Elementary teachers account for 30% of North Dakota's unfilled education positions and special education teachers account for 20%, according to the state's annual Unfilled Positions Survey.
"Behind every one of these numbers is a classroom of North Dakota students waiting for a teacher," State Superintendent Levi Bachmeier said. "This data helps paint a picture of where the need is greatest, reinforcing what I’ve seen in schools across the state. We owe it to these students to take meaningful action — strengthening the pathways into education, supporting the educators already in our classrooms and working alongside districts, universities and lawmakers to make teaching in North Dakota a career people choose and stay in."
In fall 2026, all local education agencies and the entities that support them — special education units, career and technical education centers and regional education associations — were invited to complete the Unfilled Positions Survey through the State Automated Reporting System. The survey is voluntary: respondents represented 27% of the state's school districts yet identified more than 250 unfilled positions.
Other critical shortage areas identified include high school teachers, school counselors, career and technical education instructors, art and music specialists and speech-language pathologists. Reporting categories with 10 or more unfilled positions were deemed critical shortages.