School professionals continue to show up for students every single day, even as the job becomes more demanding. From staffing shortages and growing student needs to burnout and safety concerns, today’s school workforce is navigating a level of pressure that many can no longer ignore.
To better understand what educators and school-based specialists are experiencing right now, Soliant Health surveyed 1,000 school employees across the U.S. about the challenges shaping their work, what matters most in an education role, and what kinds of support would make the biggest difference.
Key Findings
1. Retention Risk is Real
According to the survey, 28.9% of respondents said they’ve considered leaving their role in the past 12 months. That is nearly 3 in 10 school professionals.
- Special education teachers are one of the clearest pressure points: 39.3% said they had considered leaving, the highest among the larger role groups.
- School counselors are also high-risk: 36.2% said they had considered leaving.
- Mid-career looks like the danger zone: among age groups with meaningful bases, 35–44-year-olds were the most likely to say they had considered leaving, at 35.0%. That is almost double the rate among 25–34-year-olds (17.7%).
- Florida is a major state-level alarm bell: among larger state samples, 49.0% of Florida respondents said they had considered leaving in the past year.
Only 1 in 8 respondents says they plan to stay in education until retirement.
- Most respondents are not picturing a lifelong path: while 71.6% say they expect to stay in education for 4–10 years (40.0% for 4–6 years, 31.6% for 7–10 years), only 12.8% say they plan to stay until retirement.
- Among major roles, school nurses show the shortest expected runway: their mean anticipated time remaining in the field is just 4.95 years.
2. Salary is Not the Top Reason People Choose Jobs
The leading job-choice factors were work-life balance (29.4%) and job stability (29.1%), followed by school culture (25.5%) and ability to make a meaningful impact (25.5%). Compensation/salary was lower at 19.7%.
- Nearly 3 in 10 respondents selected work-life balance as one of the most important factors in choosing an education job.
- School professionals were about 50% more likely to prioritize work-life balance than compensation.
- Among respondents ages 45–54, compensation rose to the top factor at 32.8% — compared with just 19.7% overall.
- Among professionals in their first 1–2 years in education, the ability to make a meaningful impact was the single strongest job-choice factor, selected by 38.3%.
3. Burnout is Not Being Driven by One Single Issue
The top six factors are all clustered within about 4 percentage points of each other, suggesting burnout in schools is fueled by a mix of student needs, staffing gaps, safety concerns, and day-to-day sustainability issues.
The top contributors to burnout are student behavioral challenges (23.5%), staffing shortages (20.7%), high caseload/workload (20.4%), safety concerns (20.3%), and work-life imbalance (20.2%).
- 35–44-year-olds show one of the clearest pressure profiles: safety concerns (22.4%), high caseload/workload (21.4%), and work-life imbalance (21.0%).
- 45–54-year-olds stand out for more emotionally heavy burnout drivers. Student behavioral challenges rose to 27.3%, and student mental health needs rose to 22.7%, both above the overall average.
- 25–34-year-olds look a little different: they are more likely to cite compensation concerns (20.9% vs. 17.8% overall) and work-life imbalance (20.9%).
Classroom teachers most strongly point to staffing shortages (24.2%). While student behavioral challenges (27.4%) and high caseload/workload (25.2%) are both notably elevated for special education teachers.
School psychologists also stand out in a big way—they over-index on student behavioral challenges (27.9%), high caseload/workload (25.0%), and student mental health needs (23.5%).
4. School Professionals Are Asking for Structural Support
The top support respondents said would improve their ability to do their job effectively was stronger leadership support, selected by 18.1%.
Following stronger leadership support, the most-selected supports were better mental health resources for students (17.2%), improved safety measures (17.1%), increased compensation (16.5%), and additional staff/support personnel (16.2%).
- Classroom teachers: the clearest support signal is additional staff/support personnel (22.2%), well above the overall 16.2%. They also over-index on greater autonomy (18.5%).
- Special education teachers prioritize better mental health resources for staff (21.5%).
- For school psychologists, better mental health resources for students jumped to 26.5%, far above the overall 17.2%. They also stand out for professional development opportunities (22.1%).
Survey Results
Have you considered leaving your job in the past 12 months?
| Role | Yes | No | N/A / Prefer not to say |
| Speech-language pathologist (SLP) | 58.3% | 41.7% | 0.0% |
| Occupational therapist | 42.9% | 57.1% | 0.0% |
| Special education teacher | 39.3% | 60.0% | 0.7% |
| School counselor | 36.2% | 62.6% | 1.3% |
| Classroom teacher | 27.4% | 72.2% | 0.4% |
| School operations staff | 25.6% | 74.4% | 0.0% |
| School administrator | 23.3% | 76.7% | 0.0% |
| School nurse | 21.0% | 74.8% | 4.2% |
| School psychologist | 20.6% | 76.5% | 2.9% |
| Office staff | 16.7% | 83.3% | 0.0% |
| Physical therapist | 3.1% | 96.9% | 0.0% |
| Behavioral specialist | 0.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% |
What, if anything, is the most important factor when choosing an education job?
| Work-life balance | 29.4% |
| Job stability | 29.1% |
| School culture | 25.5% |
| Ability to make a meaningful impact | 25.5% |
| Strong leadership support | 24.5% |
| Opportunities for professional growth | 21.8% |
| Compensation/salary | 19.7% |
| Location/commute | 17.7% |
| Student population/mission alignment | 15.9% |
| Caseload size/workload | 14% |
| Flexibility (remote or hybrid options) | 13.5% |
What, if anything, contributes most to burnout among educators in your school?
| Student behavioral challenges | 23.5% |
| Staffing shortages | 20.7% |
| Safety concerns | 20.3% |
| High caseload or workload | 20.4% |
| Student mental health needs | 19.8% |
| Work-life imbalance | 20.2% |
| Long hours beyond contract time | 18.2% |
| Administrative demands/paperwork | 18.2% |
| Compensation concerns | 17.8% |
| Lack of administrative support | 15.6% |
| Emotional strain of supporting students | 16.5% |
| Public perception/lack of respect for educators | 13.8% |
| Unsure | 0.2% |
What, if any, type of support would most improve your ability to do your job effectively?
| Stronger leadership support | 18.1% |
| Improved safety measures | 17.1% |
| Better mental health resources for students | 17.2% |
| Additional staff/support personnel | 16.2% |
| Better mental health resources for staff | 16.1% |
| Increased compensation | 16.5% |
| Greater autonomy in my role | 15.5% |
| Better benefits (healthcare, retirement, PTO) | 14.8% |
| Protected planning time | 15.2% |
| Professional development opportunities | 14.1% |
| Improved educator voice in district decisions | 14.9% |
| Smaller class sizes or caseloads | 14.1% |
| Updated materials and classroom resources | 13.7% |
| Access to telehealth/remote service delivery | 12.5% |
| Reduced administrative workload | 12.5% |
| N/A | 0.3% |
Generational Profiles
Gen Z: Purpose-driven, but looking for support they can count on
The youngest school professionals in the survey appear highly motivated by purpose, culture, and the overall feel of the workplace, but they are also looking closely at whether the job feels sustainable.
- In the 18–24 group, work-life balance, strong leadership support, and student population/mission alignment are the top job factors.
- In the broader 25–34 segment, which includes both younger Millennials and older Gen Z professionals, the top job priorities were job stability (28.7%), the ability to make a meaningful impact (28.4%), and school culture (28.0%).
- At the same time, younger professionals are clearly feeling pressure. Among 25–34-year-olds, the leading burnout drivers were staffing shortages (21.3%), work-life imbalance (20.9%), and compensation concerns (20.9%).
- The support they most want reflects a desire for day-to-day stability and protection: improved safety measures (18.5%), better mental health resources for staff (18.1%), and increased compensation (17.3%).
Altogether, Gen Z appears to be entering the profession with strong values, but also with a clear expectation that schools should provide the support needed to make the work sustainable.
Millennials: Deeply committed, but under the most pressure
Millennials appear to be one of the most strained generations in the survey. The clearest signal comes from respondents ages 35–44, who were the most likely among the major age groups to say they had considered leaving their role in the past 12 months, at 35.0%.
- Their top job priority was work-life balance (31.1%), suggesting that long-term sustainability may be becoming a deciding factor for professionals in this stage of their careers.
- Their burnout profile reinforces that story: Among 35–44-year-olds, the top contributors to burnout were student behavioral challenges (22.6%), safety concerns (22.4%), and high caseload/workload (21.4%).
- When asked what would most improve their ability to do their job effectively, this group most often selected stronger leadership support (19.4%), better mental health resources for students (18.5%), and greater autonomy in their role (16.7%).
Taken together, Millennials look like a generation that still cares deeply about the work, but is increasingly stretched by rising student needs, growing demands, and the pressure of trying to sustain it all.
Gen X: Focused on fairness, support, and making the work worth staying in
For Gen X professionals, the survey suggests a stronger focus on practical conditions, stability, and whether the role is being supported in a meaningful way.
Among respondents ages 45–54, compensation/salary rose to the top job-choice factor at 32.8%, well above the overall average of 19.7%. Job stability (31.3%) and work-life balance (28.9%) also ranked highly, pointing to a generation that is weighing not just purpose, but whether the role still feels viable and worthwhile.
- The leading drivers of burnout among 45–54-year-olds were student behavioral challenges (27.3%), student mental health needs (22.7%), and long hours beyond contract time (20.3%).
- In terms of support, the biggest needs were increased compensation (20.3%), improved safety measures (19.5%), and additional staff/support personnel (18.8%).
Baby Boomers: Still mission-driven, but asking for more manageable conditions
This older group appears especially values-driven, with the ability to make a meaningful impact a top job-choice factor. At the same time, this group reported some of the most intense burnout signals in the dataset.
- Student behavioral challenges reached 60.0%, and 35.0% selected high caseload/workload.
- When asked what would help most, 45.0% said smaller class sizes or caseloads.
While this age band should be interpreted directionally, the findings suggest older school professionals remain deeply committed to the purpose of the work, but want conditions that make it more realistic to continue.
State-Level Findings
- Florida: With nearly half of respondents in Florida (49.0%) saying they had considered leaving, top burnout factors included safety concerns (26.5%) and high caseload or workload (18.6%). Top support asks included additional staff/support personnel (18.6%), followed by stronger leadership support (17.6%) and protected planning time (17.6%).
- Texas: Respondents most often cited staffing shortages (28.4%) and work-life imbalance (28.4%) as drivers of burnout, while improved safety measures (31.3%) and better mental health resources for students (22.4%) were the top support choices.
- California: Leading issues were student behavioral challenges (27.9%) and compensation concerns (27.2%), while the top support requests were better mental health resources for students (22.8%), protected planning time (19.9%), and greater autonomy (19.1%).
- Georgia: While more stable than many states—with one of the lowest leave rates (15.9%) and highest “stay until retirement” rate among the larger states (29.5%)—Georgia is still overloaded operationally. The top burnout issue is administrative demands/paperwork (27.3%) and top support asks are split evenly across additional staff, smaller classes/caseloads, and reduced administrative workload at 22.7% each.
- Ohio and Connecticut: In Ohio, the top support request was improved educator voice in district decisions (32.4%). In Connecticut, that was also the leading support theme (25.0%). That suggests participation in decision-making may be a more important lever in some markets than is often assumed.
Among the stronger state samples, the highest rates of respondents saying they had considered leaving their role in the past year were:
- Delaware — 57.6%
- Colorado — 52.1%
- Florida — 49.0%
- Arizona — 45.7%
- Connecticut — 43.8%
The lowest rates were seen in:
- Ohio — 14.7%
- Georgia — 15.9%
- New York — 19.0%
- Illinois — 19.4%
- Texas — 22.4%
- California — 22.8%
What This Means for Schools and District Leaders
The findings point to a clear conclusion: addressing school workforce challenges in 2026 will require more than simply filling vacancies. Professionals are describing an environment where:
- Student needs are growing more complex
- Staffing shortages are intensifying daily strain
- Safety concerns are affecting morale and sustainability
- Leadership and operational support can meaningfully shape whether employees stay
That means the most effective workforce strategies are likely to be the ones that combine staffing solutions with real on-the-ground support. Hiring matters, but so do caseload relief, mental health resources, safer school environments, better leadership support, and more realistic day-to-day expectations.
The Path Forward
Behind every staffing challenge is a student who needs support and a school professional doing their best to meet that need. Soliant partners with districts nationwide to help fill critical staffing gaps with qualified school-based professionals, so students get the services they need and educators get the support they deserve.
Learn more about Soliant’s trusted staffing solutions today and start building stronger, more sustainable teams that students rely on most.
Methodology
This report is based on survey data collected by Opinion Matters between March 13 and March 24, 2026, among 1,000 school employees across the U.S., specifically those in instructional, support, and therapy-related roles age 18+.
The survey explored:
- The factors school professionals value most when choosing an education job
- Whether they have considered leaving their role in the past 12 months
- How long they anticipate staying in the education field
- What contributes most to burnout in their school
- What types of support would most improve their ability to do their job effectively
Some questions allowed respondents to select up to three answers, so totals in those sections exceed 100%. State and role findings should be interpreted directionally, especially where subgroup sample sizes are smaller. In this report, the strongest subgroup comparisons are based primarily on the largest age, role, and state segments.