Table 3.

Enrollment in educational institutions, by level and control of institution: Selected years, 1869-70 through fall 2019

	[In thousands]
Year	Total enrollment, all levels	Elemen- tary and secon- dary, total	Public elementary and secondary schools			Private elementary and secondary schools1						Postsecondary degree- granting institutions2
			Total	Prekinder- garten through grade 8	Grades 9 through 12	Total		Prekinder- garten through grade 8		Grades 9 through 12		Total		Public	Private
1	2	3	4	5	6	7		8		9		10		11	12
1869-70	—	—	6,872	6,792	80	—		—		—		52		—	—
1879-80	—	—	9,868	9,757	110	—		—		—		116		—	—
1889-90	14,491	14,334	12,723	12,520	203	1,611		1,516		95		157		—	—
1899-1900	17,092	16,855	15,503	14,984	519	1,352		1,241		111		238		—	—
1909-10	19,728	19,372	17,814	16,899	915	1,558		1,441		117		355		—	—
1919-20	23,876	23,278	21,578	19,378	2,200	1,699		1,486		214		598		—	—
1929-30	29,430	28,329	25,678	21,279	4,399	2,651		2,310		341		1,101		—	—
1939-40	29,539	28,045	25,434	18,832	6,601	2,611		2,153		458		1,494		797	698
1949-50	31,151	28,492	25,111	19,387	5,725	3,380		2,708		672		2,659		1,355	1,304
Fall 1959	44,497	40,857	35,182	26,911	8,271	5,675		4,640		1,035		3,640		2,181	1,459
Fall 1969	59,055	51,050	45,550	32,513	13,037	5,500	3	4,200	3	1,300	3	8,005		5,897	2,108
Fall 1970	59,838	51,257	45,894	32,558	13,336	5,363		4,052		1,311		8,581		6,428	2,153
Fall 1971	60,220	51,271	46,071	32,318	13,753	5,200	3	3,900	3	1,300	3	8,949		6,804	2,144
Fall 1972	59,941	50,726	45,726	31,879	13,848	5,000	3	3,700	3	1,300	3	9,215		7,071	2,144
Fall 1973	60,047	50,445	45,445	31,401	14,044	5,000	3	3,700	3	1,300	3	9,602		7,420	2,183
Fall 1974	60,297	50,073	45,073	30,971	14,103	5,000	3	3,700	3	1,300	3	10,224		7,989	2,235
Fall 1975	61,004	49,819	44,819	30,515	14,304	5,000	3	3,700	3	1,300	3	11,185		8,835	2,350
Fall 1976	60,490	49,478	44,311	29,997	14,314	5,167		3,825		1,342		11,012		8,653	2,359
Fall 1977	60,003	48,717	43,577	29,375	14,203	5,140		3,797		1,343		11,286		8,847	2,439
Fall 1978	58,897	47,637	42,551	28,463	14,088	5,086		3,732		1,353		11,260		8,786	2,474
Fall 1979	58,221	46,651	41,651	28,034	13,616	5,000	3	3,700	3	1,300	3	11,570		9,037	2,533
Fall 1980	58,305	46,208	40,877	27,647	13,231	5,331		3,992		1,339		12,097		9,457	2,640
Fall 1981	57,916	45,544	40,044	27,280	12,764	5,500	3	4,100	3	1,400	3	12,372		9,647	2,725
Fall 1982	57,591	45,166	39,566	27,161	12,405	5,600	3	4,200	3	1,400	3	12,426		9,696	2,730
Fall 1983	57,432	44,967	39,252	26,981	12,271	5,715		4,315		1,400		12,465		9,683	2,782
Fall 1984	57,150	44,908	39,208	26,905	12,304	5,700	3	4,300	3	1,400	3	12,242		9,477	2,765
Fall 1985	57,226	44,979	39,422	27,034	12,388	5,557		4,195		1,362		12,247		9,479	2,768
Fall 1986	57,709	45,205	39,753	27,420	12,333	5,452	3	4,116	3	1,336	3	12,504		9,714	2,790
Fall 1987	58,254	45,488	40,008	27,933	12,076	5,479		4,232		1,247		12,767		9,973	2,793
Fall 1988	58,485	45,430	40,189	28,501	11,687	5,242	3	4,036	3	1,206	3	13,055		10,161	2,894
Fall 1989	59,680	46,141	40,543	29,150	11,393	5,599		4,468		1,131		13,539		10,578	2,961
Fall 1990	60,683	46,864	41,217	29,876	11,341	5,648	3	4,512	3	1,136	3	13,819		10,845	2,974
Fall 1991	62,087	47,728	42,047	30,503	11,544	5,681		4,550		1,131		14,359		11,310	3,049
Fall 1992	63,181	48,694	42,823	31,086	11,737	5,870	3	4,746	3	1,125	3	14,487		11,385	3,103
Fall 1993	63,837	49,532	43,465	31,502	11,963	6,067		4,950		1,118		14,305		11,189	3,116
Fall 1994	64,385	50,106	44,111	31,896	12,215	5,994	3	4,856	3	1,138	3	14,279		11,134	3,145
Fall 1995	65,020	50,759	44,840	32,338	12,502	5,918		4,756		1,163		14,262		11,092	3,169
Fall 1996	65,911	51,544	45,611	32,762	12,849	5,933	3	4,755	3	1,178	3	14,368		11,120	3,247
Fall 1997	66,574	52,071	46,127	33,071	13,056	5,944		4,759		1,185		14,502		11,196	3,306
Fall 1998	67,033	52,526	46,539	33,344	13,195	5,988	3	4,776	3	1,212	3	14,507		11,138	3,369
Fall 1999	67,667	52,875	46,857	33,486	13,371	6,018		4,789		1,229		14,791		11,309	3,482
Fall 2000	68,685	53,373	47,204	33,686	13,517	6,169	3	4,906	3	1,264	3	15,312		11,753	3,560
Fall 2001	69,920	53,992	47,672	33,936	13,736	6,320		5,023		1,296		15,928		12,233	3,695
Fall 2002	71,015	54,403	48,183	34,114	14,069	6,220	3	4,915	3	1,306	3	16,612		12,752	3,860
Fall 2003	71,551	54,639	48,540	34,201	14,339	6,099		4,788		1,311		16,911		12,859	4,053
Fall 2004	72,154	54,882	48,795	34,178	14,618	6,087	3	4,756	3	1,331	3	17,272		12,980	4,292
Fall 2005	72,674	55,187	49,113	34,204	14,909	6,073		4,724		1,349		17,487		13,022	4,466
Fall 2006	73,066	55,307	49,316	34,235	15,081	5,991	3	4,631	3	1,360	3	17,759		13,180	4,579
Fall 2007	73,451	55,203	49,293	34,205	15,087	5,910		4,546		1,364		18,248		13,491	4,757
Fall 2008	74,338	55,235	49,266	34,286	14,980	5,969	3	4,574	3	1,395	3	19,103		13,972	5,131
Fall 20094	75,710	55,282	49,312	34,505	14,807	5,970		4,580		1,389		20,428		14,811	5,617
Fall 20104	75,900	55,350	49,386	34,730	14,657	5,964		4,582		1,382		20,550		14,895	5,655
Fall 20114	76,140	55,515	49,554	34,974	14,580	5,961		4,598		1,363		20,625		14,943	5,683
Fall 20124	76,570	55,757	49,795	35,206	14,589	5,962		4,622		1,340		20,813		15,071	5,743
Fall 20134	77,231	56,063	50,088	35,437	14,651	5,975		4,657		1,318		21,168		15,320	5,847
Fall 20144	78,110	56,442	50,446	35,636	14,810	5,995		4,702		1,294		21,669		15,676	5,992
Fall 20154	78,918	56,859	50,827	35,881	14,946	6,031		4,757		1,275		22,059		15,953	6,106
Fall 20164	79,703	57,273	51,198	36,205	14,993	6,075		4,801		1,274		22,431		16,216	6,214
Fall 20174	80,498	57,709	51,583	36,526	15,058	6,126		4,844		1,282		22,789		16,473	6,317
Fall 20184	81,296	58,129	51,946	36,838	15,108	6,184		4,885		1,298		23,167		16,743	6,424
Fall 20194	82,038	58,590	52,342	37,156	15,186	6,248		4,927		1,321		23,448		16,947	6,501

—Not available.

1 Beginning in fall 1980, data include estimates for an expanded universe of private schools. Therefore, direct comparisons with earlier years should be avoided.

2 Data for 1869-70 through 1949-50 include resident degree-credit students enrolled at any time during the academic year. Beginning in 1959, data include all resident and extension students enrolled at the beginning of the fall term.

3 Estimated.

4 Projected from Projections of Education Statistics to 2019. Fall 2009 data for degree-granting institutions are actual.

NOTE: Data for 1869-70 through 1949-50 reflect enrollment for the entire school year. Elementary and secondary enrollment includes students in local public school systems and in most private schools (religiously affiliated and nonsectarian), but generally excludes homeschooled children and students in subcollegiate departments of colleges and in federal schools. Based on the National Household Education Survey, the homeschooled children numbered approximately 1.5 million in 2007. Excludes preprimary pupils in private schools that do not offer kindergarten or above. Postsecondary data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. (See Appendix A: Guide to Sources for details.) Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Annual Report of the Commissioner of Education, 1870 to 1910; Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, 1919-20 through 1949-50; Statistics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Systems, 1959 through 1980; Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary and Secondary Education," 1981-82 through 2008-09; Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2007); Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989-90 through 2007-08; Projections of Education Statistics to 2019; Opening (Fall) Enrollment in Higher Education, 1959; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Fall Enrollment in Institutions of Higher Education" surveys, 1969 through 1985; and 1986 through 2009 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:86-99), and Spring 2001 through Spring 2010. (This table was prepared November 2010.)