(The Center Square) – Students educational achievements are rising.
So, too, is teacher attrition in North Carolina.
First-term Democratic Superintendent Mo Green says the stories are worth telling, that they represent “real progress for real students.”
Among the positive statistics are the highest four graduation year rate, 87.7%, the best in state history; record levels of students taking Advanced Placement tests and scoring high enough to earn college credits; and new records for students taking career and technical education classes.
“Behind these numbers are stories worth telling: the first-generation college student who passed an AP exam, the student who earned industry credentials before graduation, the senior who walked across the stage as part of the highest-achieving graduating class in state history,” Green said in a release.
The best is yet to come, the superintendent added.
“Stay tuned for more good news as we work to make North Carolina’s public schools the best in the nation by 2030,” he said.
One statistic that Green did not mention was an uptick in the North Carolina teacher attrition rate – the percentage who quit teaching, which increased in 2024-25 to 10.11% up from 9.88%, according to a report by the state Department of Public Instruction presented to the state school board.
“While not quite reaching the record high, the current attrition rate is still much higher than before the pandemic where it ranged from 7.5% to 8.2%,” the nonprofit group Public Schools First NC said in a statement.
The record teacher attrition rate was set in 2022-23 at 11.5%.
The highest rate, 14.9%, was among teachers with fewer than three years of teaching experience. Experienced teachers had a rate of 9.34%.
The disparity raises the question of what school districts can do to retain teachers who are just starting their careers, Public Schools First said.
The Education Law Center ranked North Carolina 50th in public education cost-adjusted funding level, Public Schools First said.
“These rankings, along with near-record high teacher attrition rate, may encourage lawmakers to invest more in North Carolina’s public education system,” it said.
Green agreed.
“The report reinforces the importance of addressing the core issues that lead to teacher attrition,” the superintendent said in a statement to The Center Square. “Our public schools cannot be best in the nation if our teachers are not adequately compensated, trained and revered. It will take action from the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and our schools to strengthen the education profession.”
