More than 80 Percent of U.S. Public Schools Report Pandemic Has Negatively Impacted Student Behavior and Socio-Emotional Development

July 6, 2022

New NCES data also show increase in student and teacher absenteeism

In July 2023, NCES revised estimates from the January 2022 through December 2022 collections of the School Pulse Panel (SPP), based on a reweighting of the data. Revised estimates appear on the SPP dashboard (https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/spp/). For a description of the reweighting of the data and its effect on the estimates, please visit https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/spp/ReweightingMemo.pdf. If you have further questions about these revised estimates, email schoolpulsepanel@ed.gov.

WASHINGTON (July 6, 2022)—Eighty-seven percent of public schools reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted student socio-emotional development during the 2021–22 school year, according to data released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES is the statistical office of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Similarly, 84 percent of public schools agreed or strongly agreed that students’ behavioral development has also been negatively impacted.

Specifically, respondents attributed increased incidents of classroom disruptions from student misconduct (56 percent), rowdiness outside of the classroom (48 percent), acts of disrespect towards teachers and staff (48 percent), and prohibited use of electronic devices (42 percent) to the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects.

“Students thrive in an environment with effective social, emotional, and behavioral support,” said NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr. “So when we see 72 percent of our public schools report an increase in chronic absenteeism among our students, it poses an opportunity for education leaders to act quickly using tested approaches that work. It is our responsibility at NCES to disseminate data describing the severity of the situation.”

In addition to student behavior in school, school leaders were asked about student chronic absenteeism—defined as those missing at least 10 percent of the school year. School leaders reported increased student absenteeism as a COVID-19-related problem consistently across a wide range of school types, including in elementary schools (74 percent), schools with lower student poverty rates (72 percent), and rural schools (70 percent).

Additionally, problems that stemmed from teachers being absent more often were exacerbated by the fact that 77 percent of public schools also reported that finding substitute teachers has become more difficult during the pandemic. Compared to the 2020–21 school year, 61 percent of public schools reported that finding substitute teachers is difficult.

“Data from the monthly study are critical for understanding challenges our public schools are facing in real time, allowing policymakers to provide timely help,” said NCES Associate Commissioner Chris Chapman. “We are continuously grateful to the public primary, middle, high, and combined-grade schools that participated.”

The findings released today are part of the sixth experimental data product from the School Pulse Panel—the latest round of the monthly data collection. The May data were collected from a total of 846 participating schools between May 10 and May 24, 2022.

The School Pulse Panel is part of NCES’s innovative approach to delivering timely information regarding the pandemic’s impact on public K–12 schools in the U.S. The May survey provides reliable data focused on teacher absences and the availability of substitute teachers, learning modes offered by schools, student and staff quarantine prevalence, mental health, absenteeism, and classroom management as reported by principals in U.S. public schools.

Experimental data products are innovative statistical products created using new data sources or methodologies. Experimental data may not meet all NCES quality standards but are of sufficient benefit to data users in the absence of other relevant products to justify release. NCES clearly identifies experimental data products upon their release.

The data released today can be found at the COVID-19 dashboard at https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/.

Key Findings

Student Behavior and Development

Public school leaders have seen a marked impact of the pandemic on their students’ socio-emotional and behavioral development. Eighty-seven percent of public schools agreed or strongly agreed that the pandemic has negatively impacted student socio-emotional development. Similarly, 84 percent of public schools agreed or strongly agreed that students’ behavioral development has been negatively impacted.

The following student behaviors were most frequently reported as having increased during the 2021–22 school year (compared to a typical school year before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic) in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects:

Classroom disruptions from student misconduct (56 percent)
Acts of disrespect towards teachers and staff (48 percent)
Rowdiness outside of the classroom (48 percent)
The prohibited use of electronic devices (42 percent)

Public schools reported needing more support for student and/or staff mental health (79 percent), training on supporting students’ socio-emotional development (70 percent), hiring of more staff (59 percent), and training on classroom management strategies (50 percent).

Student and Teacher Absenteeism and Need for Substitute Teachers

Schools across the country have seen a rise in chronic absenteeism. Compared to a typical school year prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 72 percent of U.S. public schools reported an increase in chronic absenteeism among their students. Compared to last school year (2020–21), 39 percent of public schools reported that chronic absenteeism has increased.

The average percent of chronically absent students reported by public school leaders during the 2021-22 school year was 17 percent.

Compared to a typical school year prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 72 percent of U.S. public schools reported an increase in teacher absences during the 2021–22 school year. Compared to last school year (2020–21), 49 percent of public schools reported that the rate of teacher absences had increased.

Seventy-seven percent of public schools reported that it has been more difficult to find substitute teachers during the 2021–22 school year compared to years prior to the pandemic. Compared to the 2020–21 school year, 61 percent of public schools reported that finding substitute teachers is difficult.

Nearly all public schools (98 percent) reported not being able to always find substitute teachers when necessary. When substitutes cannot be found, public schools reported relying on administrators (73 percent), non-teaching staff (71 percent), and other teachers on their prep period (67 percent) to cover classes. Additionally, 51 percent of public schools reported combining separate classes into one room when they cannot find a substitute.

The use of these alternative coverage strategies is not uncommon; 59 percent of public schools reported “always” or “very frequently” having to use these strategies during the 2021–22 school year.

Learning Modes and Quarantine Prevalence

Nearly all (99 percent) public schools continued to offer full-time in-person learning, while 33 percent offered full-time remote learning and 9 percent offered hybrid learning. This has been a consistent trend throughout the 2021–22 school year.

For the first time since quarantine data were collected in January, both student and staff quarantine prevalence have increased from the prior month. In May, 46 percent of public schools reported having at least one student in quarantine (compared to 29 percent in April), with the average number of students in quarantine at eight (compared to six students in April).

Thirty-four percent of public schools reported having at least one staff member in quarantine (compared to 14 percent in April), with the average number of staff in quarantine at three (compared to one staff member in April).

The data released today can be found at the COVID-19 dashboard at https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/.

(NOTE: On July 12, 2022, NCES updated this news release. The estimate of public schools which agreed or strongly agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the behavioral development of students at their school is 84%, or one percentage point higher than initially reported.)

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The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, is the statistical center of the U.S. Department of Education and the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES, located within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is the independent and nonpartisan statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education. Its mission is to provide scientific evidence on which to ground education practice and policy and to share this information in formats that are useful and accessible to educators, parents, policymakers, researchers, and the public.

Contact: National Center for Education Statistics
Annual Reports and Information Staff
Aris.nces@ed.gov