From the brief: In this research brief, we present up-to-date data on teacher and principal attrition from North Carolina public schools (NCPS) from the 2020–21 and 2021–22 school years. In particular, we track attrition rates over time, compare attrition rates before and after the onset of the pandemic, assess how educator and school characteristics are related to changes in attrition rates, and examine how changes in attrition may influence teacher and principal hiring. We find that:

(1) After decreases in attrition during the first year of the pandemic, teacher and principal attrition increased in the second year. This result is consistent with studies in other states and districts showing increases in teacher attrition in the most recent school year.

(2) Increases in attrition were generally larger for novice teachers, teachers of color, and educators with higher levels of prior performance.

(3) Gaps in teacher attrition have narrowed between schools educating many versus few low-income students and students of color.

(4) North Carolina had more newly hired and first-time teachers and principals at the start of the 2021–22 school year than at almost any point over the last five years. This brief can inform practitioners and policymakers making decisions about school staffing and motivate on-going analyses to more fully assess resources and practices for supporting educator retention.