Oregon’s small school districts often have more inexperienced teachers

Just over a fifth of Oregon teachers last year had been on the job for three years or less, according to recent data from the Oregon Department of Education.

But for districts whose faculty count puts them in the bottom half of schools, that percentage was often higher.

Of the districts that employ below the state median 51 teachers, 66% had above-average numbers of inexperienced teachers.

Among the districts with the highest rate of teachers with three years or less of experience is Oakridge School District in eastern Lane County, where 54% of teachers were early-career. That’s the sixth highest percentage of any district in Oregon. The district saw a large amount of turnover in recent years, which coincided with turmoil in the district regarding its response to COVID-era education.