Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, constant changes have impacted the teaching profession. In March 2022, two years into the pandemic, AdoptAClassroom.org surveyed teachers across the country to gather teaching statistics to better understand the current state of teaching.
We surveyed 4,665 PreK-12 teachers at public, private, and charter schools nationwide. Eighty-five percent of the teachers who responded described their school as high-needs, where 50% or more of students receive free or reduced lunch. Read our 2022 State of Teaching survey results:
2022 State of Teaching Statistics
How teaching has changed during the 2021-2022 school year:
81% – The overall workload has increased.
80% – Spending more time addressing students’ mental health.
71% – Spending more of their own money on classroom materials.
69% – Getting students back on track from learning loss.
58% – Increase in classroom interruptions during instruction.
55% – Less planning time due to staff shortages and other factors.
45% – Had to change their curriculum.
35% – Received a smaller budget for school supplies.
30% – School or districts’ priorities changed.
25% – Changes to assignments or their classroom.
18% – Had less access to instructional tools and materials.
Changes that have led to an increased need for supplies for students:
78% – Learning loss caused by COVID-19
75% – Social-emotional learning
65% – Student mental health needs
54% – Increased workload
53% – Creating a more inclusive classroom
51% – Creating a more culturally-responsive classroom
49% – Staff shortages
21% – Change in teaching assignment
2% – Didn’t experience any of these changes
Supplies teachers purchased for their classroom with their own money this past year:
90% – Student incentives (prizes, candy, giveaways, etc.)
82% – Basic school supplies (paper, pencils, pens, etc.)
73% – Snacks for students
73% – Books
66% – Classroom furniture and equipment (flexible seating, storage, pencil sharpeners, laminators, chairs, etc.)
55% – Games
52% – Health and safety (cleaning supplies, PPE, etc.)
44% – Curricular materials (science lab materials, subscriptions, workbooks, etc.)
42% – Social-emotional learning tools
25% – Adaptive learning tools
24% – Technology (computers, projectors, printers, tablets, etc)
Supplies teachers need for their classroom next school year that their school’s budget doesn’t cover:
84% – Student incentives (prizes, candy, giveaways, etc.)
66% – Snacks for students
60% – Books
54% – Classroom furniture and equipment (flexible seating, storage, pencil sharpeners, laminators, chairs, etc.)
50% – Basic school supplies (paper, pencils, pens, etc.)
47% – Games
45% – Social-emotional learning tools
38% – Curricular materials (science lab materials, subscriptions, workbooks, etc.)
31% – Health and safety (cleaning supplies, PPE, etc.)
28% – Adaptive learning tools
27% – Technology (computers, projectors, printers, tablets, etc)
20% – Field trips
How AdoptAClassroom.org can help teachers right now:
93% – Provide classrooms with flexible funds so teachers can purchase the items they need, when they need them.
73% – Help to raise awareness about what teachers are facing in the classroom this year.
65% – Donate school supplies to teachers’ classrooms so they can better support their students.
37% – Provide more curriculum resources for teachers’ classrooms to help with instruction.
About AdoptAClassroom.org
AdoptAClassroom.org is a national nonprofit that provides classroom funding to PreK-12 teachers and schools throughout the U.S. Educators can use donations they receive on AdoptAClassroom.org to purchase the school supplies their students need to learn.
Since 1998, we’ve raised more than $57 million and funded more than 250,000 classrooms. Through this funding, our nonprofit has helped put school supplies in the hands of more than 5.8 million students.
Without donations for school supplies, educators will continue to spend their own money providing for their students. Recent teaching statistics show that teacher spending on school supplies is at an all-time high.
Want to help provide teachers with classroom funds so they can purchase school supplies for their students? Make a tax-deductible donation to help teachers and their students get the learning tools they need.
AdoptAClassroom.org holds the highest 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for 10 consecutive years and the highest transparency rating offered by GuideStar.
How much do teachers spend on school supplies in 2023? What do they purchase? Read our 2023 Teacher Spending Survey of 3,200 U.S. teachers for more teaching statistics.