New Global Survey Reveals the Hidden Drivers of Teacher Retention And What It Means for School Budgets

Only 8% of new teachers feel successful. 1 in 4 have left over safety concerns. Vivi's 2026 report names what keeps teachers and what leaders can do to fix it.

HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, August 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Around the world, keeping teachers in the profession is becoming harder. Between 7% and 15% of U.S. public school teachers leave the classroom in their first two years. By the end of year five, that number climbs to 44%-55% of all new teachers (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023). Globally, primary teacher attrition rates have nearly doubled over the past decade (UNESCO, 2024), and 1 in 5 teachers under 30 say they plan to leave the profession within five years (OECD TALIS, 2024), requiring education leaders to invest additional budget to replace each teacher who leaves.

Vivi and FullScale (formerly The Learning Accelerator) today released the 2026 Global Teacher Insights Report, a two-part study of nearly 2,000 educators across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Now in its second year, the annual Global Teacher Study examines what makes teachers feel successful and what keeps them in the profession. The 2026 edition expands its scope significantly, adding a second major finding: that classroom safety is not just a policy issue; it's a retention one too.

"The insights we have gained from the survey about what makes teachers feel successful, and this year's feedback about what contributes to their sense of safety, guides our work," said Natalie Mactier, CEO, Vivi.

The key findings are consistent across two years of research: teachers who feel the most successful are connected to their students, see evidence that students are engaged, and witness growth in student achievement.

Part I: Teacher Retention

● Only 8%. That's how many teachers in their first two years feel extremely successful, with the number rising to 36% by years 3–5 and 48% by years 6–8.

● Only 15% of novice teachers feel capable of controlling disruptive behavior in the classroom — compared to 95% of teachers with nine or more years of experience.

● Up to 12% less confident. That's how novice teachers rate their ability to use varied assessment strategies compared to their most experienced peers — a gap that narrows only as classroom management skills take hold.

● Early-career teachers are 7% more likely to report difficulty connecting with colleagues — and the data shows that teachers who feel more successful consistently report stronger professional community, regardless of experience level.

Part 2 – Classroom Safety

While most teachers globally report feeling physically safe, the data reveals that safety concerns are quietly driving attrition that rarely appears in workforce surveys.

● 1 in 4 teachers have actively left or considered leaving a teaching position due to safety concerns — a finding that holds across all four countries surveyed.

● More than 1 in 5 teachers think about their physical safety every day or most days — even as 98% say their school prioritizes safety to some degree.

● Only 22% of teachers who feel slightly successful report feeling extremely supported in an emergency, compared to approximately 70% of teachers who consider themselves extremely successful.

"When it comes to teacher retention, safety might not sit at the top of the list, but it may be one of the most important conditions education leaders aren't paying enough attention to," said Mactier.

Together, the two parts of the 2026 report tell a single, urgent story: teachers leave because they do not yet feel successful, and they leave because they do not feel safe. Both conditions are ones that school and district leaders can actively address — and both carry a measurable price tag when ignored. In the United States, replacing a single teacher costs a district between $12,000 and $25,000 in recruitment, hiring, and onboarding alone (Learning Policy Institute).

Vivi commissioned the research because the conditions that make teachers feel successful are the same conditions the platform is built to support: confident classroom management, active student engagement, and the assurance that safety is always handled.

"Two years of data point to the same conclusion: teachers need time, resources, and the right tools to make meaningful connections with their students, and they want to feel safe while doing it. At Vivi, we are working to make both possible. We are fully committed to helping school administrators create environments where teachers can focus on teaching with confidence, reduce unnecessary friction in the classroom, and feel safe and supported in their work. At a time when budgets are tight and the cost of losing and retraining teachers continues to rise, investing in teacher satisfaction is more important than ever," said Mactier.

About the Survey
From January to February 2026, Vivi and FullScale (formerly The Learning Accelerator) surveyed approximately 2,000 educators worldwide as part of their annual Global Teacher Study. The research builds on a two-year framework examining four key drivers of teachers' perceived success: effective classroom management, teacher-student connections, active student engagement, and high-quality instruction — with a sense of community and collegial connection as a core enabling condition. The full report is available upon request.

About FullScale
FullScale unites education leaders and organizations to drive collective learning, action, and systems transformation. Formed through the merger of The Learning Accelerator and Aurora Institute, FullScale works to break silos, bridge divides, surface new evidence and unseen innovations, and accelerate change for lasting impact for every learner. Through its work spanning practice, policy, research, and people, FullScale helps build the conditions needed to ensure every child has access to personalized, competency-based, whole-child learning experiences. Learn more at fullscalelearning.org.

About Vivi
Vivi is the campus operating system for schools, transforming every display and device into a strategic asset. By unifying crisis alerts, campus-wide communications, and instruction on one platform, Vivi helps schools improve safety, streamline communication, and enhance teaching and learning with the technology they already own. Used in more than 176,000 classrooms worldwide, Vivi serves schools across North America, the UK, and Australia. Learn more at vivi.io.

Jodie E Buenning
Buenning Strategies
+1 804-986-6911
Jodie@buenningstrategies.com

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