New Hampshire Reaches Highest Three-Year Cohort Of Educator Renewals On Record

CONCORD, NH — As of this week, the New Hampshire Department of Education has renewed 8,014 educator credentials in 2025, which results in the highest three-year cohort of educator renewals in the history of the state.

“This milestone is a testament to the commitment of New Hampshire’s educators and reflects the dedication of our teachers and the strength of our school system,” Frank Edelblut, the commissioner of education, said. “We celebrate this achievement as a reflection of progress, especially when so many areas of the country are facing substantial teacher shortages. While we know there are still pockets of teacher shortages in rural areas of the state, as well as for select credentials such as special education and STEM fields that result from policy decisions, this growing number of educator renewals continues our promising trend.”

Educators in New Hampshire are required to renew their credentials every three years, resulting in three cohorts of ongoing renewals. Nearly 29,000 individuals currently hold a renewable educator credential in the state, with approximately one-third of them required to renew their credential each year. *

The number of educators renewing their credentials by three-year cohorts:

• A total of 25,754 educators with renewals from 2023 to 2025
• A total of 25,493 educators with renewals from 2020 to 2022
• A total of 24,055 educators with renewals from 2017 to 2019
• A total of 24,731 educators with renewals from 2014 to 2016
• A total of 25,084 educators with renewals from 2011 to 2013

“Year after year, New Hampshire continues to demonstrate momentum in educator credential renewals,” Stephen Appleby, the director of NHED’s Division of Educator Support and Higher Education, said. “The steady increase in renewals is directly helping to close gaps on New Hampshire’s Critical Shortage List – ensuring that classrooms throughout the state are staffed with individuals who are eager to educate our youth.”

The Critical Shortage List, which is an analysis of the teacher supply and demand in New Hampshire, is based on input from school leaders across the state. The list has shown improvement in recent years. There are currently 23 teacher endorsements that have been identified as critical staffing shortage areas in the state, excluding paraprofessionals and substitute teachers — a substantial improvement from the 50 endorsements on the critical shortage list in 2019.

Last week, Governor Kelly Ayotte signed House Bill 90, which allows part-time college instructors to teach in local high schools for up to 20 hours a week. This newest measure, which will assist with dual and concurrent enrollment programs, could also help to shrink the Critical Shortage List even more, according to Edelblut.

Although the educator renewal deadline was June 30, NHED will continue to process late renewals throughout the remainder of the year.

*There are additional individuals who hold a professional license-for-life that does not require renewal, but was phased out several decades ago.

Submitted by the New Hampshire Department of Education