“We’re seeing a lot more folks that are leaving the classroom mid-year…a lot of kind of comings and goings,” said Erin Horne, assistant dean at NC State, in a recent interview with WRAL. And she’s right: Teaching is becoming increasingly unattractive. According to a 2023 report on teacher recruitment and retention trends in North Carolina, our state is facing a worsening teacher pipeline crisis marked by rising vacancies, higher attrition, and a shrinking pool of qualified candidates. The reasons are clear: inadequate pay, lack of respect, and needless barriers to entry.
Some Context First
In Leandro II (2004), the North Carolina Supreme Court reaffirmed its 1997 ruling that the state must ensure every child has access to a “sound basic education,” including competent teachers, effective principals, and adequate resources. After a 2019 audit found ongoing gaps, the state approved a court-ordered Comprehensive Remedial Plan in 2021 to better support all students.
The plan, developed with input from Leandro plaintiffs, outlines specific actions, timelines, and costs through 2028, targeting teacher and principal development, equitable funding, accountability, support for low-performing schools, early childhood education, and alignment with college and career readiness. If fully implemented, it aims to deliver meaningful educational benefits by 2030. It also aligns with the State Board of Education’s goals to eliminate opportunity gaps, improve school performance, and better prepare educators—ultimately strengthening student outcomes and ensuring teachers are supported to meet diverse needs.
Exploring NC Educator Preparation Program Data
North Carolina, like many states, faces teacher shortages—especially in high-need schools. But these challenges weren’t inevitable. In the 1980s and ’90s, Governor Hunt led education reforms that expanded access to quality teaching, raised standards, and invested in early childhood education. These efforts narrowed opportunity gaps and showed that strategic investment can turn a state around. Though some high-poverty districts still needed more support, the reforms were considered a national model. Unfortunately, deep funding cuts after the 2008 recession dismantled many of the programs that drove those gains.
Recent data from the NC Educator Preparation Program Enrollment Dashboards show a concerning trend: except for temporary spikes during the pandemic, enrollment in teacher prep programs has declined over the past decade. Completion rates have also dropped—most recently falling to 64% in 2024. Fewer people are entering the profession, and fewer still are finishing the path to licensure.
Looking more closely, enrollment in key license areas has sharply declined since 2021. Elementary and high school preparation programs saw the largest drops—37% and 38% respectively—followed by decreases in special education, and other subject areas. These declines make it increasingly difficult to fill teaching positions.
According to the 2022-2023 State of the Teaching Profession in NC report, for every ten teachers who enter, one leaves the district or the profession—two if they’re new to the field. Attrition stands at 11.45% overall and 15.10% for beginning teachers, with some districts reporting attrition rates above 25%, and one as high as 31%. Recruitment and retention challenges are not just about numbers—they’re about the conditions driving teacher away.
The State of Teaching Attractiveness in NC
The Learning Policy Institute’s State of the Teacher Workforce map offers a snapshot of teaching conditions across the U.S., using over 40 indicators tied to supply, demand, equity, and job attractiveness. Based on 19 data points—including compensation, working conditions, turnover, and qualifications—North Carolina’s attractiveness is rated 2.3 out of 5, with 1 being the least attractive and 5 being the most attractive. On teacher equity, which reflects how qualified educators are distributed across schools by poverty and race, North Carolina scores 2.9, or neither attractive nor unattractive. This attractiveness contributes to ongoing shortages, high attrition, and inequitable student access to qualified teachers.
On the positive side, North Carolina scores well on support for early-career teachers, including mentoring and leadership. According to the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), a strong percentage of teachers agree that “the school administration’s behavior toward the staff is supportive and encouraging”—an important factor in retention. Less attractive indicators include job insecurity tied to testing, low per-pupil spending, and a high percentage of uncertified teachers, 10.2% compared to the national average of 3.7%.
Projections for student enrollment, which impact long-term planning for the teacher workforce, indicate that from 2022 to 2031, North Carolina’s public school enrollment will decline by 1.5%, compared to a national drop of 5.5%. This suggests that most of the state’s students will continue to rely on public schools—though recent data shows a noticeable shift away from traditional public school enrollment.
That Six-Letter Word: Equity
Some people don’t favor the word equity. But you can’t talk about education without addressing how historical redlining and ongoing discriminatory housing practices have depressed property values in Black neighborhoods—and, in turn, school funding. This history is part of why inequity exists (and why equity is so important). By virtue of place, schools in wealthier areas benefit from advanced programs and better facilities, while schools in under-resourced communities are left to make do with far less. Housing segregation, gentrification, and racial bias in appraisals deepen inequities, leading to vastly unequal access to quality education.
In the U.S., poverty is far more likely to be passed down from one generation to the next than in similar countries. In the U.S., 43% of children remain in the same financial situation as their parents, compared to 16% in the U.K. and 8% in Denmark. One reason is that the U.S. invests less in financial support systems than these countries. While U.S. Census data shows that North Carolina’s overall poverty rate has declined, significant disparities remain, highlighting the need for targeted, regional strategies.
With the way our system is structured, our reliance on local property taxes to fund public schools perpetuates educational inequity and undermines generational wealth. Lower property values in underserved and historically marginalized communities result in less school funding, while affluent—often White—areas continue to thrive.
In an article featuring Andrew W. Kahrl, professor of history and African American studies at the University of Virginia, journalist Adeel Hassan explains how structural flaws and hidden traps in the U.S. tax system have forced Black Americans to pay more for less, stripping them of land and investment opportunities. In his book, The Black Tax, Kahrl details how, after Black Americans began acquiring property after slavery—particularly in the South—a system of discriminatory taxation emerged. Local tax assessors routinely overvalued Black-owned properties while undervaluing white-owned ones, pushing Black landowners into tax delinquency. This led to tax auctions where speculators and lawyers seized their land, contributing to a decline in Black land ownership from 16 million acres in 1910 to less than 1.6 million by 2000.
These inequities still fuel today’s debates over education funding, resource allocation, and teacher recruitment. The fight for equitable resources—and basic human rights—has always been central to integration efforts and essential to dismantling racial barriers. Instead, integration after Brown v. Board led to the integration of Black students into White schools (a non-reciprocal exchange)—followed by the widespread “dismissal, demotion, or forced resignation of…highly credentialed black teachers and principals”. It’s no surprise, then, that underfunded schools disproportionately serve students of color and undersourced communities, where teacher turnover is highest and recruitment remains a persistent challenge.
The Contemporary Teacher Experience
For teachers midway through their careers, today’s profession barely resembles the one they entered. Licensing requirements have shifted, pressure around standardized testing has intensified, and policy changes tied to election cycles constantly reshape expectations.
Veteran teachers in North Carolina now face stagnant wages, evolving evaluation metrics, and increasing demands—often with fewer resources. New teachers face a different but equally daunting reality. They must navigate complex licensure demands, manage student debt, and secure housing on a starting salary—all while confronting high turnover, limited career advancement, and a public narrative that undervalues their work.
Toward a Sustainable Future
North Carolina’s teacher shortage isn’t just about economics or shifting career preferences. It’s the result of decades of policy decisions, underfunding, and systemic inequities that have steadily eroded the profession’s appeal. Reversing this trend will require more than short-term fixes. Real change means investing in competitive pay, restoring professional respect, ensuring equitable school funding, and enacting policies that support long-term retention.
Without these changes, the teaching profession—and the students it serves—will continue to bear the cost. And that’s without even addressing other urgent forces shaping public education today: the rise of AI in classrooms, the lingering impact of pandemic-era disruptions, and the legacy of education systems rooted in social and economic sorting. These are critical issues—but ones that deserve their focused exploration.
The Ongoing Challenge
Public education in North Carolina is at a critical juncture. An intensifying anti-equity movement—backed by the executive branch, Congress, and state-level legislation such as HB171 and SB227—threatens progress toward equity goals. This raises real questions about whether the state can meet its commitments to educational access and opportunity.
In a March 20, 2025, statement, Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green noted that federal funding supports “7.6% of our education workforce”—over 14,000 educators—and contributes more than “$1 billion to support public school students…” Two weeks later, on April 3, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) announced the termination of funding for four districts (including two named in the Leandro case), and mandated a 10-day deadline to all U.S. districts to sign a certification against DEI to receive federal money.
The consequences are significant, and gaps are not shrinking.
Still, there is some hope.
In a recent joint press release, Superintendent Green and the State Board of Education outlined their legislative and budget priorities for 2025-26. Their plan includes increased funding, educator pay raises, support for schools affected by Hurricane Helene, and investments in academic coaching, technology upgrades, and compensation pathways. Policy goals include calendar flexibility and a pause on expanding Opportunity Scholarships. These priorities reflect the clarity and courage needed to meet this moment.
What happens next depends on political will. We know what’s needed.
Dr. Raketa Ouedraogo-Thomas has dedicated twenty years to education, beginning as a secondary math and science teacher in California. Over the past decade, she has focused on school improvement and system-level initiatives, serving in state and district leadership roles in North Carolina.
She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she researches factors influencing educational transformation.
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