It’s no secret that teachers are stressed and, in some cases, planning their next career moves.
Just under a fifth of teachers said they planned to leave their jobs at the end of the 2025-26 school year, according to recently released data from the RAND Corp.’s 2026 State of the American Teacher and the American Life Panel surveys. That’s about the same percentage as last year, and the pressure points have remained fairly consistent: Teachers cite misbehaving students, pay gaps, and poor work-life balance as their top stressors.
And, still, even when teachers say they plan to leave their jobs at the end of the year, many end up staying.
When they do follow through, there’s a patchwork of reasons, and more often than not, it’s the culmination of many factors that push teachers over the edge.
In responses to a question Education Week posted on social media on what led educators to leave teaching, many commenters said they had left the profession or were contemplating doing so due to a combination of factors, from student behavior to unmanageable workloads and excessive paperwork.
Some lamented the changes technology has brought both to classroom practice and students’ motivation, and others said they didn’t have enough support from administrators to navigate difficult situations with parents or the public.
Inadequate compensation was also a top reason listed.
Many left comments on LinkedIn and Facebook to elaborate. Here’s a sampling.
A combination of many factors
For most, there was no single reason why they decided to leave the profession or are thinking about leaving. Stressors built up over time, becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
I left teaching not because I lacked passion, but because the system demanded more than it was willing to support—unmanageable workload, increasing politics, constant paperwork, and compensation that didn’t match the reality of the job.
What surprised me most was what came next. I moved into federal service in a role that didn’t even require a degree—and earned significantly more with far less stress. I could take a real lunch break. I could step away when needed. My work stayed within my work hours.
That contrast was hard to ignore.
There are incredible educators out there. But we have to be honest about why so many are leaving. I didn’t leave because I didn’t love teaching. I left because the system made it unsustainable.
It’s an exhausting field and I have had 28 years of seeing all of the above. I’m ready to be done.
There is no one answer. It is a combination of many things. All of the above listed contribute to people leaving the profession. If it was just one thing, we could ‘fix’ it.
Teachers are tired
Teaching can be exhausting and stressful, and after many years, some educators simply found their breaking point.
I took early retirement after 25 years of teaching; 23 years were in public education. I truly loved it until the last two years when phones and Chromebooks ruined everything and caused so much stress. I miss it, but not enough to put my health at risk. I have more time with my family and my life is fairly stress-free. I probably added years to my life by retiring early.
Complete and utter exhaustion at the end of every single day. Nothing I did was ever enough. Nothing I ever said to a parent or child was right. You just need to stop being the punching bag. As soon as my state retirement came, I took it. I wish I could have kept going.
Too little time, and too much paperwork
Many commenters said they enjoyed teaching, but were asked to take on too many other tasks. Paperwork took away from time with kids, some said. Others said trying to manage students’ misbehavior took a toll.
If I ever do quit, it’ll be due to the amount of work that is expected of one person. I love the kids and actually teaching them, but every time I turn around there is something else being added to our list! Documentation of basically everything is truly taking a toll on teachers. It has me to the point of asking them to put a camera in my room and watch me teach all day if you need proof of what’s taking place in my classroom!
Lack of consequences, constant disruption, behavior, and apathy.
Lack of respect for the profession (dealing with parents and public perception), administration using up planning time and adding unpaid responsibilities beyond teaching, taking work home with me, managing misbehavior.
