Question:
Are there any new Back to School statistics for 2009?
Response:
America's schools and colleges will welcome back record numbers of students this fall as population increases and high enrollment rates continue to be reflected in more students in America's schools than ever before. In particular, record numbers of prekindergarten and kindergarten students are expected to enter the Nation's public school systems.
Elementary and Secondary Education
In fall 2009, a record of nearly 49.8 million students will attend public elementary and secondary schools. Of these, almost 35.0 million will be in prekindergarten through 8th grade and 14.8 million in grades 9 through 12 (source). An additional 5.8 million students are expected to attend private schools this fall.
Public school systems will employ about 3.3 million teachers this fall, resulting in a pupil/teacher ratio of 15.2, which is lower than in 1999, when the ratio was 16.1. Approximately 0.5 million teachers will be working in private schools this fall, where the pupil/teacher ratio is estimated at 12.8 (source).
In 2006−07, there were about 13,900 public school districts (source) containing about 99,000 public schools, including about 4,100 charter schools (source). In 2007−08, there were about 33,700 private schools offering kindergarten or higher grades (source).
Approximately 1,085,000 children are expected to attend public prekindergarten this fall. Enrollment in kindergarten, at approximately 3,790,000, is also projected to be an all-time high (source).
About 4.2 million public school students are expected to enroll in 9th grade, a typical entry grade for many high schools (source).
Current expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools will be about $543 billion for the 2009−10 school year. The national average current expenditure per student is projected at $10,844, up from $9,683 in actual expenditures in 2006−07 (source and source).
The percentage of high school dropouts among 16- through 24-year-olds declined from 11.8 percent in 1998 to 8.0 in 2008. There have been declines in the dropout rates for Blacks and Hispanics, although their rates remain higher than those for Whites. (source and U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, October 2008).
About 3,327,000 students are expected to graduate from high school in 2009–10, including 3,005,000 from public high schools and 321,000 from private high schools (source).
The percentage of high school completers enrolling in college in the fall following high school completion was 68.6 percent in 2008. The rate for females (71.5 percent) was higher than the rate for males (65.9 percent) (source and source).
College and University Education
In fall 2009, a record 18.4 million students are expected to attend the nation’s 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities, an increase of about 3.1 million since fall 2000 (source).
Females are expected to comprise the majority of college students, numbering about 10.5 million compared to 7.9 million males in fall 2009. Although the majority of students will attend full-time (an estimated 11.4 million for fall 2009), about 7.0 million are expected to attend part-time (source).
About 7.2 million students are expected to attend public 4-year institutions (source), 6.5 million will attend public 2-year institutions (source), about 4.4 million will attend private 4-year institutions (source), and 0.3 million will attend private 2-year colleges (source).
Increasing numbers and percentages of Black and Hispanic students are attending college. Between 2000 and 2007, the percentage of college students who were Black rose from 11.3 to 13.1 percent, and the percent of students who were Hispanic rose from 9.5 to 11.4 percent (source).
The record college enrollments have been driven by both increases in the traditional college age population and rising enrollment rates. Between 2000 and 2008, the 18- to 24-year-old population rose from approximately 27.3 million to approximately 29.9 million (source) and the percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college also was higher in 2008 (39.6 percent) compared to 2000 (35.5 percent). (source and U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, October 2008.)
For the 2007−08 academic year, annual prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and board were estimated to be $11,578 at public institutions (including $4,307 for in-state tuition) and $29,915 at private institutions (source).
During the 2009−10 school year, colleges and universities are expected to award 741,000 associate’s degrees (source); 1,634,000 bachelor's degrees (source); 659,000 master's degrees (source); 94,400 first-professional degrees (source); and 60,400 doctor's degrees (source).
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