Texas ended up at No. 23 on WalletHub's Best States for Teachers list, which ranked New York as the best in the nation. The Lone Star State topped two categories, but its overall ranking was dragged down by dismal scores in multiple others.
The two categories Texas led were starting salary and the existence of a digital learning plan. In contrast, the state ranked 27th for quality of school systems and student-to-teacher ratio. It also landed at No. 30 for both spending per student and projected teacher income.
The Lone Star State's worst performance, however, was in income growth potential, were it ranked 39th. In other words, Texas offers good starting salaries for teachers but offers few opportunities for them to keep up with rising living costs.
The WalletHub study follows a poll released this summer by the Texas State Teachers Association in which a record 70% of the state's teachers said they're considering leaving the profession. They blamed low pay, burnout and politicization of their jobs.
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