10 Best Education Staffing Agencies for Schools (2026)

Key takeaway: The 10 best education staffing agencies for 2026 are: Kelly Education, ESS, Swing Education, Scoot Education, Soliant, The Stepping Stones Group, Sunbelt Staffing, EDUStaff, Amergis Educational Staffing, and Carney, Sandoe & Associates. Kelly Education and ESS run the largest substitute teacher and paraprofessional programs for public districts; Swing and Scoot bring technology-led substitute marketplaces; Soliant, Stepping Stones, Sunbelt, and Amergis supply school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, special education teachers, and nurses; EDUStaff is a strong regional substitute provider; Carney Sandoe leads teacher and leadership placement for independent schools.

Education staffing agencies supply K-12 districts, charter networks, and independent schools with substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, special education staff, school nurses, and related service providers such as speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and school psychologists. Most operate as the employer of record, handling background checks, credential verification, payroll, and absence management, which lets districts convert a chronic staffing problem into a managed service.

The shortage behind this market is persistent. The Learning Policy Institute estimated more than 400,000 teaching positions nationwide were either unfilled or filled by teachers not fully certified for their assignments in 2023-24, and the National Center for Education Statistics' School Pulse Panel found that about 45% of public schools reported being understaffed entering the 2023-24 school year, with special education, substitutes, and related services the hardest roles to fill. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 19% growth for speech-language pathologists from 2023 to 2033, which keeps school therapy roles competitive against healthcare employers.

This ranking covers agencies that focus on K-12 and school-based roles. For higher education leadership searches, see our higher education executive search firms list; for nurses and therapists in clinical settings, see healthcare staffing agencies.

How did we evaluate education staffing agencies?

The 10 agencies at a glance

The 10 best education staffing agencies

1. Kelly Education

Type: Education staffing division of Kelly Services Headquarters: Troy, MI Best for: Large districts that want a national provider for substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, and tutoring programs

Kelly Education is the largest education staffing provider in the US, supplying substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, school nurses, and support staff to thousands of districts and filling millions of classroom days each year. It manages recruiting, vetting, training, and absence management for districts that outsource their substitute pools entirely, and it has expanded into tutoring, early childhood, and higher education staffing. Kelly's scale lets it absorb the compliance burden of operating across many states.

Strengths:

• Largest substitute teacher network in the country
• Full outsourcing of substitute recruiting, vetting, and scheduling
• Multi-state compliance and reporting

Limitations:

• Large-provider pricing and process for small districts
• Fill rates vary by local market

2. ESS

Type: K-12 substitute and support staffing Headquarters: Cherry Hill, NJ Best for: Districts seeking a dedicated substitute teacher, paraprofessional, and support staff partner with strong East Coast and Southern coverage

ESS, formerly Source4Teachers, is one of the largest dedicated K-12 staffing companies, serving nearly a thousand districts with substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, bus aides, food service, and other support roles. It handles recruiting, onboarding, training, and absence management, and it has built a reputation for improving fill rates in districts that struggled to manage substitute pools internally. Its footprint is deepest in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the Southeast, and Texas.

Strengths:

• Dedicated K-12 focus across substitute and support roles
• Strong district references on fill-rate improvement
• Covers non-instructional roles too

Limitations:

• Coverage is uneven in the West
• Less depth in related services and special education clinicians

3. Swing Education

Type: Technology-enabled substitute teacher marketplace Headquarters: San Mateo, CA Best for: Districts and charter networks that want a modern, app-based substitute pool, particularly in California, Texas, and the Northeast

Swing Education runs a technology platform that recruits, vets, and places substitute teachers for public, charter, and private schools, letting schools post requests and substitutes claim them through an app. It handles background checks, credential verification, and payroll, and it has grown from the Bay Area to Texas, Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and other states. Charter networks and districts with high absence volume use it to supplement or replace traditional substitute pools.

Strengths:

• App-based matching that fills requests quickly
• Handles vetting, compliance, and payroll
• Strong charter network relationships

Limitations:

• Substitute focus; limited special education and clinical staffing
• Coverage limited to its active states

4. Scoot Education

Type: Substitute teacher and education support staffing Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA Best for: Schools in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Dallas, and other Scoot markets that want curated substitutes and long-term coverage

Scoot Education recruits, screens, and places substitute teachers, long-term substitutes, and education support staff, emphasizing a personal matching model in which coordinators know both schools and educators. It operates in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and other markets, serves district, charter, and private schools, and provides training and coaching to its educators. Schools use it when they want a more curated substitute experience than large pools provide.

Strengths:

• Personal matching and educator coaching
• Strong in Los Angeles and Texas metros
• Covers long-term and support roles

Limitations:

• Limited geographic footprint
• Smaller pool than national providers

5. Soliant

Type: School-based therapy, special education, and healthcare staffing Headquarters: Peachtree Corners, GA Best for: Districts hiring speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, school psychologists, and special education teachers, including teletherapy

Soliant is one of the largest providers of school-based clinicians in the US, placing speech-language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, school psychologists, social workers, special education teachers, and school nurses in districts nationwide on contract terms. It also offers teletherapy for districts that cannot find local clinicians, and it handles licensure, credentialing, and payroll. Its healthcare staffing heritage gives it a deep clinician network that pure education agencies lack.

Strengths:

• Large school clinician and special education network
• Teletherapy option for hard-to-staff districts
• National coverage

Limitations:

• Not a substitute teacher provider
• Contract clinician rates are higher than district salaries

6. The Stepping Stones Group

Type: School-based therapeutic, behavioral, and special education staffing Headquarters: Lafayette, CO Best for: Districts that need special education teachers, behavior analysts, and related service providers under one contract

The Stepping Stones Group provides school-based therapeutic and behavioral services, placing speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, school psychologists, special education teachers, board certified behavior analysts, and paraprofessionals in districts across the country. It combines staffing with clinical supervision and professional development for its clinicians, and it offers teletherapy and autism services. Districts with large special education caseloads use it as a comprehensive partner.

Strengths:

• Broad special education and behavioral staffing coverage
• Clinical supervision and training for placed staff
• Teletherapy and autism program options

Limitations:

• Special education focus; no general substitutes
• Scale makes it less flexible for very small districts

7. Sunbelt Staffing

Type: School and healthcare staffing Headquarters: Oldsmar, FL Best for: Districts hiring school therapists, psychologists, nurses, and special education teachers on travel or local contracts

Sunbelt Staffing places speech-language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, school psychologists, special education teachers, school nurses, and teletherapists in districts nationwide, drawing on a recruiting model it shares with its healthcare travel staffing business. It handles licensing, credentialing, housing for travel contracts, and payroll. Districts in rural and hard-to-staff areas often turn to Sunbelt when local recruiting fails.

Strengths:

• Strong school therapy and psychologist network
• Travel contract model reaches rural districts
• Teletherapy available

Limitations:

• No substitute teacher program
• Travel-contract pricing is higher than local hires

8. EDUStaff

Type: Substitute teacher and support staffing Headquarters: Grand Rapids, MI Best for: Michigan, Midwest, and Mountain West districts outsourcing substitute teacher and paraprofessional pools

EDUStaff manages substitute teacher, paraprofessional, and support staff programs for more than 400 districts, primarily in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Colorado, and surrounding states. It recruits, trains, and employs substitutes, integrates with district absence management systems, and reports fill rates to each district. Its regional focus has earned strong references from districts that found national providers too impersonal.

Strengths:

• High-touch regional service with strong fill-rate reporting
• Deep Michigan and Midwest district relationships
• Handles substitutes and support staff

Limitations:

• Regional coverage only
• No special education clinician staffing

9. Amergis Educational Staffing

Type: Education staffing division of Amergis (formerly Maxim Healthcare Staffing) Headquarters: Columbia, MD Best for: Districts hiring school nurses, special education paraprofessionals, behavior technicians, and therapists

Amergis Educational Staffing, part of the company formerly known as Maxim Healthcare Staffing, supplies districts with school nurses, licensed practical nurses for one-to-one care, special education paraprofessionals, registered behavior technicians, therapists, and substitute teachers from a network of offices across the country. Its healthcare origins make it particularly strong for medically fragile student support and school nursing, and its local offices allow in-person district relationships.

Strengths:

• Strong school nursing and one-to-one health support
• Local offices in most states
• Covers paraprofessionals and behavior technicians

Limitations:

• Substitute teacher coverage varies by office
• Rebrand from Maxim can confuse procurement records

10. Carney, Sandoe & Associates

Type: Independent school teacher placement and leadership search Headquarters: Boston, MA Best for: Independent and private schools recruiting teachers, administrators, and heads of school

Carney, Sandoe & Associates has placed teachers and administrators in independent schools since 1977 and is the dominant firm in that market, running a free teacher placement service for candidates alongside retained searches for heads of school, division heads, and senior administrators. Its hiring conferences and candidate database give independent schools access to teachers who rarely apply through public job boards, and its search practice handles the governance-heavy process of head of school appointments.

Strengths:

• Largest independent school teacher placement network
• Retained leadership search for heads and administrators
• Hiring conferences that connect schools and candidates efficiently

Limitations:

• Independent school focus; no public district substitute staffing
• Leadership search fees are retained-search level

Outsourced substitute pools versus contract clinicians

The two halves of education staffing price very differently. Substitute and paraprofessional outsourcing is a volume service: the agency becomes the employer, charges a daily or hourly rate that includes a markup, and is measured on fill rate, which good providers push into the 90% range from district baselines that can sit below 70%. Contract clinicians and special education teachers are a scarcity service: the agency supplies licensed professionals that the district could not recruit, at hourly rates that can run 30-60% above a district salary equivalent, often on nine-month contracts with housing for travelers. Districts should evaluate the first on fill rate and compliance, and the second on licensure, supervision quality, and continuity for students.

The common thread is that agency spend grows quietly. A district paying contract rates for the same speech-language pathologist position three years running has usually spent more than a recruiting effort and a competitive salary would have cost. Our cost-per-hire benchmarks and AI agent versus recruiting agency comparison show where the break-even point falls.

How Noon fits alongside education staffing agencies

Districts, charter networks, and education companies also hire permanent staff where agencies are not the answer: central office leaders, curriculum and instructional specialists, technology and operations roles, and teachers in hard-to-fill subjects. Noon runs autonomous sourcing agents that continuously find and screen candidates across the open web against your actual hiring bar, then run personalized email and SMS outreach so your HR team spends time only with interested, qualified people. It is one flat plan with unlimited roles and seats (see pricing), which suits fixed public budgets. Education employers use it as the always-on channel for permanent roles and an agency for substitute and clinical coverage; our AI recruiting guide explains the setup.

FAQ

What is an education staffing agency? An education staffing agency recruits, vets, and employs substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, special education staff, school nurses, and related service providers, then places them in districts, charter schools, and private schools. The agency typically handles background checks, credential verification, payroll, and absence management.

How much do substitute teacher staffing agencies charge? Agencies bill a daily or hourly rate that includes the substitute's pay plus a markup, commonly 25-40%. Many districts find the total cost comparable to running an in-house pool once recruiting, payroll, and administrative time are counted, with the agency taking on fill-rate accountability.

Which agency is best for school speech-language pathologists? Soliant, The Stepping Stones Group, Sunbelt Staffing, and Amergis all place school-based speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and school psychologists, and all offer teletherapy for districts that cannot find local clinicians.

Do education staffing agencies run background checks? Yes. Reputable agencies run state and federal background checks, fingerprinting where required, and credential verification before placement, and they maintain records districts can audit. Districts should still confirm that the agency's checks meet their state's specific requirements.

Which firm places teachers in private schools? Carney, Sandoe & Associates is the largest placement and search firm for independent and private schools, handling both teacher placement and retained searches for heads of school and senior administrators.