Educator Preparation Report Card Shows Continued Growth in Teacher Workforce and Retention

Nashville, TN – Today, the State Board of Education released its annual Educator Preparation Report Card, a tool that evaluates educator preparation providers (EPPs) in Tennessee. The 2025 Report Card highlights continued growth in Tennessee’s educator preparation programs, with a second consecutive year of growth in the number of teacher candidates, continued increase in early-career retention rates, and increased preparation in high-demand subject areas critical to meeting workforce needs across the state.

“This year’s Report Card reflects the continued progress Tennessee is making to grow and support its educator workforce,” said Dr. Sara Morrison, executive director of the State Board of Education. “Together, our educator preparation providers, districts, and state partners are working to ensure a well-prepared educator leads every classroom.”

Key Outcomes

• Fifteen EPPs earned the highest possible overall rating on the Report Card, “Exceeds Expectations.”
• 2,966 teachers completed a Tennessee educator preparation program or enrolled in a job-embedded program during the 2023-24 school year, compared to 2,893 in 2022-23. This is the second year in a row that the number of teacher candidates has increased.
• The two-year retention rate for new teachers increased from 93.7% to 94.2%, and the three-year retention rate increased from 82.6% to 85.1%.
• The Report Card highlights EPPs that are preparing candidates to teach in high-demand subject areas such as special education, English as a second language (ESL), science, and math. This year, the list of high-demand areas was expanded to include early childhood education and world languages. On the 2025 Report Card, 39% of teachers earned an endorsement in at least one high-demand subject area.

Certain metrics in the Report Card, such as performance on licensure examinations and measures of teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom, are mandated by state law. Other metrics, such as the percentage of candidates earning endorsements in high-demand fields, are included on the Report Card as key priorities highlighted by the State Board.

“We are excited to see that the data shows continued growth in the number of individuals entering the teaching profession in Tennessee and strong early-career retention,” said Dr. Erika Leicht, director of research for the State Board of Education and the Educator Preparation Report Card project manager.

To view the Educator Preparation Report Card, visit https://www.tn.gov/sbe/ed-prep.html. Additional information and archives of previous editions of the Report Card are available on the State Board of Education website at http://www.tn.gov/sbe.