Survey Finds Nearly Half of California Teachers Plan to Leave Within Decade

A new Education Week Research Center survey for its 2026 State of Teaching report estimates that about 45% of California K‑12 public school teachers plan to retire or quit the profession in the next 10 years, compared with 36% nationwide. Director Holly Kurtz told Fox News Digital that California’s teachers are older on average—45.5 years versus 42.9 nationally—suggesting age is a major driver, but the report also notes declining morale across the U.S. teaching workforce. A separate January survey by the California Teachers Association found that while most teachers say they are satisfied with their jobs, 40% are considering leaving education, 45% cite financial pressures in that decision, and 54% know coworkers who left because of money. The findings come amid ongoing teacher shortages and disputes over pay and working conditions, highlighted by a February strike by San Francisco teachers that ended with a tentative pay agreement, and they are already being used by unions and advocates pushing for higher school funding and extensions of revenue measures like Proposition 55. Policymakers and parents are watching closely because large‑scale retirements or resignations could deepen staffing crises in California’s massive public school system and ripple into student learning and family schedules, including more districts considering four‑day school weeks.