Student Loan Debt Among Educators: A National Crisis

From pre-K to Ph.D., our right to learn, grow, and thrive should be based on how big we dream and how hard we work. But the astronomical cost of higher education—even public higher education—forces many students to either forego their education or be trapped in a lifetime of debt.

This report presents the results of a 2020 NEA survey of educators working in pre-K–12 and higher education institutions regarding student loan debt. In line with research on student loan debt within the general population, we find that student loans play a significant role in the financial lives of many educators and have disproportionate impacts on specific subgroups.