Help us solve the physics teacher shortage in the U.S.
Even small increases in the number of newly prepared teachers – such as an existing program graduating one additional physics teacher, or a professor inspiring one more student to enter a certification program – can make a huge difference to your local community.
Read on to explore our data about the physics teacher shortage. If you’re ready to participate in reducing the shortage, PhysTEC offers resources, tools, and strategies as well as funding opportunities to establish, bolster, and expand physics teacher education programs.
For more information about our data, please see the FAQ.
See where institutions are preparing physics teachers
Click on a state to learn more.
State reports
This table reports state-by-state estimates for the annual number of new teachers who have at least a physics-related minor. Click on a state to learn more.
State | Estimated annual physics teacher need | Estimated need met ↓ | Estimated new teachers with at least a physics-related minor | Shortfall (additional teachers needed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Massachusetts | 35 | 52.4% | 23.5 | 16.7 |
| 2. Utah | 27 | 48.1% | 16.6 | 14.0 |
| 3. Kentucky | 28 | 38.1% | 13.6 | 17.3 |
| 4. New York | 114 | 36.3% | 52.9 | 72.7 |
| 5. Illinois | 72 | 27.3% | 25.2 | 52.3 |
| 6. Wisconsin | 43 | 22.5% | 12.4 | 33.3 |
| 7. Pennsylvania | 66 | 21.7% | 18.3 | 51.7 |
| 8. Idaho | 16 | 20.8% | 4.3 | 12.7 |
| 9. Virginia | 38 | 19.3% | 9.4 | 30.7 |
| 10. New Jersey | 41 | 18.7% | 9.8 | 33.3 |
Institution reports
This table reports the number of new teachers who have a physics-related major that individual institutions prepared in the three most recent academic years that data is available. The table also includes the total number of teachers with a physics-related major who are prepared at programs in the US that are not at institutions of higher education (“Non-IHE programs”). For statistics on the number of teachers prepared by Non-IHE programs in your state, please check the state report above and/or contact us.
Click on an institution or enter an institution name in the Search box to see an individual institution's report.
Institution | 2017–2018 | 2018–2019 | 2019–2020 | Average ↓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collected Non-IHE Programs (All States and Territories) | 83 | 0 | 0 | 27.7 |
East Carolina University | 6 | 9 | 11 | 8.7 |
Brigham Young University | 13 | 3 | 3 | 6.3 |
| Illinois State University | 5 | 0 | 7 | 4.0 |
University of Illinois at Chicago | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4.0 |
| University of Kentucky | 12 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 |
| New York University - Main | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4.0 |
| Boston University | 3 | 3 | 3.7 | |
| University of the Cumberlands | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3.3 |
| CUNY Queens College | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3.0 |