New Hampshire’s Educator Workforce Faces Growing Recruitment, Retirement, and Affordability Pressures

KEY POINTS

• Public school teacher staffing fell 5.7% between the 2015-2016 and 2025-2026 school years.

• Workers ages 55 and older held 33.7% of elementary and secondary school jobs in 2025, compared to 22.1% in 2004.

• New Hampshire Employment Security projects 1,114 annual openings for the kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teaching occupations from 2024-2034.

• Education bachelor’s degree completions at New Hampshire institutions dropped by half between 2015 and 2025.

• The 12-month average of teacher job postings rose 82% between …