Schools struggled to fill teaching positions — especially those focused on serving students with disabilities — even as classes got underway this fall, data shows.

A report out this month from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics finds that special education positions remain some of the hardest to staff.

Among elementary and middle schools, 74% reported difficulty finding fully certified teachers to fill special education teaching vacancies. The same was true of 66% of high schools.

The findings are based on data collected between Aug. 13 and Aug. 27 from 1,392 public K–12 schools representing every state and Washington, D.C.

The schools surveyed indicated that they had six teaching vacancies on average, 79% of which were filled before classes began for the year. Most schools said their biggest hiring challenges included a lack of qualified applicants and not enough candidates overall.

“Entering the 2024-25 school year, the data show a decrease in the percentage of public schools reporting difficulty filling one or more vacant teaching positions compared to the previous year, dropping from 79% to 74 — but there is still room for improvement,” said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. “A closer look shows special education positions remain the most difficult to fill.”

Carr noted that a majority of schools also faced challenges hiring for non-teaching positions like classroom aides, transportation staff, technology specialists, academic interventionists and more.

“Those staff are just as important to students’ overall education experience,” Carr said.

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