Why Teachers Leave Over the Summer (and How to Help Them Stay)

Teacher resignations tend to spike during the summer months. And while turnover rates have stabilized somewhat since pandemic-era highs, the pressure on school leaders remains significant. According to RAND’s 2025 State of the American Teacher Survey, 16% of teachers reported intentions to leave their jobs by the end of the school year.

While summer may seem like the obvious time for teachers to leave — contracts end, hiring season ramps up, and schools begin staffing for fall — the deeper question is why summer becomes the moment so many educators decide to step away.

More often, summer becomes the first meaningful opportunity teachers have had in months to step back and fully process the school year they just experienced. It’s when educators finally have the time and distance to ask themselves difficult but important questions:

• Is this pace sustainable?
• Do I feel supported here?
• Can I realistically do this again next year?
• Do I still feel connected to this work?

Summer resignations aren’t a sudden decision, but a delayed one. Understanding that distinction can help school leaders approach teacher retention in a more proactive, supportive, and sustainable way.

Summer Doesn’t Create Burnout — It Reveals It

During the school year, many teachers are moving from one responsibility to the next without pause. They are lesson planning, grading, managing classrooms, supporting students emotionally, communicating with families, attending meetings, adapting instruction, and trying to meet the needs of every learner in front of them.

There’s rarely enough time to stop and evaluate whether the pace feels sustainable long-term.

For many educators, summer becomes the first meaningful pause they have had in months, and that distance brings clarity.

Teachers who spent the school year pushing through exhaustion may finally recognize how depleted they feel. Others may realize they no longer feel connected to their work, supported by leadership, or excited about their future in the profession.

That’s why focusing only on the resignation itself can cause schools to miss the bigger picture.

The resignation may happen in summer, but the underlying causes often develop gradually throughout the year.

Burnout Often Builds Quietly Throughout the Year

Teacher burnout rarely comes from one difficult day or one challenging interaction. More often, it builds gradually over time.

The school year may begin with energy and optimism. Teachers are building relationships, setting routines, and preparing students for success. But as the months continue, responsibilities begin layering on top of one another.

Over time, teachers may find themselves juggling:

• Increasing grading and feedback demands
• Student academic and emotional needs
• Parent communication
• Testing preparation
• Additional meetings and initiatives
• Planning outside contract hours
• The emotional weight of constantly supporting others

Individually, many of these responsibilities may feel manageable. Together, over the course of a year, they can begin to feel relentless.

By spring, many teachers are not reacting to one difficult moment. They are carrying the weight of months of sustained pressure with very little time to recover.

Summer then becomes the moment when they finally have enough distance to evaluate whether the pace feels sustainable long term.

Teachers Need More Than Endurance to Stay

Workload alone is not always what drives teachers to leave.

Many educators stay in demanding roles when they feel supported, connected to purpose, and able to grow professionally. But when teachers begin to feel stagnant — when every year starts to feel like survival instead of progress — disengagement often follows.

That’s one reason summer can become such a pivotal moment.

Once the pace of the school year slows down, teachers are often evaluating whether they still feel energized by their work and whether they can envision a future for themselves within their current school community.

For some educators, reconnecting to purpose may come through leadership opportunities, mentorship, collaboration, or learning new strategies that make the job feel more manageable and rewarding again. Others may simply want to feel challenged, invested, and professionally supported.

When teachers begin to feel stuck, it becomes harder to sustain motivation long-term.

But when educators feel reenergized, supported, and invested in, retention conversations begin to shift.

How School Leaders Can Use Summer to Strengthen Retention

While summer is often associated with turnover, it can also be one of the best opportunities school leaders have to strengthen retention before the next school year begins.

Not because schools can solve every challenge in a single summer, but because summer creates space for reconnection.

By the time a teacher resigns in June, the underlying concerns may have existed for months. That is why proactive support matters before disengagement turns into departure.

Start Conversations Before Burnout Turns into Resignation

For many schools, summer can be an opportunity to:

• Open conversations about workload and support needs
• Help educators feel heard and supported
• Reinforce that teachers are valued beyond classroom performance
• Identify stressors before the new school year begins

Importantly, these efforts do not always need to be large or expensive to make a meaningful difference.

In many cases, teachers simply want to know their concerns are acknowledged, and their leadership team is listening.

Use Summer Learning as a Form of Support

Professional learning can also play an important role during the summer months. Because educators are temporarily removed from the daily demands of the classroom, summer often provides a rare opportunity to focus on practical support and skill-building without the pressure of managing day-to-day instruction.

The most effective opportunities are often the ones that help teachers feel more equipped and energized for the year ahead — not overwhelmed with more requirements.

For many educators, summer learning feels most valuable when it directly helps them:

• Save time
• Improve classroom confidence
• Learn practical strategies
• Feel more prepared heading into fall

Reduce the Small Stressors That Add Up Over Time

Retention is not always about adding more support. Sometimes, it is about reducing the smaller frustrations that slowly wear teachers down over time.

Simplifying processes, streamlining meetings, improving communication, and clarifying expectations can meaningfully improve teachers’ day-to-day experience.

And importantly, school leaders themselves are navigating significant challenges as well. Staffing shortages, budget pressures, student needs, and increasing expectations continue to place enormous demands on leaders across education.

That is why the strongest retention strategies are often rooted in partnership rather than perfection.

The goal is not to create flawless schools. It is to create school environments where educators feel supported enough to continue contributing, growing, and staying.

Help Teachers Start the Next School Year Strong

Use this summer as an opportunity to help your educators reconnect with confidence, support, and practical tools before fall begins.

Moreland University’s Summer Smart Start series offers flexible opportunities designed to support working educators through practical professional development, tuition discounts on certification programs, and career growth webinars.

Explore these free summer opportunities designed to help teachers grow and stay this school year and beyond.