Percentage of non-retired public and private K–12 school teacher leavers who rated various reasons as the most important in their decision to voluntarily stop teaching as a K–12 teacher between the 2020–21 and 2021–22 school years, by school type: School year 2021–22

Voluntary reasons for leaving	All non-retired teacher leavers		All non-retired public school teacher leavers		All non-retired private school teacher leavers
Personal life factors	25.7		24.1		34.7
Because I wanted to take a job more conveniently located OR because I moved	6.5		6.4		‡
Because of other personal life reasons (e.g., health, pregnancy/childcare, caring for family)	14.6		13.1		23.5
Because I decided to retire or receive retirement beneﬁts from last year’s school system	3.7	!	3.6	!	‡
Because of changes in childcare arrangements caused by the COVID-19 pandemic	‡		‡		‡
Salary and other job beneﬁts	15.0		14.2		19.4
Because I wanted or needed a higher salary	13.0		12.7		14.7
Because I needed better beneﬁts than I received at last year’s school	‡		‡		‡
Because I was concerned about my job security at last year’s school	‡		‡		‡
Because I wanted or needed a way to pay oﬀ debt from my undergraduate or graduate education (such as higher pay and/or debt forgiveness)	1.0	!	0.4	!	‡
Career factors	32.4		33.7		25.0
Because I decided to pursue a position other than that of a K–12 teacher	17.9		18.6		13.5
Because I decided to take courses to improve career opportunities WITHIN the ﬁeld of education	4.1		4.5		‡
Because I decided to take courses to improve career opportunities OUTSIDE the ﬁeld of education	‡		‡		‡
Because I was dissatisﬁed with teaching as a career	7.9		7.9		7.6
Because there were not enough opportunities for leadership roles or professional advancement at last year’s school	1.6		1.7		‡
Assignment and classroom factors	7.7		8.5		3.4	!
Because I was dissatisﬁed with my job description or assignment (e.g., responsibilities, grade level, or subject area)	5.6		6.1		‡
Because I did not have enough autonomy over my classroom at last year’s school	0.4	!	0.5	!	‡
Because I was dissatisﬁed with the large number of students I taught at last year’s school	0.7	!	0.9	!	‡
Because I felt that there were too many intrusions on my teaching time at last year’s school	‡		‡		‡
School factors	9.8		9.7		9.8	!
Because I was dissatisﬁed with the way my school or district supported me during the COVID-19 pandemic	1.6		1.6		‡
Because I was dissatisﬁed with workplace conditions (e.g., facilities, classroom resources, school safety) at last year’s school	0.7		0.9		‡
Because student discipline problems were an issue at last year’s school	2.4	!	2.8	!	‡
Because I was dissatisﬁed with the administration at last year’s school	2.5		2.0		5.5	!
Because I was dissatisﬁed with the lack of inﬂuence I had over school policiesand practices at last year’s school	2.6	!	‡		‡
Student performance factors	2.6	!	2.9	!	‡
Because I was dissatisﬁed with how student assessments and school accountability measures impacted my teaching or curriculum at last year’s school	‡		‡		‡
Because I was dissatisﬁed with how some of my compensation, beneﬁts, or rewards were tied to the performance of my students at last year’s school	0.5	!	0.4	!	‡
Because I was dissatisﬁed with the support I received for preparing my students for student assessments at last year’s school	‡		‡		‡
Other factors	6.8		6.8		6.7	!
Because of other factors not included in previous items	6.8		6.8		6.7	!

! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 percent and 50 percent (i.e., the standard error is at least 30 percent and less than 50 percent of the estimate).

‡ Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable analysis, or the coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is 50 percent or greater (i.e., the standard error is 50 percent or more of the estimate).

NOTE: Data are weighted estimates of the population. “Leavers” are 2020–21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) teachers who were no longer teachers in the 2021–22 TFS school year. Respondents were asked to choose the most important reason in their decision to leave their base year (2020–21) school from a detailed list of various reasons. Teachers who did not indicate their most important reason for leaving are not included in this table. This table differs from table A-7 in the Teacher Attrition and Mobility Results From the 2021–22 Teacher Follow-up Survey to the National Teacher and Principal Survey report (https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2024039) by excluding former teachers whose current occupational status is retired. Retirement is one of the options teachers could select for their current occupational status and does not indicate that they aren't currently employed. Non-retired K–12 school teacher leavers who provided the most important reason that they voluntarily stopped teaching between the 2020–21 and 2021–22 school years represent 67.2 percent of all teacher leavers, 67.4 percent of public school teacher leavers, and 66.2 percent of private teacher leavers.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS), “Former Teacher Data File,” 2021–22.