Spotlight A: Characteristics of Public School Teachers by Race/Ethnicity
(Last Updated: February 2019)

Schools that had more racial/ethnic diversity in their student populations also tended to have more racial/ethnic diversity among teachers. The percentage of minority teachers was highest at schools that had 90 percent or more minority students (55 percent) and was lowest at schools that had less than 10 percent minority students (2 percent).

The racial/ethnic diversity of public school students has increased over time (see Elementary and Secondary Enrollment). Research has shown that having a teacher of the same race/ethnicity can have positive impacts on a student’s attitudes, motivation, and achievement^1,2 and minority teachers may have more positive expectations for minority students’ achievement than nonminority teachers.³ Additionally, other characteristics of the teacher workforce, such as their years of experience in the classroom, are also of frequent interest in examinations of teacher qualifications.⁴ Examining characteristics of the teacher population by race/ethnicity can help provide context on the diversity and experience of teachers in our public schools.

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Figure A.1. Percentage distribution of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity: School years 2003–04 and 2015–16

# Rounds to zero.
NOTE: Data are based on a head count of full-time and part-time teachers. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Although rounded numbers are shown, figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), “Public School Teacher Data File,” 2003–04; and National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Teacher Data File,” 2015–16. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 209.10.

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The majority of public elementary and secondary school teachers were White in both 2003–04 (the first year for which teacher data for all racial/ethnic groups were available) and 2015–16. However, the percentage of teachers who were White was lower in 2015–16 than in 2003–04 (80 vs. 83 percent). The percentage of teachers who were Black was also lower in 2015–16 than in 2003–04 (7 vs. 8 percent). In contrast, the percentages of teachers who were Hispanic, Asian, and of Two or more races were higher in 2015–16 than in 2003–04. The percentages of teachers who were Pacific Islander in these two years were not measurably different, nor were the percentages who were American Indian/Alaska Native.

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Figure A.2. Percentage distribution of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by percentage of minority students in school and teacher minority status: School year 2015–16

NOTE: Excludes the 7 percent of teachers for whom the percentage of minority enrollment in the school was not available. Minority teachers include all racial/ethnic groups except for White. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Teacher Data File,” 2015–16. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 209.23.

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Schools with more racial/ethnic diversity in their student populations also tended to have more racial/ethnic diversity among teachers. The percentage of minority⁵ teachers was highest at schools that had 90 percent or more minority students (55 percent), followed by schools with 75 to 89 percent minority students (31 percent), schools with 50 to 74 percent minority students (20 percent), schools with 24 to 49 percent minority students (10 percent), and schools with 10 to 24 percent minority students (4 percent), and was lowest at schools with less than 10 percent minority students (2 percent). The opposite pattern was observed for White teachers, who accounted for 98 percent of teachers at schools with less than 10 percent minority students but made up only 45 percent of staff at schools with 90 percent or more minority students.

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Figure A.3. Percentage distribution of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by school classification and teacher minority status: School year 2015–16

NOTE: Minority teachers include all racial/ethnic groups except for White. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Teacher Data File,” 2015–16. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 209.23.

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The distribution of teachers by race/ethnicity also varied by school classification. For example, the percentage of teachers who were of a minority race/ethnicity was higher at public charter schools (29 percent) than at traditional public schools (19 percent). The percentages of minority teachers within individual race/ethnicity groups was also higher at public charter schools than traditional public schools for Black teachers (9 vs. 7 percent), Hispanic teachers (14 vs. 9 percent), and teachers of Two or more races (2 vs. 1 percent). In contrast, the percentage of teachers who were White was higher at traditional public schools (81 percent) than at public charter schools (71 percent), and the same was true for the percentage of teachers who were American Indian/Alaska Native (it was 0.4 percent at traditional public and 0.2 percent at public charter schools).

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Figure A.4. Percentage distribution of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by school locale and teacher minority status: School year 2015–16

¹ Interpret 2015–16 data on city teachers with caution. After nonresponse adjustments, the nonresponse bias for this category is greater than for other characteristics.
NOTE: Minority teachers include all racial/ethnic groups except for White. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Teacher Data File,” 2015–16. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 209.23.

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The distribution of teachers by race/ethnicity also differed by school location. There was a higher percentage of teachers from minority racial/ethnic groups in city schools (31 percent) than in suburban schools (18 percent), town schools (12 percent), or rural schools (11 percent). Additionally, the percentage of minority teachers in suburban schools was higher than the percentages in town and rural schools. This same pattern held for teachers of these specific racial/ethnic groups: Black, Hispanic, and Asian. Conversely, the percentage of White teachers was higher in rural schools (89 percent) than in suburban schools (82 percent) or city schools (69 percent). In addition, the percentage of White teachers was higher in schools in towns (88 percent) and suburban areas than in city schools.

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Figure A.5. Percentage distribution of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and years of experience: School year 2015–16

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Teacher Data File,” 2015–16. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 209.23.

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Teachers’ level of experience varied by race/ethnicity. In 2015–16, a higher percentage of teachers of Two or more races (17 percent) than of Black teachers (12 percent), Asian teachers (11 percent), and White teachers (9 percent) had less than 3 years of experience. The percentages of Black (12 percent) and Hispanic (13 percent) teachers with this level of experience were also higher than the percentage for White teachers. At the other end of the experience spectrum, a higher percentage of White teachers (24 percent) than of Black teachers (19 percent), Asian teachers (16 percent), teachers of Two or more races (16 percent), and Hispanic teachers (15 percent) had over 20 years of experience. The percentage who had over 20 years of experience was also higher for Black teachers than for Hispanic teachers, and higher for American Indian/Alaska Native teachers (26 percent) than for Asian and Hispanic teachers.

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Figure A.6. Percentage distribution of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and highest degree earned: School year 2015–16

! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡ Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.
¹ Education specialist degrees or certificates are generally awarded for 1 year’s work beyond the master’s level. Includes certificate of advanced graduate studies.
NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Although rounded numbers are shown, figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Teacher Data File,” 2015–16. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 209.23.

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A higher percentage of Hispanic teachers (51 percent) than of teachers of Two or more races (42 percent), White teachers (40 percent), Black teachers (37 percent), and Asian teachers (35 percent) had earned a bachelor’s degree as their highest degree. The percentage whose highest degree was a bachelor’s was also higher for White teachers than for Black and Asian teachers, and higher for teachers of Two or more races than for Asian teachers.

A higher percentage of Asian teachers (50 percent) and White teachers (48 percent) than of Black teachers (45 percent), American Indian/Alaska Native (40 percent), and Hispanic teachers (39 percent) had earned a master’s degree as their highest degree. The percentages whose highest degree was a master’s were also higher for teachers of Two or more races (46 percent) and Black teachers than for Hispanic teachers. A higher percentage of Black teachers (14 percent) and Asian teachers (11 percent) than of White teachers (8 percent), teachers of Two or more races (7 percent), and Hispanic teachers (7 percent) had earned an education specialist degree as their highest degree. The percentage whose highest degree was an education specialist degree was also higher for Black teachers than for American Indian/Alaska Native teachers (8 percent). A higher percentage of Black teachers (2 percent) than of White teachers, Hispanic teachers, and Asian teachers (1 percent for each) had earned a doctor’s degree as their highest degree.

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Endnotes

¹ Egalite, A.J., and Kisida, B. (2018). The Effects of Teacher Match on Students’ Academic Perceptions and Attitudes. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 40(1): 59–81.
² Egalite, A.J., Kisida, B., and Winters, M.A. (2015). Representation in the Classroom: The Effect of Own-Race Teachers on Student Achievement. Economics of Education Review, 45, 44–52.
³ Gershenson, S., Holt, S.B., and Papageorge, N.W. (2016). Who Believes in Me? The Effect of Student-Teacher Demographic Match on Teacher Expectations. Economics of Education Review, 52, 209–224.
⁴ Papay, J.P., and Kraft, M.A. (2015). Productivity Returns to Experience in the Teacher Labor Market: Methodological Challenges and New Evidence on Long-Term Career Improvement. Journal of Public Economics, 130, 105–119. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047272715000304.
⁵ Minority teachers include all racial/ethnic groups except for White. Minority teachers were combined in some instances in this indicator due to small sample sizes for some groups not allowing for a full distribution to be presented.

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