Nearly One in Five Memphis-Shelby County Schools Educators Resigned in 2024

Almost one in five Memphis-Shelby County Schools educators resigned in 2024, nearly double the statewide average of about 12 percent. Turnover is especially high at some of the district's lowest-performing schools, creating another problem for MSCS as it deals with hundreds of teacher vacancies, declining enrollment, and a pending state intervention.

Teacher turnover looks starkly different from school to school in Memphis. Mt. Pisgah Middle/High School lost about two-thirds of its teachers during the 2024-2025 school year, according to state data that Chalkbeat reviewed. The school is also one of 14 MSCS campuses facing increased intervention after repeatedly struggling under Tennessee's school accountability system. Meanwhile, Middle College High School, which received the state's highest rating that year, did not lose any teachers.

MSCS does not conduct exit interviews with teachers who resign, so the district does not regularly collect information that could help answer why so many teachers are leaving. In an August survey, only 35 percent of school leaders said every teaching position was filled and ready for the first day of school, down from 41 percent the year before. Earlier this year, 230 vacant teaching positions had no pending job offers.