The Colorado Department of Education has begun accepting applications for the 2025-26 Educator Recruitment and Retention program — and they’re expected to fill up quickly as aspiring educators line up to fill the state’s teacher shortages.

Educator shortages are not a new problem for Colorado. Of the almost 2,800 teaching positions still left to hire before the 2024-25 school year, the majority were filled by long-term substitutes, retired teachers and alternative candidates. Nearly 600 positions remained unfilled. Three schools in the state were left without a principal.

While these shortages are smaller than what Colorado schools saw during the 2023-24 school year, educator shortages on the Western Slope and rural districts continue to outpace shortages in urban districts.

The Educator Recruitment and Retention program was subsequently created through Senate Bill 21-285 as a way to address these gaps. The program offers up to $10,000 in financial assistance per applicant to help aspiring educators cover the cost of educator preparation program fees, particularly those pursuing teaching careers in shortage areas and who commit to serving in those positions for at least three years.

Some of the state’s ongoing educator shortage areas include special education, early childhood education, secondary math and science, and rural communities, according to a news release from the Colorado Department of Education.

More than 2,000 future teachers have already benefited from the program since its launch in 2022, according to Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova. The department reports that roughly 88% of grant recipients remain in Colorado public school classrooms a year or more after receiving assistance, and nearly half say they would not have become teachers without it.

The legislature appropriates $5 million annually to the Colorado Department of Education for tuition assistance of up to $10,000 per qualified applicant. Last year, demand for the program was nearly double the available funding, according to the release.

Applications for the 2025-26 school year close on Sept. 30, 2025.

For more information about the program and eligibility, visit CDE.state.co.us/EducatorTalent/ERRProgram.