A sustained survey by civic movement Missão Escola Pública of heads of school groupings and standalone schools reveals systemic staffing problems across Portugal: around one-third of schools were short of teachers throughout the first term, 77% reported using staff without pedagogical training, and shortages have spread into the Central and Northern regions. The findings point to degraded educational quality, ad hoc coping measures and unfilled posts, raising urgent questions about recruitment, retention and policy responses to secure qualified teachers and protect learning standards.