The rate at which Wisconsin public school teachers left their districts has declined since its pandemic peak but remained elevated in the 2024-25 school year, a new Wisconsin Policy Forum report found.
Principal and superintendent turnover has not stabilized, with a new swing upward in 2025.
The analysis found that, on average, a disproportionate impact of educator turnover falls on certain Wisconsin communities. Chief among these are the state’s smallest districts, districts serving a majority of low-income students or students of color, city districts and teachers of color.
The report is based on an analysis of public school staffing data from the state Department of Public Instruction. It updates previous Wisconsin Policy Forum educator turnover reports in 2022 and 2023.
While some level of turnover is to be expected and may even be beneficial, too much churn destabilizes schools, discourages staff and students, harms student outcomes and costs districts valuable resources, the organization said.
Click here to read the full report.
