SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) today released findings from the second year of the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program, showing continued progress in reducing teacher vacancies and strengthening educator recruitment and retention in the state’s 170 most understaffed school districts. These districts serve approximately 870,000 students, which equates to about half of all students enrolled in Illinois.
Results from the second year of the three-year initiative show that participating districts hired 12,434 new teachers in school year 2024-25 and retained 15,988 teachers from 2023 to 2025, making measurable gains in addressing teacher shortages. The data tell a consistently positive story about the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program, one in which all types of participating districts, whether rural or urban, have seen decreases in unfilled teaching positions.
“I’m committed to making Illinois the best state in the nation for our children to receive an education, and reducing teacher vacancies is essential to achieving that goal,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Our investments in Illinois’ teachers are paying off, not just for educators, but for the students they inspire every day. Here in Illinois, we’ll continue to work tirelessly to reduce teacher shortages across the state, help educators receive licenses and endorsements, and ensure more students achieve their full potential.”
“These results show that Illinois’ targeted investment is working,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. “We thank Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly for their partnership in prioritizing the teacher workforce. Teachers are essential to every child’s success, and this program helps ensure that every classroom has a qualified, supported educator. Illinois continues to lead the nation in elevating the teaching profession and investing in the future of our schools.”
The year two evaluation, conducted by IWERC at the University of Illinois, builds on the first year’s descriptive findings with more comprehensive data and advanced analytical methods to examine the program’s early relationship with district staffing. Researchers accounted for district characteristics such as size, funding level, and location to more precisely assess how participation in the grant relates to changes in unfilled teaching positions.
This enhanced approach provides a stronger foundation for understanding early outcomes associated with the program. Across both rural and urban settings, unfilled teaching positions decreased in participating districts while increasing in non-participating districts. When controlling for district differences, participating districts reduced unfilled positions more, on average, than non-participating districts between school years 2023 (SY23) and 2025 (SY25).
While some hypothesize that decreases in teacher vacancies among participating districts may occur at the expense of non-participating districts, the report highlights three pieces of evidence to suggest that isn’t occurring at scale. For example, the size of the teaching staff in non-participating districts has grown over time, suggesting that non-participating districts are successfully recruiting new hires, even as participating districts reduce their vacancies.
“Teacher shortages are a highly localized issue. The recruitment and retention challenges that a small rural district faces are unique when compared to those of not just large urban districts, but also other rural districts,” said IWERC Director Meg Bates. “This pilot program allowed districts flexibility to enact strategies that met their nuanced staffing needs, and what we have found is that those investments indirectly benefit Illinois teacher colleges and teachers themselves.”
Districts prioritized strategies addressing both immediate and systemic causes of vacancies. The most common investments included developing staff credentials, providing professional learning, offering direct compensation for new and returning teachers, and investing in recruitment practices. Since July 2023, more than 23,000 school staff, including teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, and support personnel, have participated in programs funded through the grant. Of those educators, in SY25, 1,198 were earning licensure, and 1,135 certified staff were earning endorsements for high-need positions.
Districts showing the greatest early progress tended to be larger, urban districts in Evidence-Based Funding Tier 1 — those furthest from funding adequacy and most affected by chronic vacancies. These districts also received higher average grant amounts, suggesting that targeted investment in high-need communities may yield faster early results.
Governor JB Pritzker and the General Assembly dedicated $45 million in state funds each year over fiscal years 2024 and 2025 for the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program. The state appropriated $30 million for fiscal year 2026, enabling districts to continue and build upon the early successes achieved through the program.
The full year two report and addendum is available on ISBE’s Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program webpage.
