A teacher reviews students’ project notes on a computer.
Credit: Allison Shelley for EDUimages
TOp takeaways
- California issued 17,328 new teaching credentials during the 2023-24 school year, an 18% increase.
- At the beginning of this school year, district officials estimated they needed about 25,000 new teachers to fill their classrooms.
- Enrollment in teacher candidate programs dropped by more than 3,000 teacher candidates between 2019-20 and last school year.
California issued 18% more teaching credentials last school year, compared with the previous year, but education experts remain only cautiously optimistic. The uptick comes after two years of declines, a drop in enrollment in teacher preparation programs and apprehension about federal and state funding.
During the 2023-24 school year, 17,328 teachers earned a preliminary or clear credential — 2,666 more than the previous year. This…
