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This year's Teacher Sentiment Score came in at 74 out of 100, down just one point from last year’s report by K12 Coalition. On paper, that doesn't look like a crisis. Many district leaders have seen larger swings in other measures.

But one pattern in this year's data deserves a closer look: beneath that relatively stable score, several indicators moved in the wrong direction simultaneously. Retention risk crossed 50 percent. The share of educators who describe themselves as "very satisfied" fell sharply. Workload pressures increased. Elementary educators reported some of the most concerning shifts in the survey.

In many districts, this is what the most dangerous phase of a staffing challenge looks like.

The system is not breaking loudly; it’s eroding quietly.

The Illusion of Stability

One of the most striking findings in the report isn't the number of teachers planning to leave, it's the number who aren't sure they'll stay.

More than half of surveyed educators now fall into the "Yes" or "Maybe" categories when asked whether they are considering leaving the profession within the next two years. At the same time, the group firmly committed to staying shrank by nearly five percentage points.

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For superintendents, that's a meaningful shift.

Most districts can absorb a certain amount of turnover. What becomes much harder to manage is growing uncertainty across the workforce.

When fewer educators can confidently picture themselves remaining in the profession, staffing challenges become less predictable.

The Real Crisis Is Workload, Not Morale

When educators were asked why they are considering leaving, workload remained the top reason. Salary was important, but workload ranked higher.

Too often, retention conversations become discussions about motivation, resilience, or culture. Yet the comments throughout the report tell a different story.

Teachers describe spending more time managing behavior, completing paperwork, and responding to expanding responsibilities than they do actually teaching. One elementary educator summarized it this way:

"The actual teaching is about 40% of what we are actually required to do."

In many districts, this points to an operational challenge more than a motivational one.

Teachers are not necessarily asking leaders to inspire them; they are asking leaders to remove obstacles.

At Lavinia Group, we often see districts respond to retention challenges by adding programs, committees, or initiatives to support staff. The intention is good, but the result is added complexity.

As Jason Stricker, Chief Policy Officer at K-12 Coalition, frequently notes, many of the pressures educators experience are not individual challenges to solve; they're system challenges to redesign.

When workload becomes the top reason teachers consider leaving, the question shifts from "How do we help teachers do more?" to "How do we build systems that require less?"

The Foundation Is Under Pressure

The report’s findings for elementary educators may be the clearest warning sign.

Elementary educators reported some of the highest levels of attrition risk, with more than half indicating they are considering leaving or are uncertain about staying.

This is significant because elementary schools are where districts build stability.

When K–5 staffing becomes unstable, districts begin to feel the effects everywhere else: substitute shortages increase, intervention systems become harder to maintain, and leadership teams spend more time filling positions than improving instruction.

Elementary educators are also navigating many of the challenges that surfaced throughout the report:

• Student behavior remains the most commonly cited challenge.
• Student mental health concerns continue to rise.
• Workload pressures are increasing.
• Additional responsibilities continue to expand beyond classroom instruction.
  For district leaders, this may require a willingness to concentrate resources rather than distribute them evenly.

Elementary schools often serve as the earliest indicator of broader system stress.