SC Teacher Departures Fall for Third Year in a Row

South Carolina is making meaningful strides in strengthening its educator workforce. The newly released 2025 Educator Supply and Demand Report shows teacher departures have declined for the third consecutive year under Superintendent Ellen Weaver’s leadership and statewide vacancies have fallen to their lowest level in years.
 
“Teachers are the heartbeat of our schools. When they thrive, students soar. Everything starts with great educators—and that’s why supporting, equipping, and rewarding them remains my top priority,” said State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver. “This year’s Supply and Demand Report proves that our shared efforts are working. Together with the General Assembly and the Governor, we’re delivering meaningful results: strategic pay raises, the Educator Assistance Act, and our Free to Focus initiative are restoring the time, respect, and support teachers deserve. I’m encouraged by this momentum—but we won’t stop until every South Carolina classroom is led by a high-quality educator shaping a child’s future.” 
 
Strengthening Teacher Pay: 
Since 2019, South Carolina has increased starting teacher salaries by 52% and South Carolina salaries are now competitive with the Southeastern average. For the upcoming budget year cycle, Superintendent Weaver is requesting a $2,000 across-the-board increase to the statewide teacher salary schedule. This proposal would increase South Carolina’s starting teacher pay to $50,500 further improving recruitment and retention. 
 
In addition, the SCDE is also working with school districts to expand participation in the Strategic Compensation Pilot program in its second year. This effort rewards excellence and recognizes teachers making an impact. 

Advancing Career Growth: 
Superintendent Weaver will ask the General Assembly to fund a Career Ladder Pilot Program, a key recommendation from her Administration’s START Report. This new program would harness lessons learned from states like North Carolina and Texas to keep our very best teachers in the classroom by creating structured advancement opportunities for high-performing teachers to allow them to grow professionally, lead within their schools, and be compensated accordingly while never leaving the classroom. 
 
Reducing Classroom Distractions: 
According to research from SC-TEACHER, issues with student behavior are among the top contributors to South Carolina teachers leaving the profession. Building on the success of South Carolina’s teacher-driven Free to Focus policy, Superintendent Weaver will also request funding to provide age-appropriate instruction for 3rd to 8th graders and their parents about the brain science behind the damage smartphones, screens, and social media have on mental well-being, relationship development, and grades. This investment is backed by research that shows improved attention and self-regulation correlate with better academic performance, fewer behavioral incidents, and lower absenteeism – all of which support teachers in the classroom. 
 
Looking Ahead: 
While this report offers a valuable snapshot of South Carolina’s teacher workforce at a statewide level, deeper analysis requires district-level detail—data on enrollment trends, educator positions, working-conditions surveys, and subject-, grade-, and geography-specific needs. It’s also worth noting that South Carolina employs more teachers today than ever before, meaning a more nuanced analysis of workforce needs and gaps is required. 

Even with those important qualifiers, the latest Supply & Demand report reinforces what research from SC Teacher and others validates: South Carolina’s multi-pronged educator-support strategy is driving real gains in recruitment and retention. Under Superintendent Weaver’s leadership, the SCDE will continue to champion policies that build on this momentum, elevate the teaching profession, and keep great educators in the classroom where they are needed most.