May 6, 2025
High school teachers pour their hearts into educating students – but today, many are reaching a breaking point. From the United States to Europe and beyond, teacher workload and burnout have become pressing issues. Research commissioned by the International Baccalaureate (IB) confirms that teachers experience one of the highest levels of occupational stress and burnout compared to other professions, with excessive workload highlighted as a leading factor driving educators out of the field (Taylor et al., 2024). This strain is painfully evident in secondary schools and IB programs, where passionate teachers are increasingly asking themselves how much longer they can stay in a job that often feels unsustainable.
In this article, we’ll explore why so many high school and IB teachers are leaving the profession. We’ll look at up-to-date international research, government reports, and expert insights that reveal the causes of teacher burnout and attrition. Finally, we will discuss how relieving some of the workload – for example, through ready-made, IB-aligned teaching resources like those from Diploma Collective – can give teachers back their time and help them refocus on what they love most: teaching students in the classroom.
Image credit: Tyton Partners (2024). “Spring 2024 Data on What’s Causing K–12 Teachers to Quit Schools and What Will Make Them Stay.” https://tytonpartners.com/spring-2024-data-on-whats-causing-k-12-teachers-to-quit-schools-and-what-will-make-them-stay/#:~:text=Anticipating%20teacher%20turnover%20and%20planning,for%20change
It’s no secret that teacher burnout is on the rise, but recent data show just how serious the situation has become. In the United States, teaching has been dubbed the number one most burnout-prone profession. Nearly half of K ‑12 teachers (44%) report feeling “often” or “always” burned out at work – the highest rate of any occupation (Devlin Peck, 2025). This isn’t just an American phenomenon. A global review by the University of Oxford found that teachers worldwide report extremely high stress levels on the job, and that heavy workloads are among the most prominent reasons teachers give for quitting (Taylor et al., 2024).
Multiple surveys underscore the same grim trend: large numbers of educators are considering leaving. One U.S. poll found that 78% of public school teachers had thought about quitting since the COVID-19 pandemic, citing excessive workloads as a primary reason (NEA, 2025). In England, a government-backed study similarly showed that about one in four teachers are actively thinking of leaving, with 90% of those teachers citing “high workload” as a key factor pushing them toward the exit (National Foundation for Educational Research, 2025). The result is a growing teacher shortage: schools struggle to fill vacancies, class sizes swell, and the colleagues who remain face mounting pressure to take on extra duties. In fact, unfilled teaching positions in England have doubled since before the pandemic, reaching record highs (National Foundation for Educational Research, 2025).
The personal toll on teachers is profound. Surveys by the RAND Corporation find that U.S. teachers work about 53 hours per week on average, nearly 9 hours more per week than comparable professionals in other fields (RAND, 2024). Despite these long hours, many feel their efforts go unappreciated or under-rewarded – RAND also noted teachers earn significantly less than similarly educated workers (RAND, 2024). It’s a recipe for demoralization: “Crushing workload” and undue stress are, as the National Education Association emphasizes, literally pushing too many teachers out of the profession (NEA, 2025).
Nor is the crisis limited to a single country. UNESCO’s global analysis warns of a worldwide teacher shortage driven largely by attrition. They report that teacher attrition rates have nearly doubled globally in recent years, and stress and burnout are major contributors to this exodus (UNESCO, 2023). In regions like Europe and North America, where populations aren’t growing as rapidly, the loss of teachers due to burnout and low morale is outpacing the entry of new teachers, creating a net deficit (UNESCO, 2023).
What exactly is driving so many capable educators to consider leaving the classroom? Research from various countries points to a convergence of factors:
Unsustainable Workloads and Long Hours: In one UK survey, 90% of teachers considering leaving said that high workload was a major reason (National Foundation for Educational Research, 2025).
Stress and Diminished Well-Being: In a Gallup poll, about 44% of K-12 teachers described feeling burned out “very often” at work (Devlin Peck, 2025).
Inadequate Support and Administrative Burden: A post-pandemic survey of educators found huge numbers contemplating quitting because they felt overburdened by responsibilities and lacked administrative support (NEA, 2025).
Challenging Student Needs and Behavior: Many teachers cite rising challenges with student behavior, engagement, and diverse learning needs as sources of stress (Tyton Partners, 2024).
Each teacher’s situation is unique, but these factors often intertwine. The result is a perfect storm of burnout conditions.
Such demands, while intellectually rewarding, can lead to unsustainable workloads without adequate institutional support. Additional contributing factors include excessive administrative tasks, heightened accountability measures, and increased classroom management complexities. These pressures compound over time, diminishing teachers’ professional satisfaction and personal well-being.
High school educators often teach specialized subjects that come with heavy grading loads. For IB teachers, the expectations are even higher – they must cover a rigorous, international curriculum and guide students through intensive projects. A comparative study found that IB educators reported higher levels of workload-related stress than their peers (OECD TALIS, 2020).
The good news is that IB teachers also tend to be deeply committed and passionate about their work. The same study noted that IB teachers reported greater job satisfaction despite the workload (OECD TALIS, 2020). However, dedication alone cannot inoculate against burnout. The IB organization itself has recognized the importance of teacher well-being: a 2024 IB-sponsored review emphasized that teacher burnout can undermine student outcomes (Taylor et al., 2024).
UNESCO recommends streamlining administrative tasks and promoting a healthier work-life balance for teachers (UNESCO, 2023). Meanwhile, an immediate step that can lighten the load on teachers’ shoulders is equipping them with high-quality, ready-made teaching resources (Sellen, 2018).
Administrative overload and unmanageable workloads have been robbing teachers of the energy and time needed for meaningful classroom interactions. If we reduce these burdens – through systemic reforms and innovations like Diploma Collective – we can retain more passionate, talented educators.
Teaching is about relationships, inspiration, and learning. With the right support, we can help educators reclaim that mission. Diploma Collective is one step toward giving teachers back their time so they can focus on what they do best: changing lives, one lesson at a time.
Devlin Peck (2025). “Teacher Burnout Statistics: Why Teachers Quit in 2025.”
Gallup (2024). “State of the Teacher Workforce Survey.”
National Foundation for Educational Research (2025). Teacher Labour Market in England Annual Report.
NEA (2025). “What’s Causing Teacher Burnout?”
OECD TALIS (2020). Comparative study on IB teacher workload and attitudes.
RAND Corporation (2024). State of the American Teacher Report.
Sellen, P. (2018). Education Policy Institute Analysis of Teacher Workload and Well-Being.
Taylor, L. et al. (2024). Well-being for schoolteachers (IB Research Summary).
Tyton Partners. (2024). Spring 2024: What’s causing K–12 teachers to quit schools – and what will make them stay. Retrieved from https://tytonpartners.com/spring-2024-data-on-whats-causing-k-12-teachers-to-quit-schools-and-what-will-make-them-stay/
UNESCO (2023). Global Report on Teachers.