1 in 8 teaching positions nationwide (411,500+) are either unfilled or filled by someone without full certification — rural schools use out-of-field teachers at 2x the urban rate

As of the 2024-25 school year, at least 411,500 teaching positions across the United States were either completely unfilled or filled by teachers who were not fully certified for their assignments, according to the Learning Policy Institute. That represents approximately 1 in 8 of all teaching positions nationally. In 48 states plus DC, an estimated 365,967 teachers are working without full certification — on emergency credentials, temporary licenses, or teaching subjects outside their training. Rural districts are hit hardest, relying on out-of-field teachers at twice the rate of urban districts: a history major teaching math, a science degree holder running an English class, simply because no qualified candidate applied. The students in these classrooms pay the price. Research consistently shows that teacher certification and subject-matter expertise are among the strongest predictors of student achievement. A student in rural Mississippi whose algebra class is taught by a social studies teacher on an emergency math credential is receiving materially inferior instruction compared to a student in suburban Virginia whose teacher has a math degree and passed the Praxis. This is not a theoretical gap — it shows up in test scores, college readiness rates, and ultimately in lifetime earnings. The students who are already disadvantaged by geography and poverty are the ones most likely to be taught by uncertified or out-of-field teachers, compounding existing inequality. The structural driver is a labor market failure specific to rural areas. Rural districts cannot match suburban salary offers, cannot offer the amenities (housing, restaurants, social life) that attract young professionals, and have lost targeted federal grants designed to recruit teachers to isolated communities. Emergency credentials were designed as a temporary bridge during acute shortages, but since the pandemic, their use has become permanent and expanding — the number of not-fully-certified teachers in some states increased by over 60% between 2020-21 and 2023-24. What was meant to be a stopgap has become the system.