Mayor Bowser Announces DC Teacher Retention Rate Reaches Five-Year High, Principal Retention Rate Continues to Rise

(Washington, DC)- Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) announced that teacher retention in DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools reached a five-year high in school year 2025-26, while the District's principal retention rate also continued to rise. District schools are also retaining more experienced and effective educators, ensuring greater consistency and stability in DC classrooms and giving students even more opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed.

"We have fantastic facilities, we have fantastic programming, but we know the best part of our schools are the people," said Mayor Bowser. "Nearly 20 years ago, DC residents and taxpayers committed to making significant investments in our public schools. Those investments have allowed us to attract and retain world-class teachers, and we are grateful for the adults in our schools who love and challenge our children every day."

As of the current school year (SY2025-26), 78% of teachers remained in the same school and role as the school year prior-an increase of 2 percentage points compared to SY2024-25, and of 4 percentage points from SY2021-22. A total of 86% percent of teachers continued working at any school in DC.

The District's SY2025-26 teacher retention rate marks a high point in citywide trends over the last five school years. In the 2021-22 school year, 74% of teachers remained teaching in the same school as the prior school year, and 85% of teachers remained teaching in DC's public education system. Over the last six years, DC has consistently retained teachers in the DC school system at rates of 80% or higher.

DC is also successfully retaining more effective and experienced educators. Of the teachers retained this school year, 94% of DCPS teachers and 88% of public charter school teachers were rated effective or highly effective by their schools during the prior school year. And 83% of teachers with more than 10 years of overall teaching experience remained in the same school in SY2025-26, as did 77% of teachers with 6-10 years of experience, 72% with 2-5, and 69% of novice teachers.

Principal retention rates are also trending upward. In the transition from SY2024-25 to SY2025-26, DCPS and public charter schools retained 81% of all principals at the same school, an increase from the previous school year's retention rate of 78%.

"This school year's strong retention numbers reflect the intentional investments Mayor Bowser has made - from increasing compensation and expanding professional development, to strengthening school-based supports and improving working conditions," said State Superintendent Dr. Antoinette S. Mitchell. "These investments are paying off, thanks to talented staff at our local education agencies and OSSE."

OSSE annually publishes a statewide teacher and principal retention brief to inform the public about staffing trends at DCPS and public charter schools. The data is based on the OSSE Faculty and Staff Data Collection that OSSE conducts each school year in the fall (September through November) to provide a snapshot of the DC educator workforce.

For more information on teacher and principal retention in the District, visit here.

Under Mayor Bowser's leadership, DC's teacher pay has become among the highest in the nation, and since becoming Mayor, she has successfully executed three teacher contracts. Public school teachers at DCPS and charters earn over $100,000 on average, far outpacing their peers nationwide. And following a 12% increase in teacher pay across sectors in Fiscal Year 2024, Mayor Bowser has continued to increase the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula, providing Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with funds that may be allocated to maintain DC's high starting salary. And the Mayor also allocated funds for the Charter Teacher Pay initiative to help charter LEAs increase the compensation of public charter school educators.

These investments have helped improve student outcomes across DC. The District's 2025 DC CAPE statewide assessment results showed the largest increase in proficiency rates made since the pandemic-an increase of 3.6 percentage points from the prior year in both in English language arts and math. And the Mayor's FY26 Budget included another $270 million to support pay increases for DCPS and public charter school teachers, as well as $2.8 billion through the District's per-student funding formula; full funding for core childcare programs, including $85 million for the Child Care Subsidy Program, $72 million for the Pay Equity Fund, and $19.5 million for the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Program (PKEEP); and over $2 billion in major capital investments in schools.

The Bowser Administration is also continuing to invest in pathways to teaching for those looking to start or grow a career in education. The OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching is a one-to-four-year, cost-free pathway that blends 2,000+ hours of paid, on-the-job learning with related coursework, allowing participants to earn a tuition-free bachelor's degree and an OSSE standard teaching credential in elementary, early childhood, or special education. Currently, 69 DC paraprofessionals are earning bachelor's degrees in these specializations at no cost while continuing their paid positions within their respective schools. And the DC Leading Educators Toward Advanced Degrees (DC LEAD) Grant provides scholarships and incentives for DC child care educators to earn associate or bachelor's degrees in early childhood education, offering further support to education professionals looking to grow their career.

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