Table 210.60.

Among public and private elementary and secondary schools that were hiring for at least one open teaching position in a specific field, percentage that found it very difficult or were not able to fill the opening, by subject-matter field of opening and selected school characteristics: School years 2011-12, 2015-16, and 2020-21

[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Selected school characteristic	General elementary			Special education			English or language arts			Social studies			Computer science			Mathematics			Biology or life sciences			Physical sciences			English as a second language or bilingual education			Foreign languages			Music or art			Career or technical education			Physical education or health			Other
1	2			3			4			5			6			7			8			9			10			11			12			13			14			15
Public schools
2011-12	1.5		(0.35)	17.1		(0.90)	5.8		(0.59)	3.5		(0.65)	15.0		(1.93)	19.1		(0.99)	18.8		(1.45)	25.5		(1.72)	23.3		(1.97)	26.4		(1.90)	9.1		(0.94)	20.4		(1.64)	---		(†)	12.3		(1.48)
2015-16	9.1		(0.67)	31.4		(0.89)	12.8		(0.90)	7.7		(0.83)	25.4		(2.09)	30.4		(1.11)	28.7		(1.36)	38.4		(1.57)	28.6		(1.73)	36.5		(1.73)	15.3		(1.02)	30.0		(1.72)	---		(†)	24.5		(1.61)
2020-21
Total	13.1		(0.73)	40.2		(1.03)	18.0		(0.97)	10.8		(0.86)	31.3		(1.87)	31.7		(1.09)	30.8		(1.32)	37.3		(1.52)	31.8		(1.45)	42.5		(1.70)	23.3		(1.31)	31.2		(1.57)	11.6		(1.01)	---		(†)
School level
Elementary	13.3		(0.85)	40.3		(1.49)	17.4		(1.94)	12.2		(2.14)	21.3		(3.59)	23.4		(2.39)	27.4		(3.58)	34.6		(4.19)	30.5		(2.18)	43.5		(3.98)	25.1		(2.13)	21.9		(5.30)	13.4		(1.70)	---		(†)
Middle	10.5		(2.45)	40.6		(1.89)	17.1		(1.54)	11.1		(1.70)	32.9		(3.76)	32.0		(2.25)	29.4		(2.56)	34.8		(2.98)	37.8		(3.27)	48.6		(3.70)	21.5		(2.44)	30.3		(3.37)	11.9		(2.24)	---		(†)
Secondary/high	‡		(†)	37.4		(1.97)	16.3		(1.46)	10.0		(1.22)	36.8		(3.06)	34.7		(1.69)	31.9		(1.82)	39.8		(2.15)	30.2		(2.61)	38.1		(2.40)	18.2		(2.04)	33.2		(2.11)	8.5		(1.49)	---		(†)
Combined/other	12.9		(2.08)	46.4		(3.05)	29.0		(4.27)	9.7		(2.24)	35.3		(5.22)	41.6		(4.23)	34.8		(4.22)	37.2		(4.36)	32.1		(6.06)	46.2		(5.46)	30.1		(5.29)	31.5		(5.16)	10.8	!	(3.78)	---		(†)
School size
Less than 150	23.9		(4.10)	40.8		(4.66)	31.3		(6.08)	23.6		(5.67)	‡		(†)	50.1		(7.19)	38.1		(6.89)	40.5		(7.68)	34.5		(9.00)	‡		(†)	44.9		(6.71)	27.4		(6.67)	28.4		(6.30)	---		(†)
150 to 349	14.9		(1.66)	42.2		(2.38)	24.4		(2.97)	21.1		(3.51)	26.2		(5.33)	36.8		(3.20)	38.9		(4.18)	44.8		(4.36)	21.8		(3.44)	55.0		(4.63)	29.3		(3.23)	30.8		(5.11)	16.3		(2.94)	---		(†)
350 to 499	13.6		(1.57)	41.4		(1.98)	17.6		(2.38)	10.1		(2.15)	27.9		(4.82)	28.2		(3.05)	36.9		(3.95)	49.1		(4.50)	31.8		(3.62)	47.3		(5.07)	28.6		(2.87)	33.3		(4.81)	15.2		(2.76)	---		(†)
500 to 749	10.2		(1.35)	39.3		(1.69)	17.6		(1.92)	8.9		(1.52)	33.8		(4.24)	29.8		(2.42)	25.8		(3.04)	31.9		(3.21)	37.7		(3.43)	46.8		(4.29)	23.0		(2.67)	28.4		(3.37)	7.8		(1.63)	---		(†)
750 or more	9.4		(1.71)	38.2		(1.56)	13.4		(1.13)	7.0		(0.94)	32.7		(2.66)	29.7		(1.49)	27.6		(1.64)	33.2		(1.85)	31.8		(2.12)	33.5		(2.05)	11.7		(1.31)	32.5		(2.17)	6.0		(0.98)	---		(†)
School locale
City	12.3		(1.60)	41.5		(1.85)	13.4		(1.45)	9.8		(1.39)	35.8		(3.31)	30.1		(1.99)	29.5		(2.28)	36.9		(2.60)	32.4		(2.24)	36.2		(3.13)	21.5		(2.10)	29.8		(2.88)	11.7		(1.82)	---		(†)
Suburban	12.4		(1.27)	36.7		(1.76)	14.8		(1.61)	7.1		(1.28)	27.6		(3.01)	26.8		(1.97)	26.2		(2.08)	31.1		(2.20)	28.0		(2.49)	36.6		(2.59)	17.7		(2.19)	26.1		(2.68)	8.5		(1.59)	---		(†)
Town	14.5		(2.22)	44.4		(2.32)	27.0		(2.78)	16.2		(2.72)	34.6		(5.61)	41.3		(3.07)	38.0		(3.65)	53.4		(4.42)	39.7		(4.38)	52.7		(4.89)	32.7		(3.49)	42.3		(4.60)	12.7		(2.67)	---		(†)
Rural	14.2		(1.43)	41.3		(2.21)	23.3		(2.30)	14.7		(2.01)	29.3		(3.63)	35.5		(2.75)	35.0		(2.97)	38.1		(3.28)	34.2		(3.90)	57.1		(3.34)	27.9		(2.86)	31.7		(3.12)	15.4		(2.54)	---		(†)
Percent of students      eligible for free or      reduced-price lunch
0 to 25	9.8		(1.74)	38.2		(2.50)	12.1		(2.13)	9.1		(2.28)	32.9		(5.01)	24.3		(2.37)	24.9		(3.42)	31.7		(3.82)	21.8		(3.53)	36.8		(3.45)	17.6		(2.85)	31.4		(3.78)	10.1		(2.69)	---		(†)
26 to 50	8.1		(1.31)	38.4		(1.85)	17.2		(1.98)	9.3		(1.46)	32.6		(3.49)	31.0		(2.18)	29.3		(2.61)	36.5		(2.78)	30.1		(3.28)	46.5		(3.15)	19.9		(2.32)	29.7		(2.84)	10.5		(2.25)	---		(†)
51 to 75	16.3		(1.91)	39.7		(2.30)	20.9		(2.60)	11.5		(2.09)	27.1		(4.13)	33.6		(2.67)	33.2		(3.03)	34.2		(3.44)	36.6		(4.15)	38.2		(4.12)	25.3		(2.97)	32.3		(3.79)	14.2		(2.92)	---		(†)
76 to 100	15.6		(1.31)	42.7		(1.63)	20.7		(1.65)	12.5		(1.56)	32.2		(2.91)	34.4		(1.87)	34.3		(2.22)	42.0		(2.66)	34.1		(2.32)	44.0		(3.17)	26.7		(2.11)	31.3		(2.97)	12.3		(1.61)	---		(†)
School does not      participate	9.1	!	(3.07)	34.6		(4.38)	6.7	!	(2.34)	8.2	!	(2.95)	24.1	!	(7.41)	28.3		(5.26)	20.2		(5.19)	32.5		(6.67)	22.5		(6.16)	45.8		(9.01)	19.3	!	(7.95)	32.8		(6.06)	‡		(†)	---		(†)
Private schools
2011-12	3.5		(0.85)	14.6		(3.26)	4.8		(1.21)	3.8	!	(1.49)	10.5		(2.56)	15.7		(2.36)	16.8		(2.94)	19.0		(3.21)	17.3	!	(8.09)	14.4		(2.52)	9.6		(2.07)	31.6		(9.25)	---		(†)	13.5		(3.62)
2015-16	---		(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)
2020-21
Total	18.0		(1.74)	43.5		(4.08)	18.3		(2.31)	11.8		(2.49)	35.4		(4.12)	32.0		(2.92)	30.8		(2.96)	31.4		(2.95)	20.1		(5.73)	31.7		(2.52)	22.3		(2.71)	21.6		(6.15)	21.0		(3.61)	---		(†)
School level
Elementary/middle	27.6		(4.81)	‡		(†)	21.3	!	(7.90)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	15.4	!	(7.06)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	13.9	!	(6.40)	36.0		(9.63)	‡		(†)	31.7	!	(13.30)	---		(†)
Secondary/high	‡		(†)	34.8		(7.05)	14.4		(3.05)	6.4	!	(2.78)	43.3		(7.12)	33.7		(3.68)	28.1		(4.14)	33.5		(4.21)	29.0	!	(12.49)	31.1		(4.24)	15.4		(3.72)	31.1	!	(11.52)	12.5	!	(4.61)	---		(†)
Combined/other	15.6		(1.79)	46.2		(4.74)	19.0		(2.82)	13.9		(3.34)	34.3		(4.69)	33.7		(3.94)	33.9		(3.84)	32.4		(3.83)	17.7	!	(6.45)	34.9		(3.55)	21.2		(3.18)	23.4	!	(7.25)	19.9		(4.08)	---		(†)
School size
Less than 150	19.8		(2.77)	47.0		(5.35)	21.6		(4.51)	17.7		(4.73)	43.8		(7.34)	32.7		(4.94)	31.6		(4.97)	31.2		(4.97)	21.8	!	(9.43)	34.7		(5.18)	27.2		(4.53)	20.2	!	(8.94)	31.1		(5.80)	---		(†)
150 to 349	20.5		(2.94)	46.2		(7.29)	22.3		(3.78)	9.3	!	(3.78)	29.7		(5.83)	32.3		(4.39)	35.0		(4.75)	36.5		(5.11)	22.3	!	(9.08)	36.2		(4.70)	20.2		(4.35)	‡		(†)	9.1	!	(3.16)	---		(†)
350 to 499	8.3	!	(3.25)	‡		(†)	11.4	!	(3.86)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	34.0		(6.79)	28.0		(6.68)	25.4		(6.73)	‡		(†)	22.8		(5.61)	20.5	!	(6.25)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	---		(†)
500 to 749	6.5	!	(2.31)	‡		(†)	6.1	!	(2.63)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	38.4		(6.35)	28.8		(7.69)	31.5		(7.38)	‡		(†)	29.3		(6.90)	10.7	!	(4.95)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	---		(†)
750 or more	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	28.1	!	(11.60)	17.0	!	(5.36)	9.8	!	(3.84)	21.4	!	(6.59)	‡		(†)	13.3	!	(5.58)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	---		(†)
School locale
City	19.4		(2.95)	43.7		(5.88)	19.0		(3.31)	10.8		(3.22)	31.8		(5.74)	31.8		(4.06)	30.9		(4.57)	29.5		(4.57)	20.8	!	(8.98)	27.1		(3.99)	22.0		(4.55)	22.5	!	(8.20)	17.0		(3.97)	---		(†)
Suburban	20.5		(2.97)	47.9		(5.63)	15.6		(3.39)	10.6	!	(3.75)	37.0		(6.88)	35.0		(4.24)	34.1		(4.67)	34.2		(4.69)	‡		(†)	37.2		(4.32)	18.2		(3.73)	23.9	!	(10.93)	12.4	!	(4.16)	---		(†)
Town	22.3		(5.76)	‡		(†)	23.0	!	(8.77)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	35.4		(9.17)	‡		(†)	33.2	!	(10.52)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	---		(†)
Rural	9.4	!	(3.53)	31.7	!	(9.84)	20.7	!	(7.10)	‡		(†)	43.0		(11.95)	26.3		(7.26)	27.2		(7.49)	28.1		(8.29)	‡		(†)	28.1		(7.72)	26.2		(6.88)	‡		(†)	44.0		(11.57)	---		(†)

---Not available.

†Not applicable.

!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.

‡Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Data File" and "Private School Data File," 2011-12; and National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), "Public School Data File," 2015-16 and 2020-21, and "Private School Data File," 2020-21. (This table was prepared December 2022.)