Public School Pre-K Teacher Well-Being, Pay, and Intentions to Leave in 2024 and 2025

• In Event: Building a Sustainable Workforce: Strategies for Improving Compensation and Working Conditions for Early Childhood Educators

Abstract

Introduction

About 60% of public elementary schools have a pre-K classroom and roughly 70,000 pre-K teachers work inside U.S. public schools. Policymakers and education leaders often consider public school-based pre-K teachers part of the early care and education workforce, but they are distinct from teachers who work in other early education settings. For example, they have higher average pay, are required to attain higher degrees, and leave their jobs at lower rates. Public school pre-K teachers are a growing workforce that warrants consideration and research as states seek to make the most of early childhood programs.

Research Questions

1.      What share of public school pre-K teachers experience frequent job-related stress and what are their top sources of stress?

2.      How much are public school pre-K teachers paid, and how many weekly hours do they work?

3.      What share of public school pre-K teachers intend to leave their job? Are intentions to leave related to job-related stress, pay, or hours worked?

4.      How do pre-K teachers’ rates of job-related stress, pay, hours worked, and intentions to leave compare to elementary teachers, K-12 teachers, and similar working adults?

 

Methods

We surveyed 1,368 public school pre-K teachers in March and April 2024 and 2025. Sample was limited to lead or co-lead teachers in general education and special education. Responses were weighted to make them nationally representative of public school pre-K teachers in the United States. We compare pre-K teachers’ responses with those of public K–12 teachers, elementary grade teachers, and similar working adults, surveyed in January and February 2024 and 2025. Surveys were fielded using RAND's American Teacher Panel.

Results

·       In 2024 almost twice as many public school–based pre-K teachers reported frequent job-related stress as did similar working adults. Top sources of job-related stress were managing student behavior, low pay, supporting student mental health and well-being, and administrative work outside of teaching.

·       Public school pre-K teachers reported earning $7,000 less in base pay, on average, than K–12 teachers and $24,000 less than similar working adults. Public school pre-K teachers reported working 47 hours per week, 8 more than the 39 hours per week that they were contracted to work.

·       Eighteen percent of pre-K teachers intended to leave their jobs by the end of the 2023–2024 school year, compared with 22 percent of K–12 teachers and 24 percent of similar working adults.

·       Lower base pay, working more hours per week, and experiencing frequent job-related stress were related to intentions to leave.

 

Discussion

There are inequities in base pay between public school pre-K teachers and elementary teachers despite similar degree qualifications and working similar contracted hours. Pre-K teachers report performing a substantial amount of uncompensated work—1-2 hours per day in a 5 day work week, on average. The relationships among pay, hours worked, job-related stress, and intentions to leave suggest that improving those conditions has the potential to improve pre-K teacher job satisfaction and retention.

Authors

• Anna Shapiro, RAND Corporation
  Presenting Author

• Elizabeth D Steiner, RAND Corporation
  Non-Presenting Co-Author