As of 2020, California produces about eleven new teachers with at least a physics minor, but California needs at least two hundred twenty-seven new physics teachers each year to replace those who retire or leave the profession. This shortfall means that physics classes may be unavailable to students who would otherwise take them, and in some cases, under-qualified teachers may be assigned to teach physics. Learn more about the Title II data used in the NRC and about our teacher needs estimates.
Estimated new physics teachers needed each year at 40% enrollment
Estimated need met each year
More physics teachers needed every year
Estimated new teachers with at least a physics-related minor
New teachers who completed a physics-related teacher preparation program
New teachers with a physics certification from the state
These numbers are estimated from the three most recent years of Title II data available, and they include teachers prepared in California that completed programs that are not part of an Institution of Higher Education (IHE). On average, each year, non-IHE programs reported that they prepared zero new teachers who have at least a physics-related minor, and that they prepared five new teachers through a physics-related preparation program. To learn more about non-IHE programs, see this booklet from Title II.
We focus on our estimate of new teachers with at least a physics-related minor throughout most of our analysis, including the calculation of state and national needs being met. While this does not capture every newly prepared physics teacher, it is most consistent with PhysTEC’s definition of a qualified physics teacher. On this page, as well as in individual institution reports, we provide data from Title II on other methods for counting new teachers based on their teacher preparation programs’ subjects and the areas of their state certifications. However, there is overlap among these counting methods, so it is not possible to add the numbers without counting individuals more than once. To learn more about the counting methods for new teachers, see the NRC FAQs.
New teachers needed each year
Estimated new teachers with at least a physics-related minor
Estimated need met
New teachers needed each year
Estimated new teachers with at least a physics-related minor
Estimated need met
New teachers needed each year
New teachers from physics-related preparation programs
Estimated need met
California Institutions
This table reports the number of new teachers with a physics-related major that are prepared by programs in California. The table also includes the total number of teachers with a physics-related major who are prepared at programs that are not at institutions of higher education (“Non-IHE programs”). Please contact us if you have additional questions about the Non-IHE programs.
Click on an institution or enter an institution name in the Search box to see an individual institution's report.
Institution | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 | 2022–2023 | Average ↓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Governors University - California | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2.3 |
| Alliant International University | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1.7 |
| Stanford University | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1.3 |
University of California, Irvine  | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.3 |
| University of Southern California | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.7 |
| University of the Pacific | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.7 |
| United States University | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.3 |
| University of California, Riverside | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.3 |
| Antioch University | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Azusa Pacific University | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |