Houston Independent School District, the largest in Texas, is entering the 2025-26 academic year with just 19 open teaching positions, according to official district data.
This marks a sharp decline from the 358 vacancies reported on June 24 and represents a significant milestone in Houston ISD’s staffing efforts amid widespread education workforce challenges.
As of late July, the remaining vacancies are concentrated in high-need areas such as special education, bilingual pre-kindergarten, and elective subjects. They are spread across campuses, including Madison High School, Piney Point Elementary, Sharpstown International, and Barbara Jordan Career Center.
The district’s final summer hiring event was held July 26 at Delmar Fieldhouse, drawing over 800 attendees and resulting in 64 on-site job offers.
Since state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles took over in 2023, the district has made it a goal to begin each school year with as few vacancies as possible. Just before the 2023–24 school year, HISD had 47 open teaching positions—already a notable reduction from prior years.
In part, the reduced vacancy rate is linked to declining student enrollment.
Houston ISD enrollment has fallen by over 30,000 students in the past five years. With a reduction of 7,000 students in the last year, the total number of needed teaching positions dropped from 11,388 to 10,640.
The staffing shift also follows the district’s decision in May 2025 to notify 406 uncertified teachers that they would not be returning. These teachers had not met certification requirements within a two-year waiver period.
To maintain staffing levels, Houston ISD hired approximately 850 uncertified teachers for the 2024–25 school year. The district continues to recruit through its “Teacher Pool 2025–2026” program via an online portal.
With the school year set to begin August 12, Houston ISD reports it is on track to ensure that every classroom has a teacher in place—despite broader state and national trends of shortages in bilingual and special education fields.
A list of the remaining 19 open positions can be found here.
