Skip Navigation
Digest of Education Statistics: 2008
Digest of Education Statistics: 2008

NCES 2009-020
March 2009


Table 4. Number of teachers in elementary and secondary schools, and instructional staff in postsecondary degree-granting institutions, by control of institution: Selected years, fall 1970 through fall 2017

[In thousands]
Year All levels Elementary and secondary teachers1  Degree-granting institutions instructional staff2 
Total Public Private Total Public Private Total Public Private
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1970 2,766 2,373 393 2,292 2,059 233   474   314   160  
1975 3,081 2,641 440 2,453 2,198 255 3  628   443   185  
1980 3,171 2,679 492 2,485 2,184 301   686 3,4  495 3,4  191 3,4 
1981 3,145 2,636 509 2,440 2,127 313 3  705   509   196  
1982 3,168 2,639 529 2,458 2,133 325 3  710 3,4  506 3,4  204 3,4 
                           
1983 3,200 2,651 549 2,476 2,139 337   724   512   212  
1984 3,225 2,673 552 2,508 2,168 340 3  717 3,4  505 3,4  212 3,4 
1985 3,264 2,709 555 2,549 2,206 343   715 3,4  503 3,4  212 3,4 
1986 3,314 2,754 560 2,592 2,244 348 3  722 3,4  510 3,4  212 3,4 
1987 3,424 2,831 592 2,631 2,279 352 3  793   553   240  
                           
1988 3,472 2,882 590 2,668 2,323 345 3  804 3  559 3  245 3 
1989 3,537 2,934 603 2,713 2,357 356 3  824   577   247  
1990 3,576 2,972 604 2,759 2,398 361 3  817 3  574 3  244 3 
1991 3,623 3,013 610 2,797 2,432 365 3  826   581   245  
1992 3,703 3,080 624 2,827 2,459 368 3  877 3  621 3  257 3 
                           
1993 3,790 3,154 636 2,874 2,504 370 3  915   650   265  
1994 3,848 3,205 643 2,925 2,552 373 3  923 3  653 3  270 3 
1995 3,906 3,255 651 2,974 2,598 376 3  932   657   275  
1996 4,006 3,339 666 3,051 2,667 384 3  954 3  672 3  282 3 
1997 4,127 3,441 687 3,138 2,746 391   990   695   295  
                           
1998 4,230 3,527 703 3,230 2,830 400 3  999 3  697 3  303 3 
1999 4,347 3,624 723 3,319 2,911 408   1,028   713   315  
2000 4,433 3,682 750 3,366 2,941 424 3  1,067 3  741 3  326 3 
2001 4,554 3,771 783 3,440 3,000 441   1,113   771   342  
2002 4,631 3,829 802 3,476 3,034 442 3  1,155 3  794 3  361 3 
                           
2003 4,663 3,840 823 3,490 3,049 441   1,174   792   382  
2004 4,779 3,911 868 3,538 3,091 447 3  1,241 3  820 3  421 3 
2005 4,883 3,984 899 3,593 3,143 450   1,290   841   449  
2006 4,955 4,035 920 3,632 3,180 452 5  1,322 3  854 3  468 3 
20076  5,034 4,081 953 3,663 3,204 459   1,371   877   494  
                           
20085  3,713 3,246 467        
20095  3,760 3,286 474        
20105  3,808 3,326 482        
20115  3,859 3,369 489        
20125  3,914 3,417 497        
                           
20135  3,970 3,465 505        
20145  4,034 3,520 513        
20155  4,101 3,579 522        
20165  4,171 3,640 531        
20175  4,244 3,704 540        
— Not available.
1 Includes teachers in local public school systems and in most private schools (religiously affiliated and nonsectarian). Teachers are reported in terms of full-time equivalents.
2 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 Guide to Sources for details.) Includes full-time and part-time faculty with the rank of instructor or above in colleges, universities, professional schools, and 2-year colleges. Excludes teaching assistants.
3 Estimated.
4 Inclusion of institutions is not consistent with surveys for 1987 and later years.
5 Projected.
6 Data for elementary and secondary are projected; data for degree-granting institutions are actual.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Headcounts are used to report data for degree-granting institutions instructional staff.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Statis­tics of Public Elementary and Secondary Day Schools, 1970 and 1975; Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 1980 through 2006; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989–90 through 2005–06; Projec­tions of Education Statistics to 2017; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Fall Staff" survey, 1970 and 1975; 1987 through 2007 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Staff Survey" (IPEDS-S:87–99), and Winter 2001–02 through Winter 2007–08; U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission, EEO-6, 1981 and 1983; and unpublished data. (This table was prepared October 2008.)