator compensation, strengthening Beginning Teacher (BT) supports and elevating and restoring pride in the education profession. It also calls for the expansion of the state’s Advanced Teaching Roles Program, which provides meaningful advancement opportunities for highly effective teachers.

Teacher attrition is highest for newer teachers and those who have 30 or more years of experience in the field. In 2024-25, the attrition rate was between 14% and 18% for teachers with 0-5 years of experience and between 15.5% and 25% for veteran educators.

Nearly one-third of teachers hired between March 2024 and March 2025 were prepared through the residency route, while 27.23% were prepared though a traditional pathway, such as a four-year degree program in education.

Vacancy Data

State legislators broadened the definition of a vacancy for the 2021-22 academic year and beyond to include positions filled by teachers who are temporarily licensed and rehired retirees.

The vacancy rate for 2024-25 was 7.4% under this definition, a decrease from 7.6% in 2023-24.

However, Dr. Tom Tomberlin, senior director of educator preparation, licensure and performance at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), cautioned that that the majority of what this report classifies as “vacant” positions are actually filled by an educator with a temporary license or a rehired retiree. “School and district leaders understand the importance of having an educator in every classroom, and they work diligently to ensure that every student is supported,” Tomberlin said. “When we look strictly at positions that remain unstaffed, the vacancy rate is closer to 1.2%.”

He added that the broader definition helps illustrate the gap between the staffing scenario and reality – one possible reason that legislators changed the definition of “vacant” in 2021.

Principal Movement

This year is the second report that includes data on principals in public school districts as a result of new legislation.

At the end of the 2024-25 school year, 151 of 2,482 principals left employment in North Carolina public schools, for an attrition rate of 6.1%. Most of those who left – 59% – retired.

Of the remaining principals who did not leave employment in North Carolina public schools, the vast majority, 92.4%, remained employed as principals from 2024 to 2025. Another 4.3% moved to a district-level role.

More than three-quarters of principals of low-performing schools remained at the same school.

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Contact

NCDPI Communications and Information communications@dpi.nc.gov