Pennsylvania’s Teacher Shortage: A Challenge That Opens Doors for New Educators
Published: | by Alex Skov
For anyone considering a move into education, Pennsylvania’s teacher shortage is an opportunity to do fulfilling work while helping shape the state’s students. Districts are actively looking for people ready to step into classrooms and support learning in communities across the Commonwealth.
Keep reading to learn why the shortage exists, where demand is highest, and what you can do to launch your career as a teacher in Pennsylvania.
About the Shortage
Statewide Statistics
Roughly 7,200 teachers, or 6% of the state’s teaching workforce, left the profession entirely between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Educator Workforce Report. The report also notes between 6,000 and 6,500 new teachers enter the state’s workforce through traditional preparation programs each year. Since the pipeline isn’t replacing the number of educators who are exiting, there are hundreds of teaching vacancies each year.
Subject Areas Most Affected
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Pennsylvania’s teacher shortage is having the most impact on the following subjects:
- Science
- Math
- Special Education
- Elementary Education
- Health and Physical Fitness
With a lack of qualified candidates, schools leaned on 28,378 emergency permits in 2023-24 alone, as noted in the state’s workforce report. These kinds of solutions are only temporary, however, as putting uncertified or provisionally trained staff in front of students is not a long-term plan for success.
School Level Differences
The shortage doesn’t hit every school the same way, though there are some shared trends. Middle schools and high schools were most affected by a shortage of STEM teachers while Pennsylvania’s special education, health, and physical fitness classrooms from pre-K through high school were uniformly understaffed during the 2025-2026 academic year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Why the Shortage Exists
Low Pay & Benefits Compared to Cost of Living
Pennsylvania’s average teacher salary was $79,078 in 2024-25, with typical pay for new teachers around $51,814, per the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA). These figures have failed to keep up with inflation over the past 30 years, with both numbers 12-16% lower than inflation-adjusted teacher salaries from the 1995-1996 school year.
There are also geographic differences. Rural Pennsylvania teachers earn about $5,000 less on average than their urban counterparts, even after adjusting for local pay among other college-educated workers. While urban districts can pay more, the cost of living is often higher than in rural areas, which offsets some of the difference.
Teacher Retention Issues
A staffing report by PA Needs Teachers revealed a U-shaped curve showing teachers are most likely to leave the profession early or late in their careers, often due to insufficient preparation and support and stagnant pay. These factors all tend to lead to burnout among educators, too, which compounds problems in already-understaffed schools where remaining teachers are taking on extra work left by unfilled positions.
Certification and Pipeline Constraints
Because the traditional teacher pipeline isn’t keeping up with the state’s teacher attrition rate, data from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania showed 7.3% of teachers in urban districts and 4.4% in rural districts were employed under emergency permits in 2024.
The underlying problem is there aren’t enough candidates earning teacher certification fast enough, but Pennsylvania has started addressing this issue directly (more on that below).
Impact on Students and Schools
Larger Class Sizes
When a teaching position goes unfilled, the students don’t disappear — they get folded into other classrooms. This leaves students who may need more supportive and tailored differentiation at a disadvantage since they’re likely to receive less one-on-one attention. Similarly, students who are outpacing their coursework may be left coasting when teachers don’t have the time or energy to create resources to challenge them.
Changing School Culture
Frequent turnover affects a school’s culture as much as its staffing chart. If a system treats teachers “like widgets or cogs in a big machine,” as Philadelphia teacher Trey Smith put it, new hires don’t get the mentorship that helps them grow and stick around. In addition to risking turnover, this means not maximizing the talent that’s already on staff. Plus, it leaves students to cycle through a roster of sometimes unfamiliar teachers as stopgaps get put in place.
What Pennsylvania is Doing to Address the Shortage
State Policies & Funding Initiatives
Enacted in summer 2022, Pennsylvania’s Educator Workforce Strategy is addressing several factors of the teacher shortage at once:
- Certification processing times are down by more than 10 weeks.
- Intern certificates (which let candidates teach while finishing their certification) are now free as an alternative to emergency permits.
- The state launched a teacher apprenticeship program with a $7.76 million investment, as well as an Accelerated Special Education Teacher Certification Program.
- A new support program has already provided stipends to over 2,000 student-teachers in 2025.
Recruitment Resources
In 2025, the state relaunched its Teach in PA website as an interactive tool to make it easier to learn how to become a teacher in Pennsylvania. By answering a few questions about your degree and certification status, it routes you to a certification pathway that may be a fit for your needs. The site also includes a statewide job board searchable by school and location.
Pathways to the Classroom in Pennsylvania
Apprenticeships and Fast-Tracks
The Certified Teacher Registered Apprenticeship (CTRA) program mentioned above pairs paid, on-the-job classroom training under a mentor teacher with coursework and a progressive wage schedule. There are defined tracks for aspiring teachers who don’t have a bachelor’s degree yet and for those who already have one and just need certification. Both cover elementary, secondary, special education, and career and technical education specializations.
Alternative Certification Options like Moreland University
If you already hold a bachelor’s degree and don’t need the apprenticeship structure, Moreland University’s TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program can help you get certified to teach in Pennsylvania in as little as 9 months, entirely online. It’s built to give you a faster, more flexible route to the classroom than a traditional program. For more details, check out our Pennsylvania teacher certification page and How To Get Your Pennsylvania Teacher Certification.
FAQ
What is the fastest way to become a teacher in Pennsylvania?
For career changers who already have a bachelor’s degree, an alternative certification program like Moreland’s 9-month TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program is an accelerated route to the classroom. If you don’t have a degree yet, the CTRA apprenticeship program lets you earn a paycheck while you work toward one.
How can I find support or mentorship as a new Pennsylvania teacher?
Mentorship is built into apprenticeship pathways like CTRA, and the state’s push toward “strategic staffing” and team-based classrooms is aimed to bridge this exact gap. It’s worth asking about mentorship structure directly when you interview with a district or discussing options available to you with your HR department.
Are there grants or scholarships to become a teacher in Pennsylvania?
Yes. The Pennsylvania Department of Education provides special grant funding to some colleges and universities to help fast-track teacher needs in certain subject areas, which can lower program costs for candidates. Student-teachers may also be eligible for stipend support, and CTRA apprentices earn wages throughout their training.
Can out-of-state teachers easily get certified in Pennsylvania?
Yes, and it’s getting easier. Pennsylvania joined the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact in 2026, streamlining the PA certification process for educators already licensed in any of the 14 other member states. Aspiring teachers coming from non-member states can still get certified in Pennsylvania by completing an EPP like the 9-month TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program and using the state’s Education Preparation Program Verification Form. For more information, check out our Pennsylvania teacher certification page and How To Get Your Pennsylvania Teacher Certification.
Ready to earn your Pennsylvania teaching certification?
Moreland University’s TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program is a great option for teacher certification. It can be completed in as little as 9 months, 100% online. Because TEACH-NOW is an out-of-state program in Pennsylvania, you would use the state’s Education Preparation Program Verification Form.
You can apply for free in about 15 minutes and hear back within 2 business days.
Questions? Join an upcoming information session.
