The status of teachers on the floor? Not in international comparison

The OECD's Education at a Glance 2026 report reveals a complex picture of the state of teachers in Israel: teacher salaries have dropped to 73% of the salaries of academics (fifth from the bottom), but the number of teachers has doubled within a decade, the dropout rate is low (2.5%), and most of those who left retired. The main problem: 77% of those who quit have less than 5 years of seniority.

The OECD's annual education report, Education at a Glance 2026, published this week, presents a complex picture of the state of teachers in Israel. The prominent figure is the deterioration of teacher salaries relative to academics: from 86% in 2022 to 73% in 2023, while the OECD average rose to 87%. Israel ranks fifth from the bottom out of 26 countries. However, in other international comparisons, the situation of teachers in Israel is relatively good: the number of teachers doubled between 2015 and 2024 (a 97% increase compared to 18% in students) – the largest increase in the OECD. The dropout rate from the profession is low – 2.5% compared to an average of 6.4%, and Israel is among the five countries with the lowest dropout rate. Two-thirds of those who left retired. The main problem is the flight of new teachers: 77% of those who quit have less than five years of seniority – the highest rate among the countries. The rate of unqualified teachers (7.1%) is below the average (9.1%). 12.1% of middle school teachers came from a second career, compared to 8.4% on average. Only 33.9% are satisfied with their salary, and 70% feel that society does not value the profession – but the OECD average is 78% of teachers feeling this way.