LINCOLN - The number of unfilled teaching positions in Nebraska decreased by nearly 50% over the past two school years, according to data from a statewide teacher vacancy survey.

The number of reported unfilled teaching positions statewide was 490 for the 2025-26 school year, according to a report from the Nebraska Department of Education. That number is down from a peak of 908 unfilled positions in the 2023-24 school year and 669 unfilled positions in the 2024-25 school year. Of the unfilled positions for the 2025-26 school year, 23% were left vacant, while the remainder of the positions were filled with an underqualified educator. The percentage of positions left vacant in 2024-25 was 30%.

Special education was the area with the most unfilled positions for both this school year and last, decreasing from 149 in 2024-25 to 140 in 2025-26. Other subject areas with the most unfilled positions included elementary education, career education, science and math. The report also included teacher shortages by region, with the Omaha metro region seeing the highest number of shortages. The metro region had 175 unfilled teaching positions in 2025-26, down from 239 in 2024-25.

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