Stability and Strain: Insights from the 2025 Heads Survey

By: Dr. Brett Jacobsen, SAIS President, and Sheri Burkeen, SAIS Director of Research & Resources

The October Pulse Perspectives for heads captured engagement throughout the SAIS association, representing a 52% response rate. Beyond the pulse, the survey reveals both progress and emerging challenges in independent school staffing. 

• Attrition Drivers – Retirement is the leading cause of departures across all school sizes, reaching as high as 75% in extra-large schools, while smaller schools (<50 FTEs) report higher attrition from personal/family reasons (48%) and compensation (27%).
• School Setting Variations – Urban schools face more performance-related attrition (46%), suburban schools see retirement as the dominant driver (54%), and rural schools experience concentrated retirement-driven exits (80%).
• Unfilled Positions – Hiring gaps grow with school size, with 25% of extra-large schools (1200+ students) reporting unfilled administrative positions, compared to 9% of small schools (0–400 students).
• Applicant Quality by Size – Smaller schools (<50 FTEs) face the most variability, with higher shares of both very strong and weak candidates, while extra-large schools report the highest proportion of strong and very strong applicants.
• Applicant Quality by Setting – Urban schools benefit from stronger applicant pools (59% rated strong or very strong), suburban schools lean toward average and strong applicants, and rural schools face greater inconsistency, with 26% of candidates rated weak.

The key findings reveal a complex landscape where schools are navigating challenges while experiencing shifts in employee attrition, unfilled positions, and quality of applicant pool.