Teacher morale varies widely from state to state, with educators in Arkansas having the highest level of job satisfaction, and their classroom counterparts in Pennsylvania having the lowest.
That’s one of the key findings from the EdWeek Research Center’s extensive survey, part of our 2026 State of Teaching project. This year, we also have new state-by-state data about some of the key factors that influence morale, including teachers’ perceptions of the salary, other income they receive, their perception of student behavior, and their sense of how teaching is perceived generally and in their own communities.
Dig in!
Morale is slightly lower than last year; states show a range
Let’s begin with our big one: teacher morale. The EdWeek Research Center measures job satisfaction on the Teacher Morale Index, a consistent year-over-year gauge on how teachers view the profession.
In 2026, the national Teacher Morale Index stood at +13 on a scale of -100 to +100, suggesting that teachers, overall, view their jobs more positively than negatively. That is a slight decline from last year’s score of +18.
State-level results on the index are reported on ranges, or 95% confidence intervals, which provide a more accurate view of the level of precision for each estimate. When the confidence intervals of two or more states overlap, we cannot be certain that morale in one state is higher or lower than morale in another. Please use caution in making comparisons.
Scores were highest in Arkansas, where they ranged from +18 to +30 with an estimate of 24. Pennsylvania’s score—between -5 and +8 with an estimate of +1—was lowest.
For technical reasons, 2026 national results can be validly compared to 2025, but state results cannot be.
For details on how the index works, skip to the end of this article.
What are teachers’ expectations for salaries, class sizes, and more?
Salary is one major factor long linked to teacher morale. So for a deeper look, the EdWeek Research Center asked about factors other than salary that teachers thought would improve their morale. Some of these, like smaller classes size, show more variation among the states than others, likely a factor of different local contexts and policies. Two that teachers consistently selected across states as more likely to help them are more planning time and changes to student discipline.
Because teachers’ salary expectations are often relational—in other words, held in comparison to what friends and family members make—we also asked about that comparison. Most teachers did not feel that that their salaries stacked up to their peers.
And most teachers reported earning money outside of teaching, with the U.S. average at about $4,500, though the variation across states was often significant.
Teachers see student behavior as a significant problem
EdWeek journalists have consistently heard anecdotes about problems with student behavior and engagement, so for this year’s survey, we crafted a few questions about how those conditions have changed. Across the states, a minority of teachers thought student behavior had stayed the same or improved over the past year; in fact, no state broke the 50 percent mark, and in most states just around a third of teachers agreed.
Although there was some state variation, a majority of teachers favored several approaches to improve student behavior: smaller classes, limiting parent interference in discipline, limiting students’ access to phones, and instruction for parents on teaching children how to behave in ways that are appropriate for school.
Teachers share views of how the profession is seen—and their own career plans
Teachers’ experience in the profession is shaped by their local communities and by national discourse around teaching. Most feel that, on a 0-to-10 scale, the American public has a fairly negative view of the teachers, while they feel their local communities are lukewarm.
As for their own careers, nearly half of all U.S. teachers say they expect at some point to work in a field other than education.
About the Teacher Morale Index
The Teacher Morale Index, developed by the EdWeek Research Center, measures teachers’ views of their jobs using three survey questions about the past, current, and future status of morale. A total of 5,802 teachers responded to the nationally representative online survey, which included a total of 30 questions about the profession.
The Index provides a panoramic view of teachers’ prior, present, and predicted perceptions of their workplace conditions. The Index is scored on a scale of -100 to +100, with negative scores indicating lower morale and positive scores indicating higher morale.
Results can be tracked over time and reported by subgroup—such as locale or years of teaching experience.
Calculating the Teacher Morale Index
Teachers responding to the 2026 State of Teaching Survey were asked to select one of three answer options in response to each of the three questions listed below. A negative response assigned a value of -100 points, a neutral response assigned a value of 0, and a positive response assigned a value of +100.
Points for each of the three survey questions were averaged for each respondent to generate a score ranging from -100 to +100.
1. Compared to one year ago, my morale at work right now is
- Worse (-100 points)
- The same (0 points)
- Better (+100 points)
2. Right now, my morale at work is:
- Mostly bad (-100 points)
- Equally good and bad (0 points)
- Mostly good (+100 points)
3. One year from now, I expect my morale at work will be:
- Worse (-100 points)
- The same (0 points)
- Better (+100 points)
