Visualizing Washington's Teacher Workforce
Understanding the trends impacting teacher recruitment and retention
Student Poverty
Understanding teacher recruitment and retention challenges in high-poverty schools
Key Findings
- Many rural school districts in the Olympic Peninsula and central Washington have more than 50 percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
- Fifty-eight public schools and one tribal school participated in the Community Eligibility Provision program, which allows schools or districts with at least 40 percent of students certified for free meals to serve free meals to all students without individually certifying each one in the following school year.
- Districts with higher percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch tend to have higher teacher turnover rates, less experienced teachers, and less additional pay funded by local levies.
The highest concentrations of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch are in rural and suburban areas.
LEGEND: Percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
0–34% | 35–49% | 50–63% | 64–100% | Community Eligibility Provision district
Source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Report Card, 2011/12–2016/17.
Forty-three percent of students in Washington were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2016/17. According to the most recent national data, 52 percent of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2014/15
Regional trends in student poverty in NW Washington state
Rural poverty. Schools in rural areas (including the Olympic Peninsula and south-central, southeast, and northeast Washington) serve communities with economies built on agriculture, natural resources, health care, and local government. Rural areas tend to have higher unemployment and lower labor force participation and incomes than most urban areas in Washington.
LEGEND: Percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in NW Washington state - 2016/17
0–34% | 35–49% | 50–63% | 64–100% | Community Eligibility Provision district
Source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Report Card, 2011/12–2016/17.
Urban and suburban poverty. More than 150,000 students receive free or reduced-price lunch in the Puget Sound Educational Service District. Seattle and its surrounding areas are home to some of the nation’s most diverse communities, owing in part to the area’s technology and aerospace industries, which attract employees from around the globe, and its history of welcoming refugees resettled in Washington. Over 140 languages are spoken in the area’s schools. As housing prices have risen steeply since 2010, low-income families have moved to the suburbs of Seattle, where less infrastructure and fewer services are available to serve more widely dispersed populations.
LEGEND: Percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
0–34% | 35–49% | 50–63% | 64–100% | Community Eligibility Provision district
Source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Report Card, 2011/12–2016/17.
Compared with districts that have low poverty rates, districts with high poverty rates tend to have higher teacher turnover rates, higher percentages of beginning teachers and less additional pay (TRI pay) funded by local levies. Compare patterns in the maps below with the map of the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch above.
Districts with high poverty rates tend to have higher teacher turnover than districts with low poverty rates.
LEGEND: Percentage of teachers who leave teaching in their district
0–34% | 35–49% | 50–63% | 64–100% | Community Eligibility Provision district
Districts with high poverty rates tend to have higher percentages of beginning teachers in their workforce than districts with low poverty rates.
LEGEND: Percentage of beginning teachers
<1% | 1–4.9% | 5–9.9% | >10%
Teachers in districts with high poverty rates tend to earn lower additional pay (TRI pay) than teachers in districts with low poverty rates. This is true for beginning teachers and all teachers.
LEGEND: Additional salary for beginning teachers
<$1,600 | $1,600–$3,499 | $3,500–$5,799 | $5,800–$20,000 | No data available
LEGEND: Average additional salary for all teachers
<$1,600 | $1,600–$3,499 | $3,500–$5,799 | $5,800–$20,000 | No data available
Questions to Consider
What strategies can districts that serve low-income communities use to attract and retain teachers?
What state and local supports are available to educators working in high-poverty districts? Are they effective and sustainable?
Key Findings
- Many rural school districts in the Olympic Peninsula and central Washington have more than 50 percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
- Fifty-eight public schools and one tribal school participated in the Community Eligibility Provision program, which allows schools or districts with at least 40 percent of students certified for free meals to serve free meals to all students without individually certifying each one in the following school year.
- Districts with higher percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch tend to have higher teacher turnover rates, less experienced teachers, and less additional pay funded by local levies.
The highest concentrations of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch are in rural and suburban areas.
LEGEND: Percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
0–34% | 35–49% | 50–63% | 64–100% | Community Eligibility Provision district
Source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Report Card, 2011/12–2016/17.
Forty-three percent of students in Washington were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2016/17. According to the most recent national data, 52 percent of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2014/15
Regional trends in student poverty in NW Washington state
Rural poverty. Schools in rural areas (including the Olympic Peninsula and south-central, southeast, and northeast Washington) serve communities with economies built on agriculture, natural resources, health care, and local government. Rural areas tend to have higher unemployment and lower labor force participation and incomes than most urban areas in Washington.
LEGEND: Percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in NW Washington state - 2016/17
0–34% | 35–49% | 50–63% | 64–100% | Community Eligibility Provision district
Source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Report Card, 2011/12–2016/17.
Urban and suburban poverty. More than 150,000 students receive free or reduced-price lunch in the Puget Sound Educational Service District. Seattle and its surrounding areas are home to some of the nation’s most diverse communities, owing in part to the area’s technology and aerospace industries, which attract employees from around the globe, and its history of welcoming refugees resettled in Washington. Over 140 languages are spoken in the area’s schools. As housing prices have risen steeply since 2010, low-income families have moved to the suburbs of Seattle, where less infrastructure and fewer services are available to serve more widely dispersed populations.
LEGEND: Percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
0–34% | 35–49% | 50–63% | 64–100% | Community Eligibility Provision district
Source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Report Card, 2011/12–2016/17.
Compared with districts that have low poverty rates, districts with high poverty rates tend to have higher teacher turnover rates, higher percentages of beginning teachers and less additional pay (TRI pay) funded by local levies. Compare patterns in the maps below with the map of the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch above.
Districts with high poverty rates tend to have higher teacher turnover than districts with low poverty rates.
LEGEND: Percentage of teachers who leave teaching in their district
0–34% | 35–49% | 50–63% | 64–100% | Community Eligibility Provision district
Districts with high poverty rates tend to have higher percentages of beginning teachers in their workforce than districts with low poverty rates.
LEGEND: Percentage of beginning teachers
<1% | 1–4.9% | 5–9.9% | >10%
Teachers in districts with high poverty rates tend to earn lower additional pay (TRI pay) than teachers in districts with low poverty rates. This is true for beginning teachers and all teachers.
LEGEND: Additional salary for beginning teachers
<$1,600 | $1,600–$3,499 | $3,500–$5,799 | $5,800–$20,000 | No data available
LEGEND: Average additional salary for all teachers
<$1,600 | $1,600–$3,499 | $3,500–$5,799 | $5,800–$20,000 | No data available
Questions to Consider
What strategies can districts that serve low-income communities use to attract and retain teachers?
What state and local supports are available to educators working in high-poverty districts? Are they effective and sustainable?