The EdWeek Research Center has developed the Teacher Morale Index, a measure of teachers’ enthusiasm that is based on how educators describe their current morale, how it compares to the previous year, and their expectations for the year ahead.
The index is a key feature of Education Week’s State of Teaching project and provides a year-over-year indicator that can be tracked over time to reveal changes in future years.
The EdWeek Research Center’s Teacher Morale Index national score stands at +13 on a scale of -100 to +100 in 2026, dropping from +18 the year before.
That’s still substantially better than in 2024 when the average score was -13.
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, present, and future status of morale.
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.
Calculating the Teacher Morale Index
Teachers responding to the 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 was assigned a value of -100 points, a neutral response was assigned a value of 0, and a positive response was 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)
How to cite this page
How Has Teacher Morale Changed Over Time? (2026, June 24). Education Week. Retrieved Month Day, Year from https://www.edweek.org/the-state-of-teaching/teaching-learning/how-has-teacher-morale-changed-over-time/2026/06
Data analysis for this article was provided by the EdWeek Research Center. Learn more about the center’s work.