In North Carolina at the state level in 2022-23, there were 549 K-5 EC vacancies, 325 middle school EC vacancies, and 329 high school EC vacancies, and she found that there were 303 more openings for EC teachers in 2022-23 academic year than the previous year.

There are 186,869 students being served by EC programs, with learning differences in 16 different categories, according to data from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).

Based on vacancies in North Carolina on the 40th day of the 2022-23 school year, almost one in five openings were for EC positions. In seven districts, these roles made up at least half of their vacancies, according to DPI’s dashboard. 

On average, EC vacancies were 55% higher during the 2022-23 school year than 2022-21, per an analysis by EdNC. Over a three-year span, there were twice as many openings in 2022.