Skip Navigation
Digest of Education Statistics
2011 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 2. Enrollment in educational institutions, by level and control of institution: Selected years, fall 1980 through fall 2011
  [In thousands]
Level and control of institution Fall 1980 Fall 1990 Fall 1995 Fall 2000 Fall 2001 Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Projected fall 2010 Projected fall 2011
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
All levels 58,305 60,683   65,020 68,685   69,920 71,015   71,551 72,154   72,674 73,066   73,451 74,076   75,290 75,720   76,321
Public 50,335 52,061   55,933 58,956   59,905 60,935   61,399 61,776   62,135 62,496   62,783 63,238   64,184 64,449   65,063
Private 7,971 8,622   9,087 9,729   10,014 10,080   10,152 10,379   10,539 10,570   10,668 10,838   11,106 11,271   11,258
                                             
Elementary
and secondary
      schools1 
46,208 46,864   50,759 53,373   53,992 54,403   54,639 54,882   55,187 55,307   55,203 54,973   54,862 54,704   54,746
Public 40,877 41,217   44,840 47,204   47,672 48,183   48,540 48,795   49,113 49,316   49,293 49,266   49,373 49,306   49,422
Private 5,331 5,648 2  5,918 6,169 2  6,320 6,220 2  6,099 6,087 2  6,073 5,991 2  5,910 5,707 2  5,488 5,398   5,324
                                             
Prekindergarten to                                            
grade 8 31,639 34,388   37,094 38,592   38,959 39,029   38,989 38,933   38,928 38,866   38,751 38,650   38,597 38,729   38,949
Public 27,647 29,876   32,338 33,686   33,936 34,114   34,201 34,178   34,204 34,235   34,205 34,286   34,418 34,637   34,892
Private 3,992 4,512 2  4,756 4,906 2  5,023 4,915 2  4,788 4,756 2  4,724 4,631 2  4,546 4,365 2  4,179 4,092   4,057
                                             
Grades 9 to 12 14,570 12,476   13,665 14,781   15,032 15,374   15,651 15,949   16,258 16,441   16,451 16,322   16,265 15,975   15,797
Public 13,231 11,341   12,502 13,517   13,736 14,069   14,339 14,618   14,909 15,081   15,087 14,980   14,955 14,668   14,530
Private 1,339 1,136 2  1,163 1,264 2  1,296 1,306 2  1,311 1,331 2  1,349 1,360 2  1,364 1,342 2  1,309 1,306   1,266
                                             
Postsecondary
      degree-granting
      institutions
12,097 13,819   14,262 15,312   15,928 16,612   16,911 17,272   17,487 17,759   18,248 19,103   20,428 21,016 3  21,575
Public 9,457 10,845   11,092 11,753   12,233 12,752   12,859 12,980   13,022 13,180   13,491 13,972   14,811 15,143 3  15,640
Undergraduate 8,442 9,710   9,904 10,539   10,986 11,433   11,523 11,651   11,698 11,847   12,138 12,591   13,387 13,704 3  14,134
First-professional and
     graduate
1,015 1,135   1,189 1,213   1,247 1,319   1,336 1,330   1,324 1,333   1,353 1,381   1,424 1,439 3  1,507
                                             
Private 2,640 2,974   3,169 3,560   3,695 3,860   4,053 4,292   4,466 4,579   4,757 5,131   5,617 5,873 3  5,934
Undergraduate 2,033 2,250   2,328 2,616   2,730 2,824   2,957 3,130   3,266 3,337   3,466 3,775   4,179 4,374 3  4,413
First-professional and
     graduate
606 724   841 943   965 1,035   1,096 1,162   1,199 1,242   1,291 1,356   1,438 1,499 3  1,521
1 Includes enrollments in local public school systems and in most private schools (religiously affiliated and nonsectarian). Excludes homeschooled children who were not also enrolled in public and private schools. Based on the National Household Education Survey, the homeschooled children numbered approximately 1.5 million in 2007. Private elementary enrollment includes preprimary students in schools offering kindergarten or higher grades.
2 Estimated.
3 Data are actual.
NOTE: 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.) Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Statistics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Systems, 1980; Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary and Secondary Education," 1985-86 through 2009-10; Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2007); Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1995-96 through 2009-10; Projections of Education Statistics to 2020; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Fall Enrollment in Institutions of Higher Education" surveys, 1980 and 1985; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:90-99); and IPEDS Spring 2001 through Spring 2011, Enrollment component. (This table was prepared November 2011.)

                        All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest