Teacher Retention Data Reports, Certification Exam Reimbursements & Teacher Talent Strategies

The purpose of this letter is to provide local educational agencies (LEAs) with the annual Teacher Attrition and Hiring Reports and to provide information about resources to support LEAs with teacher hiring, including information on a Critical Shortage Area Certification Exam Reimbursement Opportunity and a new Teacher Hiring and Retention Resources Webpage.

Updated Teacher Attrition and Retention Reports

TEA analyzes LEA-reported data annually to determine teacher attrition and newly hired teachers statewide. These reports identify the percentage of teachers who were employed in the prior academic year who are not employed by a Texas LEA in the current year with their teaching pathway and related retention to the classroom.

• Key Takeaways:
  • Last year, the total number of teachers continued to grow, and Texas public schools now employ more than 380,000 teachers.
  • The attrition rate for teachers in Texas rose last year to an historic high of 13.4% of teachers leaving teaching between the fall of 2021 and the fall of 2022.
  • The proportion of newly hired teachers hired without any type of Texas Certification or Permit rose during the 2022-2023 school year to an historic high of 28.8%, a 10 percentage point increase from the previous year and a 23 percentage point increase from a decade ago.
  • One, three, and five year retention rates were slightly lower for all preparation routes, with traditional preparation yielding the highest retention rate and out-of-state preparation yielding the lowest retention rate.
• Additional Resources: 
  • Teacher Attrition Report
  • Teacher Retention by Preparation Route Report

Critical Shortage Area Certification Exam Reimbursement Opportunity

TEA is providing a limited reimbursement opportunity for all educator preparation programs (EPPs) certifying candidates in the approved shortage areas for the 2022-2023 academic year. The Critical Shortage Area Certification Exam Reimbursement Opportunity will support over 10,000 teacher candidates and provide eligible EPPs the opportunity to receive reimbursements that cover the cost of teacher candidates’ content certification exams aligned to one of the federally designated critical shortage areas. TEA staff has communicated directly with eligible EPPs to discuss funding allotted and the reimbursement timeline.

• Next Steps:
  • LEAs are encouraged to actively communicate with EPP partners to learn more and to collaborate on ways to leverage the opportunity in the recruitment of teacher candidates.
  • For information related to this opportunity, including exams aligned with critical shortage areas, please view the Approved Shortage Areas and the FAQ.

Teacher Hiring Resources Web Page

In order to support LEAs as they enter into the Spring hiring season, TEA has collected a set of optional guidance, tools, and other resources.

• Next Steps:
  • Please consider reviewing and utilizing these resources to support teacher retention, recruitment, and hiring, which can be found on the Teacher Hiring Resources | Texas Education Agency