A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026

by Melissa Arnold Lyon Sandy Frost Waldron Rebecca Jacobsen, Fordham Institute, 5.27.2026  (excerpts)

Foreword by: Amber M. Northern, Ph.D. and Michael J. Petrilli

How much influence do teacher unions still wield in today’s K–12 education landscape?

To answer that question, researchers Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen analyzed the latest publicly available data and responses from a new survey of K–12 stakeholders in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to produce a comprehensive update to Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength.

Their results show that the K–12 landscape has grown more crowded and contested over the last fifteen years. In many places, teacher unions are no longer necessarily the most powerful voice in the room.

Profiles of the top five and bottom five states are available now, along with profiles of two states that saw major movement due to significant changes in collective bargaining law. Profiles of the remaining 39 states will be released between June 22 and July 13, so please check back for updates….

Table F-1 shows the overall rankings alongside the rankings for each of the five areas (sortable by column). Per the table, the states with the strongest teacher unions are Vermont, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Hawaii. The states with the weakest teacher unions are Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Mississippi….

Which states have the highest rates of union membership at the K–12 level?

Union membership rates are highest in Connecticut, where 98 percent of K–12 teachers are union members, followed by New Jersey (97 percent), Washington (97 percent), New York (97 percent), and Hawaii (96 percent)….

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What is HSTA Doing with that power?

• 2006: The transsexual agenda for Hawaii schools
• 2021: HSTA Transgender Archives
• 2021: HSTA Outlines Plan to Promote Identity Politics in K-12
• 2021: HSTA Demands Schools Teach so-called 'Critical Race Theory'
• 2022: Transsexualize Your Child: Hawaii Teachers Union Publishes Toolkit
• 2022: More Cleavage: HSTA Cheers Gay-Friendly Dress Code
• 2022: Socialist Ex-teacher charged with child porn now indicted in sex assault
• 2023: HSTA: Our LGBTQ Students are 'Lovable'--Raise Money for Sex-Change Clinic

HPR: Report ranks Hawaiʻi 5th in teachers' union strength | Hawai'i Public Radio

Table A3. The percentage of K-12 teachers who are union members has decreased in most states.