The most recent sector data comes from the 2026 SAIS study, Designed to Last: Reimagining the Employee Value Proposition in Independent Schools, which surveyed 1,558 educators across member schools. The core finding: while independent school educators share a deep sense of purpose, three structural vulnerabilities undermine it:

Workload: Only 63% find their workload manageable.

Compensation: Only 45.7% consider their pay competitive.

Career Growth: Just 33.8% see a clear path for advancement, despite 89.3% desiring more professional learning opportunities.

This career growth gap is particularly critical. Independent schools are attracting the kind of ambitious, growth-minded educators every school wants. What's missing isn't the desire to grow. It's a visible way to do it without leaving the classroom or the community that drew them there in the first place.

The hiring landscape across independent schools has been undeniably tough. NAIS data from recent years shows that nearly six in ten heads of school saw a drop in applicant numbers, while four in ten noticed a decline in candidate quality.

But if you look beneath the surface, the real challenge isn't just about finding great teachers; it’s about keeping them. NAIS research on why educators choose independent schools reveals that teachers aren't leaving because they’ve lost their passion or purpose. Instead, they leave when the reality of the job doesn't align with what they were promised. Barely half of teachers felt their hiring process set realistic expectations, and less than half felt truly supported by leadership once they arrived. Combine that disconnect with the daily fatigue of doing more with less, and it becomes clear that schools can't recruit their way out of a retention problem.