Reconsidering the Faculty Hiring Crisis: Why Schools Need a Disciplined Approach to Recruitment & Retention

With demand for classical education on the rise, questions of supply have never been more pressing. Sourcing enough high-quality teachers is chief among these concerns, and it’s easy to understand why: the classical model requires that faculty embrace a content rich, time-tested curriculum, practice unique pedagogies, uphold traditional moral frameworks, and foster a love of the transcendentals—qualities that seem in short supply. In fact, the pervading sentiment among leaders in the classical school movement is there aren’t enough men and women either capable of or willing to meet the growing demand for classical classrooms. Yet a closer look at national labor data suggests this concern is overblown. Simply put, the number of new teachers classical schools must recruit—even if the movement were to double in size—is minuscule compared to the vast pool of prospective candidates.

To grasp just how plentiful the talent pool is for classical education, we first should clarify the numbers involved. If we assume a student-to-teacher ratio of 15:1, then at present there are around 28,000 teachers serving approximately 420,000 students in roughly 1,550 brick-and-mortar classical schools across the United States. If the number of classical schools were to double over the next ten years (and it would be a glorious miracle if it did), that would bring the total classical teacher count to roughly 56,000.

Of course, the additional hiring need is not just about adding 28,000 new teachers. We also must account for teacher attrition. Together, K–12 public and private school teacher attrition rates average 10%, so a total of 40,600 teachers would need to be hired over the course of the decade to replace those lost through attrition. If we add the 28,000 teachers needed to double the current total to the 40,600 total lost through attrition, we arrive at a total of 68,600 teachers over the course of ten years. Spread out evenly, that comes to 6,860 new hires each year. Again, this assumes the movement doubles in the next decade while maintaining a 15:1 student-to-teacher ratio. While these figures may look daunting to some, they represent a surprisingly small fraction of the potential labor market when viewed across several key groups.

Let’s imagine a recruitment strategy drawing 50% from mid-career professionals in the general workforce, 30% from new college graduates, and 20% from current teachers in other schools. Translated into numbers:

• General Workforce (50%): ~3,430 hires per year
• New Graduates (30%): ~2,058 hires per year
• Current Teachers (20%): ~1,372 hires per year

Even these four-figure totals, repeated annually, look manageable once you compare them to the vast pools from which they can be drawn.

Consider first that there are 180 million adults in the United States between the ages of 23 and 65. Attracting ~3,500 of them each year—professionals looking for a career pivot or mission-driven work—amounts to only 0.0019% of that entire population. In simpler terms, that’s about one in every 51,428 working-age adults.

Next, look at the roughly two million new college graduates entering the labor force annually. Classical schools need around 2,000 of these new grads each year to fill their portion of the hiring gap, which is about 0.1% of the annual cohort. Put differently, that’s around one for every 1,000 new graduates across all majors and institutions in the country.

Finally, we see a need for about 1,400 teachers each year from the existing pool of around 3.7 million K–12 teachers nationwide. That’s about 0.038% of that group. In other words, if even one out of every 2,643 teachers at other institutions switches to a classical school each year, that segment of the workforce would meet the movement’s recruitment goals—again, a vanishingly small fraction.

When we consider the math, it becomes evident that the labor market is more than sufficient for the classical school movement to double. The percentages it needs to draw from each of these major talent pools—mid-career professionals, new graduates, and current teachers—are extremely modest. Even with the constraints of cultural alignment added to the equation, the predominant scarcity mindset struggles to look rational. Yet, the refrain “teacher shortage” can be heard from leaders across the movement. This sentiment stems from how difficult many school leaders find their current state of recruitment and retention to be. Most find themselves consistently struggling to draw high quality applicants to their open positions and, as a result, cannot fathom suffering even further strain on what already feels to be a shallow talent pool. The question we must ask is are these hiring woes the result of market realities outside of our control, or are they indicative of some internal weakness?

Most have blindly assumed the former. Most leaders are focused on excuses, tending to see difficulties in recruiting faculty as almost always external (a threat) to the school itself: “We are underfunded.” “The private sector will always be more attractive.” “People just don’t want to teach anymore.” Rarely, if ever, is there an examination of what the schools themselves (a weakness) are doing—or not doing—that leads to recruitment and retention difficulties. The truth is, many of the staffing challenges schools face are self-imposed and often the result of undisciplined practices that fail to foster a high-functioning talent ecosystem. If schools are to be successful in solving their talent puzzles, they must begin by building a sustainable, thoughtful approach to hiring and retention, emphasizing discipline in all phases of talent management.

Clarity in Mission, Expectations, & Roles

It starts at the top. It starts with clarity. Leadership teams need to be able to articulate clearly how their core mission, approach, and culture distinguish them from the surrounding school landscape. And if it is something like, “Cultivating lifelong learners,” or, “Classical Education for the 21^st Century” it’s not doing the trick. Banal, vacuous taglines do not inspire. They do not tell us anything about what the school is really up to or, most importantly, what it loves. If a school cannot distinguish itself, it shouldn’t be surprised if it struggles to attract distinguished talent.

Hiring teams also need to be able to lay out in plain and measurable terms what is required in each of the roles they are hiring for. Hiring teams should create ideal candidate profiles, where they clearly identify the non-negotiable character traits and content knowledge necessary for being considered for employment and where they are willing to make compromises. Lack of clarity in these things leads to more downstream regret among both admin and faculty than nearly anything else. Schools that are clear on what the school stands for, why the work matters, and how colleagues are expected to contribute are more likely to attract, motivate, and retain their best talent.

Disciplined Talent Sourcing & Attracting

Most schools have no real plan when it comes to finding and attracting talent. Most post; a few pray; almost nobody engages in an intentional, disciplined, high-touch approach to seeking and attracting the essential element of the school’s promise to parents. Why? Leaders will offer many excuses: “There isn’t time.” “There isn’t the budget.” “People don’t want to teach anymore.” “Our school is too small to compete”, and on and on. In reality, there is always time to do the most necessary things. It doesn’t cost that much, and the talent pools are abundant, but you have to know where to look and how to engage them.

Effective sourcing requires schools to proactively engage beyond the post-and-pray strategy. Sourcing talent is all about relationships. Begin by building relationships with those institutions and organizations most geographically proximate to your school. This includes universities, of course, but also specific departments within them, professors aligned with your mission and approach who can advocate for you, para-university organizations, churches, mom’s groups, veteran’s groups, service organizations, etc. Schools must identify and connect with any groups, in-person or online, where mission-aligned talent congregate and where those with similar academic or professional interests assemble.

On the heels of this sourcing work comes the work of attracting great talent. Creating a compelling employment narrative is critical to attracting the right candidates. Many schools do a fine job speaking to parents about why their program is compelling. Few do the same for prospective talent. Schools would do well to be precise about what sets their curricular and pedagogical choices apart and how they resource and support their faculty to excel in their roles. But schools would also do well to offer a realistic picture of the teaching experience at their institution. Rather than presenting an idealized or overly polished version, leaders should emphasize the purpose and challenges of the job, its rewards as well as its frustrations. Schools that shy away from painting honest, transparent pictures almost always attract candidates ill-prepared for the real responsibilities their position will levy upon them, leading to early departures, resentment, and an overall drain on the culture of the school.

Thorough Vetting & Discerning

Once potential candidates are identified, a rigorous vetting and discerning process is essential. Keep in mind, a rigorous process does not mean an onerous one. Still, schools must go beyond simple credential checks to evaluate whether a candidate possesses the character, competencies, and content knowledge necessary to succeed in the particular position they are being considered for. Structured interviews, classroom demonstrations, and honest discussions about both strengths and weaknesses are crucial components of this process. And, of course, evaluating a candidate’s alignment with the school’s mission and philosophy is just as important as assessing their instructional skills.

A structured vetting process also enables the hiring team to document expectations and insights about each candidate, which informs the downstream work of designing meaningful professional development plans and performance reviews later on. Schools that skip or rush this stage often end up hiring individuals who may lack the long-term fit for the role, resulting in high turnover rates that disrupt both faculty culture and student learning.

Intentional Welcoming & Integration

The onboarding process plays a pivotal role in setting new hires up for success. Hospitality is key. Schools should design a welcoming phase that fosters a sense of community and communicates the value of each new faculty member. This crucial step means more than simply providing a work agreement and start date; it involves supporting new hires as they transition from their previous position to their new one. It means connecting them to a mentor, master teacher, or key colleague early—someone who can intentionally welcome them into their new community, begin nurturing relationships, and start to give them a lay of the land. Too many teachers are hired in April, given a day to show up for work in July or August, and they are not communicated with again in any meaningful way until that day. Entering a new school community is like entering a strange living room; there are traditions, rules, inside jokes, turns of phrase, ways of doing things and not doing things. Being intentional and explicit about welcoming new hires into as many of these nuances as possible communicates care for both the new hire and for those they will call colleagues.

The welcoming phase is the precursor to the integration phase, where new faculty are provided structured guidance on how to navigate the school’s policies, systems, and expectations. Schools must clarify the standards for each role, outline responsibilities, and ensure new hires understand both their areas of authority and the areas where adherence to school practices is essential. Schools that skip or underinvest in integration miss a key opportunity to cement the alignment and confidence of new faculty members, increasing the risk of early turnover. Clarity is key. Throughout a new hire’s first year in the school, every effort must be made to ensure they understand what success looks like for the school and the essential part they play in helping achieve that success. From policies to procedures to pedagogy and parent communication, every new hire should be confident in their understanding of what the school expects.

Ongoing Support, Development, & Accountability

Of course, expectations cannot reasonably be levied on faculty if they aren’t also provided the resources to meet them. High-functioning schools prioritize continuous professional development tailored to each teacher’s needs. Effective development plans go beyond generic training sessions; they are personalized and practical, addressing each teacher’s specific strengths and growth areas. Every plan must be anchored to an understanding that teacher success is student success. We pour into our teachers for the sake of our students. And teachers take on the burden of ongoing development because the kids are worth it.

With this approach, regular check-ins, vital to ensuring teachers are succeeding in their roles, become a place of collaboration on behalf of students, not simply some bureaucratic box-checking exercise. When the adults in the school commit to excellence in instruction, they commit to putting the structures in place whereby faculty are resourced and given honest, substantive, and frequent feedback on how they are progressing against their goals. This includes not only accountability but substantive praise and needed encouragement. No teacher should want to go long without receiving feedback on what is working and what needs improvement in their methods. And no administrator should ever leave teachers, even veterans, isolated and without the ongoing support, gratitude, advice, and resources needed to continue to progress.

A Call for Disciplined, Proactive Talent Management

Many schools are facing legitimate challenges in hiring and retaining talented faculty. However, blaming external forces or vague notions of a “teacher shortage” may overlook the internal practices that directly impact a school’s success in building a strong teaching staff. Schools must take a disciplined, proactive approach to recruitment and retention. By focusing on clarity, structured hiring, intentional onboarding, personalized support, accountability, and meaningful recognition, schools can create a faculty culture that attracts and retains the best educators.