It is natural for schools and school districts to see a certain amount of turnover in their employees in the same manner that a business or another organization might. However, it is still important to look at teacher turnover as a measure of staff and school stability. Large amounts of teacher turnover are a drain on a school district's most valuable resources: teachers are at the foundation of a district's ability to provide instruction and promote student learning.
Use these data to look at what percentage of teachers left the school district. Also, look at the district's turnover data in relation to state averages. Are the percentages much different? Before drawing a conclusion about your district and the frequency with which teachers leave, gather more information from school or district administrators. You may learn that teacher turnover was quite high because of an early retirement incentive, reduction-in-force due to budget constraints, etc. Consider asking why teachers have left your school district and/or your district and whether or not there is anything you can do to help improve teacher retention.
In the first of the two tables, "Teachers Who Left Their School," district and state averages are calculated based on schools with similar grade ranges. The table uses six grade level categories in order to provide you with the most accurate data for comparisons. Across the state, districts vary the way they split grade levels across schools. Schools might have standard grade level groupings (K-5, 6-8, 9-12), or they may have less common ones, like: K-12, K-8, 7-12, 4-5, 6-11, and 10-12. Since schools are different depending on the age of the children they serve, the categories in this table group schools with other schools "most like theirs." For additional information about how school grade levels are categorized see the Data Sources & Information Guide.
For further technical information about how teacher turnover is defined and when these data are collected, see the Data Sources & Information Guide.