PHOENIX — In the Arizona Department of Education’s first report about teacher retention, presented to the Arizona State Board of Education on Monday, it said more than 14% of Arizona’s educators left the profession in the 2024-25 school year. That translates to more than 8,600 educators leaving the profession.
From July 2025 to the fall, the department said there were more than 1,000 unplanned vacancies, meaning teachers either did not report to work or resigned. More than 4,000 teaching positions remained vacant, and a majority were filled by long-term substitutes or other means.
Arizona’s teacher shortage crisis has reached a critical point, with new state data revealing that burnout — not just low pay — is driving educators away from the profession at unprecedented rates…