Mathematics and Sciences: Alarming Data on Teacher Qualifications in Israel
CBS data reveals that only about half of science and mathematics teachers in elementary schools are qualified to teach their subjects. Many continue to teach without proper credentials for years. With international performance at a low, nearly a quarter of new science teachers leave the profession within five years.
Nearly half of the teachers instructing children in science and mathematics in elementary schools lack the professional qualifications required to teach these subjects. New data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reveals a significant gap between the number of teachers in the system and their suitability for the subjects they teach.
The Qualification Gap
The suitability rate for teaching science in elementary education stands at only about 52%, meaning nearly half of the teachers are not qualified for the role. In middle schools, the situation is better, with a suitability rate of 79%, up from 63% in the 2011/12 school year. This is not merely a temporary stopgap: approximately 56% of unqualified science teachers in elementary schools have been teaching the subject for three years or more. In middle schools, this figure rises to 70%.
The trend is similar in mathematics, where only about 51% of elementary teachers are qualified. In middle schools, this rate is about 80%, and in high schools, it is 81%. Furthermore, 60% of unqualified math teachers in elementary schools have been teaching the subject for three years or more.
Staff Attrition
The data also highlights the struggle to retain new teachers. Among new science teachers in elementary education, 11.3% leave after one year, and 23.2% leave within five years. In high schools, the attrition rate for new teachers is even more severe: within five years, 30.6% of computer science teachers, 26% of biology teachers, 25.5% of chemistry teachers, and 23.7% of physics teachers exit the system.
More Teachers, Less Teaching Time
Interestingly, the number of teachers has surged. In the 2025/26 school year, there are 15,949 science teachers, a 42% increase from 2011/12. However, the number of teaching hours has only grown by about 20%. In the last year alone, the number of science teachers increased by 2.3%, while the number of teaching hours actually decreased by 0.3%.
International Context
These figures are particularly concerning given the results of the TIMSS tests published in December 2024, which showed a 17-year low in Israeli student achievement. Israel fell from ninth to 23rd place in mathematics and to 25th in science. Recent PISA results also indicate that Israeli students remain below the OECD average.
In response, Minister of Education Yoav Kisch announced the five-year "Real Israel" plan, with a budget of 1.485 billion shekels through 2028. The plan aims to boost STEM education, update curricula, and train 14,000 teachers. However, the new CBS data underscores that the primary challenge for the "Real Israel" initiative will be not just the quantity of teachers, but their professional quality and the system's ability to retain them.
