RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction presented its annual report on teacher attrition during the N.C. State Board of Education’s March meeting, which showed a small rate uptick for 2024-25 over the previous year.
The statewide teacher attrition rate reached 10.11%, with 9,107 teachers leaving full-time permanent positions out of 90,105 employed. It represents an increase of 0.23% from the 9.88% rate in the prior year’s report, totaling 221 more teachers leaving.
The draft report was presented to the state board by Thomas Tomberlin, senior director of the Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Education Preparation and Teacher Licensure. In addition to the report, Tomberlin also provided a slide presentation overview of the results.
“We do not consider this a large difference. It’s not substantive,” Tomberlin told board members. “It probably represents just the kind of wobble changes in the data from year to year.”
The bulk of attrition fell under “personal reasons,” which covers several subcategories. Personal reasons accounted for 4,280 teachers, or 47%, a decrease from nearly 52% in 2023-24. Of that total, 1,356 teachers listed “career change.”
The second-highest category was the 1,573 (17.27%) teachers who resigned for an unknown reason, followed by 1,454 (nearly 16%) teachers who retired with full benefits.
“This year’s report reinforces the importance of addressing the core issues that lead to teacher attrition,” State Superintendent Mo Green said in a press release. “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.”
The N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s press release said the state “continues to see a leveling off in attrition rates from the post-COVID high observed in the 2022-23 report.”
Regional attrition rates ranged from 8.08% (Northwest) to 11.06% (Northeast).
Weldon City Schools had the highest rate at 26.53%, followed by Washington County Schools at 22.40% and Northampton County Schools at 19.75%. On the low end were Clay County Schools at 4.30%, Yancey County Schools at 5.30% and Mitchell County Schools at 5.43%.
Beginning teachers with fewer than three years of experience had a higher attrition rate of 14.73%, compared to 9.34% for experienced licensed teachers.
The report also showed a teacher mobility rate of 4.44%, representing 4,005 teachers who moved to different schools or districts within the state. Mobility is defined in the report as the relocation of an employee from one district or charter school to another within the state.
Vacancies in the report totaled 4,614 instructional positions, 5.1% of around 93,868 reported positions, on the first instructional day, rising to 6,721 (7.38%) by the 40th instructional day.
Districts with the highest vacancy rates included Hertford County Schools (28.57%), Hyde County Schools (26.00%) and Thomasville City Schools (23.41%). The lowest rates were in Madison County Schools (none), Polk County Schools (0.47%), and Buncombe County Schools (0.49%).
For principals, the attrition rate stood at 6.1%, with 151 out of 2,482 leaving employment. The mobility rate for principals was 14.50%, with 360 moving to different schools.
More than 75% of principals in low-performing schools stayed at the same school, according to the report. In low-performing schools, principal attrition was 8.20%, compared to 5.3% in non-low-performing schools.
The report delivered to the state board is a draft and subject to change before being given to the General Assembly.
