Staff Report

Most people know that public school teachers don’t pursue their profession for the money. Education jobs, year after year, have been listed as some of the lowest paying jobs in the U.S. that require a bachelor’s degree.

With various laws, including the “No Child Left Behind”, teachers deal with more and more regulations, trying to achieve better student performance.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about a fifth of all newly minted public-school teachers leave their position before the end of their first year – nearly half of them never last more than five.

But the difference between the states is substantial, according to a recent report from WalletHub. Texas ranks eighth overall, coming in first in ‘Job Opportunity & Competition”  and 28th in ‘Academic & Work Environment.’

The states with the fewest teachers per student by 2022: Nevada 1st, Arizona 2nd, Alaska 3rd, California 4th and Idaho 5th.

The top five states that spend the most per student, in order are: Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Alaska and Rhode Island. The lowest five in per student spending are (ranking 47-51, as Washington D.C. is included in this study) North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, Arizona and Indiana.

What are the best and worst school systems rankings?

Top five are Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Bottom five are District of Columbia, Arizona, Alaska, New Mexico and Louisiana.

So how did Texas come out on top in Job Opportunity and Competition?

The education experts looked at average starting salary for teachers, median annual salary for teachers, teachers’ income growth potentital, average teacher pensions, projected teacher demand, public school enrollment growth and 10-year change in teacher salaries.

For an in-depth look at what experts say about public education and teachers today, go to: wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-teachers.