New York, NY –The New York Equity Coalition released an updated version of its Educator Diversity Data Tool today, exposing persistent gaps in representation and retention of teachers of color across New York State’s public schools. The interactive tool lets users explore disparities in student and teacher demographics, teacher retention rates by race and ethnicity, and district-specific data across various types of school communities, including New York City, the Big 4 districts (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers), and diverse geographic areas such as urban, suburban and rural areas.

Across the state, New York’s teaching workforce still fails to reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of its students. Students of color make up 60% of K-12 public school enrollment, yet White teachers account for 75% of workforce. Although the share of White teachers has declined modestly from 79% in 2018-19 to 75% in 2023-24, teachers of color still represent only 20% of all educators.

The representation gap stands out most for Latinx students, who make up 30% of the student population but only 7% of teachers, a 23-percentage-point disparity. Black and Asian students each face a 6-percentage-point gap between their share of the student body and the proportion of same-race teachers.

“Representation in the classroom matters,” said Arlen Benjamin-Gomez, Executive Director of EdTrust-New York. “When students see educators who share their cultural and racial backgrounds, it strengthens their sense of belonging, engagement, and academic achievement. This new tool equips communities and policymakers with the data they need to advocate for change.”

The tool also reveals concerning trends in teacher retention. From 2019-2020 to 2023-2024, districts retained 64% of White teachers but only 50% for teachers of color. Black and Native American teachers had the lowest retention rate, just 45% over the same period, which is especially alarming. These disparities show schools not only underrepresent teachers of color but also struggle to retain them, weakening efforts to build strong, culturally responsive learning environments. The data underscores the urgent need to both recruit more educators of color and ensure they receive the support, resources, and working conditions necessary to stay in the classroom.

The tool breaks down representation and retention data by Need/Resource Capacity (NRC) categories and reveals that the largest representation gaps exist in New York’s urban districts. In the Big 4 (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers), students of color make up 85% of enrollment, but only 22% of teachers identify as teachers of color. In New York City, where students of color also comprise 85% of the student body, just 38% of teachers are people of color.

“After decades working with families, students, and educators in Buffalo, I know how critical it is to align policy with reality. When students see teachers who reflect their identity and believe in them, they thrive. This new data exposes long-standing disparities and is a clear call to action: New York cannot achieve true educational equity without addressing racial gaps in teacher representation. I’m encouraged that Superintendent Dr. Pascal Mubenga has prioritized this in Buffalo, and I look forward to working with state leaders to turn this moment into lasting change,” said Samuel L. Radford III, Co-Convenor, WNY Education Equity Task Force and Chairperson of National Parents Union.

The New York Equity Coalition urges state and district leaders to take bold action to recruit, support, and retain a diverse teacher workforce that reflects the rich diversity of New York’s student population.

To explore the Educator Diversity Data Tool, visit: Educator Diversity Tool – The New York Equity Coalition

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About The New York Equity Coalition

The New York Equity Coalition includes ADELANTE Student Voices, Better Schools Better Neighborhoods, Brooklyn YWCA, the Buffalo Urban League, The Business Council of New York State, Business Council of Westchester, Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, Children’s Defense Fund, #DegreesNYC, Democrats for Education Reform-NY, District-Parent Coordinating Council of Buffalo, EdTrust-New York, Educators for Excellence, EPIC-Every Person Influences Children, Hispanic Federation, INCLUDEnyc, Just Equations, National Center for Learning Disabilities, New York State Counselor Association, New York Urban League, Open Buffalo, The Opportunity Network, Otsego County Chamber of Commerce, Public Policy Institute of New York State, Read Alliance, uAspire, UnidosUS, United Way of New York City, the Urban League of Long Island, the Urban League of Rochester, the Urban League of Westchester County, and Young Invincibles. Learn more at EquityinEdNY.org