Teaching Hours in Math and Science Decline Amid High Rates of Unqualified Elementary Teachers

The total teaching hours for mathematics across Israel's education system decreased slightly by 0.4%, from 416,000 hours in the 2024/25 school year to 415,000 hours in 2025/26. In elementary schools, hours dropped by 1% from 195,000 to 193,000, and in middle schools by 1.2% from 107,000 to 106,000. However, high schools saw a 1.5% increase from 113,000 to 115,000 hours. Concurrently, science teaching hours fell by 0.3%, from 224,400 to 223,600 hours, with declines in middle schools (1.8%) and high schools (1.6%), while elementary schools experienced an increase.

These figures, published by the Central Bureau of Statistics, reflect a real decline of 1.5% when accounting for a 1.2% growth in the education system overall. The bureau did not provide detailed explanations but noted concerns that the drop may be linked to the shrinking share of state secular education and the growth of Haredi and Arab education sectors.

A significant issue highlighted is the lack of subject-specific qualifications among teachers, especially in elementary schools, where nearly half of math (49%) and science (48%) teachers lack relevant academic training. This rate remains stable over the years. Qualification rates improve in middle and high schools, with about 80% of math teachers and 79% of science teachers appropriately qualified.

The report also reveals that teachers without relevant qualifications tend to remain in their subjects for multiple years, with about 60% of unqualified elementary math teachers teaching for three years or more. Attrition rates among new teachers are notable: in elementary math, 9.4% leave after one year, rising to nearly 20% after five years; science teachers show even higher attrition, with 11.3% leaving after one year and 23.2% after five years. Computer science teachers in high schools have a particularly high five-year attrition rate of 30.6%.