How a years-long rise in teacher turnover reshaped American classrooms

Ryan Higgins left teaching in 2022 due to stagnant pay, excessive workload, and pandemic-era challenges, joining a wave of teacher departures in Texas and nationwide. From 2020 to 2025, Texas lost 35,000 teachers, reflecting a national trend of elevated turnover that disproportionately impacts high-poverty schools and correlates with declining student test scores.