Teacher Turnover Spiked After COVID, But Longstanding Turnover Gaps Between Low and High Poverty Schools Are Even Higher
At first, initial warnings about teachers leaving the profession during the COVID-19 pandemic appeared overblown. However, three years after the pandemic began, Washington state is now experiencing record-high teacher turnover rates.
The spike in turnover hit disadvantaged schools particularly hard. Reflecting long-standing inequities, schools with the highest percentages of students qualifying for free and reduced-price lunch lost teachers at higher rates than their more affluent counterparts. The "turnover gap" between high-poverty and affluent schools grew from a 2.17 percentage point difference after 2021 to a 4.48 percentage point difference after 2022—an increase that matches the overall increase in teacher turnover statewide during the pandemic. While teacher turnover can affect all schools, focusing on averages obscures the reality that schools serving the most vulnerable students face the greatest staffing challenges.
