The National Education Association’s latest ranking of states shows what South Carolina and other states are up against as they work to attract and retain teachers. The following maps look at five sets of data about teaching across the country.
How much are new teachers paid?
The state with the highest average starting teacher salary is New Jersey, which offers an average of $48,631 a year to new teachers, according to the National Education Association. The lowest is Montana at $27,274 a year.
How big are the classrooms?
The numbers in this map represent the average number of students per teacher. Teachers in Vermont and Nebraska on average have the smallest classrooms, with student-to-teacher ratios of 9.2 and 9.8, respectively. California’s ratio is 24.9 students for every teacher, the highest in the country.
Is enrollment increasing or decreasing?
The numbers in this map represent the percentage increase or decrease in public school enrollment from fall 2011 to fall 2012. Teachers in North Carolina, North Dakota and Utah have the best job security, with public school enrollment going up from fall 2011 to fall 2012. In South Carolina, enrollment slid by 2.1 percent.
How much money is spent on students?
The numbers in this map represent the annual per capita state and local expenditures for K-12 public schools per student. In the 2011-2012 school year, New Jersey, New York and Vermont’s schools had the highest expenditures per capita, with each spending more than $18,000 per student. Utah and Arizona were at the bottom of the list, each with less than $7,000 spent per student.
Are teachers paid more or less than they were 10 years ago?
The numbers in this map represent the change in constant dollars for teacher salaries from the 2002-03 school year to the 2012-13 school year. Wyoming saw the largest increase, at 15.2 percent, while North Carolina saw a 15 percent decrease, the steepest drop.