Among public and private K–12 teachers who left teaching between 1999–2000 and 2000–01, average age, average years of teaching experience, percentage female, percentage out-of-field, and percentage with both a major and certification in field, by the reason teachers left

Table 5

Among public and private K–12 teachers who left teaching between 1999–2000 and 2000–01, average age, average years of teaching experience, percentage female, percentage out-of-field, and percentage with both a major and certification in field, by the reason teachers left

Reason teachers left	Average age	Average years of teaching experience	Percent female	Percent teaching out-of-field the previous year	Percent with both major and certification in field taught in the previous year

All leavers	42	15	76	20	54
Retired	58	29	71	16	65
Took other job	39	10	68	24	50
Went back to school	30	4	77	22	52
Left for family reasons	34	9	99	16	53
Other	40	13	84	19	47

NOTE: “Out-of-field” teachers have neither an undergraduate or graduate major nor certification in the field of their main teaching assignment.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), “Public Teacher Questionnaire,” “Charter Teacher Questionnaire,” and “Private Teacher Questionnaire,” 1999–2000 and Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS), “Current Teacher Questionnaire” and “Former Teacher Questionnaire,” 2000–01.