Number of new teachers increases by 18 percent
April 28, 2025
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is reporting an increase in the number of new teaching credentials in 2023-24.
A total of 17,328 new teaching credentials were issued in 2023-24, an 18 percent year-over-year increase, and the first surge in new teaching credentials issued since the pandemic in 2020-21.
The data comes from the latest Teacher Supply in California Report to the Legislature, which highlights year-over-year increases in all three basic types of teaching credentials issued by the commission for TK-12 academic settings, including:
- A 28 percent increase in Multiple Subject teaching credentials that authorize service in self-contained classrooms most commonly in elementary schools.
- A 10 percent increase in Single Subject teaching credentials that authorize service in departmentalized classes, most commonly in middle and high schools.
- A 14 percent increase in Education Specialist Instruction credentials that authorize special education instruction in a variety of settings for students with special needs.
“At a time when schools across the nation are facing teacher shortages, the growth in California’s newly credentialed teachers indicates that state investments in teacher recruitment are beginning to pay off,” said Mary Vixie Sandy, executive director of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, in a news release. “While these findings are a bright spot for California’s education system, we recognize the significant shortage of qualified teachers that still exists and encourage those interested in positively impacting our state’s youth to consider teaching as a profession.”
The data comes from the latest Teacher Supply in California Report to the Legislature.
In addition, the report notes a reduction in the following emergency teaching credentials which may help maintain stability in the classroom for many students:
- A nearly 30 percent decrease in teaching waivers, which are issued to provide flexibility for school districts and county offices of education to address a specific teacher shortage.
- A more than 11 percent decrease in Limited Assignment Teaching Permits, which are issued to allow fully credentialed teachers to temporarily teach outside their authorized areas.
Additional positive data include:
- An increase in 2023-24 credentials issued in shortage areas such as math, science and special education.
- More than 1,800 Career Technical Education credentials issued in 15 different industry sectors with nearly 24 percent in Arts, Media, and Entertainment.
- The representation of Latino teachers has increased 3.8 percentage points since 2019-20.
- The number of bilingual authorizations awarded increased nearly 35 percent in the 2023-24 compared to the previous year.
California’s colleges and universities prepared over three-quarters of the state’s newly credentialed teachers in 2023-24. The California State University system increased its share of credentialed teachers by 3.9 percentage points since 2019-20, highlighting the continued importance of public universities in the state’s educator pipeline.
While an overall 5 percent decline in enrollment in teacher preparation programs is being monitored, alternative pathways into the profession are experiencing growth with both university and school district intern credentials having double-digit increases from the previous year — 24 percent and 39 percent respectively.
Read the full report at meetings.ctc.ca.gov/Document/Download/2371.